Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2013

COEUR d'ALENE - The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is coming to the Kroc Center this weekend.

The film tour will play 6 p.m., Sunday and Monday. Proceeds will go to The Satipo Kids Project, which funds 34 school age children from Peru to attend elementary school, and the Kroc Center's Kids' swimming program.

"Having started the program seven years ago we have come to know many of the parents fairly well, said Michael Boge, whose Mountain Fever Production sponsors the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour stop in Sandpoint, Coeur d'Alene and Sun Valley. "They know who we are, trust us and know that our intent is sincere."

The program has always been very grassroots, "just an idea, a dream of sorts" to help students break the cycle of poverty, Boge said in a letter about the 2012 trip to Satipo, Peru.

"The people we access in Satipo are the poor of the poor," he said. "They have zero and are stuck in economic poverty. Life for them will stay the same without a major shift from the outside."

That's where the film festival comes in.

The original festival which began in 1976 is held annually on the first weekend in November in Banff, Alberta.

This year, a full lineup of 20 different films will be shown over two nights.

"The Banff Mountain Film Festival is an inspiring international film competition featuring the world's best footage on mountain subjects," according to its website.

This year's lineup includes the film "Crossing the Ice" which picked up multiple awards including Banff's "Grand Prize" award and the "People's Choice Award."

Tickets are $15 and available at Zip's Sherman Avenue. Call 667-0723.

Info: www.mountain-fever.com

Sunday's lineup

* Moonwalk, Classification: General, no advisory, A full moon like no other!

* 5 Races, 5 Continents, Classification: Parental Guidance, no advisory, A look into the world of mountain running, depicting the joy, pain, transformation, and inspiration found in races around the world.

* Strength in Numbers, Classification: General, The world of mountain biking has many communities. And while different riders follow different lines, they all end up in the same place. Tire to ground, foot to pedal, hand to bar - people drawn together by trails of dirt. Come join us!

* Crossing the Ice, Grand Prize, sponsored by Mountain Equipment Coop People's Choice Award, sponsored by Buff Best Film, Exploration and Adventure, sponsored by Nemo, Classification: General, coarse language, Australian adventurers, James Castrission and Justin Jones, dare to tackle the perilous journey across Antarctica to the South Pole and back again, completely unassisted - just two men dragging their food and shelter across 1140 kilometers of barren ice. Many have tried - all have failed. After much planning and preparation, Cas and Jonesy arrive to tackle one of the last great Antarctic odysseys, but discover an eerie similarity to Captain Scott's race to the South Pole: there's a Norwegian on the ice. He's more experienced, he's tackling the same record, and he has a head start.

* Flow Hunters, Classification: General, no advisory, Some of the world's best paddlers experience adventure and risk as they explore New Zealand's white water.

* Gone Curling: Special Jury Mention, Classification: To be confirmed, A zealous cast of disparate - and utterly charming - characters bound together by their love of outdoor curling, attempt to uphold the sport. But a changing climate in the highlands of New Zealand could mean that outdoor rinks may soon become a thing of the past.

* Unicorn Sashimi, Classification: General, no advisory, This sweet piece of visual and musical poetry builds to a climax of Taiko drumming and swirling snow that will envelope you!

* Last of the Great Unknown, Classification: General, no advisory , The Grand Canyon is an immense place, almost unfathomable in scale, and one of the last places in the American West to be explored. Deep within this vast wilderness run concealed tributaries, hiding some of the Canyon's most remarkable features - enchanting slot canyons and the secrets deep within their walls.

* On Thin Sea Ice 2, Classification: General, no advisory, Slide away with simple pleasures: skating, bathing, and a little vodka!

Monday's lineup

* Huck, Classification: General, no advisory , Evan Garcia considers both the risks and rewards of a life driven by big waterfalls.

* The Gimp Monkeys, Classification: General, coarse language, What has four legs, five arms, and three heads? The Gimp Monkeys. Three friends attempt the first all-disabled ascent of Yosemite's iconic El Capitan.

* Highway Wilding, Classification: General, no advisory, Build them and they will live. That is the simple message in this short documentary that looks at the issue of wildlife and highways, and some of the pioneering solutions that exist to prevent road kill and reconnect landscapes. After seeing this film, you'll never drive down a highway the same way again.

* The Way Home, Classification: General, no advisory, Although our national parks belong to all citizens, too few people of color ever visit them. Take a journey to Yosemite National Park with those looking to reverse that trend.

* Wild Bill's Run, Classification: General, In 1972, American folk hero Wild Bill Cooper led a ragtag crew of adventurers on a most unlikely expedition over the top of the world, with goal of snowmobiling from Minnesota to Moscow. Filled with humour and misadventure, this amazing story is not like anything you have ever seen.

* 1st Afghan Ski Challenge, Best Film. Mountain Sports, sponsored by Live Out There, Classification: Parental Guidance, coarse language, In a quiet corner of this conflicted country, gutsy first-time skiers learn to ski through trial by fire! Racing with a true spirit of camaraderie, they take part in the first-ever downhill racing competition in Afghanistan.

* Lily Shreds Trailside, Classification: To be confirmed , Just try to keep up with Lily - go ahead we dare ya!

* Petzl RocTrip China, The Banff Centre Award for Creative Excellence, Being stuck in traffic has never seemed so enchanting! A superb soundtrack of traditional music takes us to a remarkable spot that offers climbers from all over the world no fewer than 250 pitches on delicious limestone walls.

* Ernest, Classification: General, You'll fall in love with Ernest Wilkinson, one of the last of a vanishing breed of mountain men, as he explains what your best survival tool is!

* Mountains in Motion: the Canadian Rockies, Classification: General, This 100 percent human-powered film uses striking time-lapse photography and an original story to bring the landscape center-stage and offers a thrilling new perspective that re-establishes the Canadian Rockies among the finest mountains in the world.

* Industrial Revolutions: Special Jury Mention, Classification: General, no advisory, World renowned trials rider Danny MacAskill is at it again - only this time he uses an abandoned ironworks as his playground!