Scaling the
mountains and looking over the snow clad peaks, every climber thinks of capturing that feeling for
eternity. But what a joy it would be to share the same feeling of exhilaration
with other like-minded people. The IMF Mountain Film Festival gives every
thrill seeker the chance to capture their passion for adventure on film and
participate in the film competition. The competitive event brings the best
adventure films shot in India or the Indian Himalaya. The award winning films
are then screened across the country to reach out to a wider audience. After
being inaugurated in Delhi in February this year and travelling to states like
Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and
Kerala, the IMF Mountain Film Festival organised by Off Trail Adventures will
be held on Sunday, October 6, 2019 from 3pm to 5pm at Maquinez Palace, Panjim.
Around 16 award winning real life short thrillers filmed by various adventure
enthusiasts will be screened.
Bianca Dias, a civil
engineer by profession, has been trekking and mountaineering since the age of
eight and has been organising treks in Goa and India. A qualified mountaineer
from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), she founded OffTrail Adventures
in 2009. Samrat Kataktalware, an adventure consultant at OffTrail Adventures,
is part of organising India’s official adventure film festival. “The intention
of organising such an event in Goa is to inspire people to get out of their comfort
zone and take different adventure activities as per their liking. So far, we
have been successful in promoting adventure tourism and Goans have responded
positively and have started to indulge in various activities,” says Samrat.
The third edition of
the IMF Mountain Film Festival III Edition started with a bang at Indian
Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) Delhi. The screen time of the films range from
3 minutes to 15 minutes and the festival will be featuring films based on
various adventure disciplines such as skateboarding, environment, climbing,
mountaineering, culture, wing suit jump, specially abled, mountain exploration,
water sports, high lining, base jumping, time lapse and mountain biking. The
films had been shot across India at various popular adventure destinations,
which include Sikkim, Kumaon, Garhwal, Himachal, Zanskar, Gulmarg, Ladakh,
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Western Ghats and Kerala. The first edition of
the festival also saw a Goan film participating in the festival, Samrat explains,
“Goans are also pretty active in adventure film making and are very creative as
well. Unfortunately, this year we do not have any film by a Goan.”
The Grand Prize and
Best Mountaineering Film, ‘Papsura’, will be screened at the festival. The
other award winning films that will be featured include ‘Perspective’ (Best
Mountain Biking Film), ‘French Indian Masala’ (Best Climbing Film), ‘Mulakat’
(Best Environment Film), ‘Running The High Himalaya’ (Best Mountain Exploration
Film), ‘India’s Highest Wing-Suit Jump’ (Best Extreme Adventure Film), ‘Ston’
(People Choice Award), ‘Climbathon’ (Jury Special Prize), ‘Beyond Khardungla’
(People Choice Award), ‘A Shepherd’s Journey’ (Best Mountain Life Film), ‘An
Odd Landscape’, ‘Heaven on Earth’, ‘Making History’, ‘Dreamline’, ‘The
Dreamcatcher’ and ‘Freedom Family’.
“The response is
growing steadily; the people who attended the last festival are elated to have
it back and are bringing along more of their friends. This year, we anticipate
a houseful screening. The response is overwhelming and we are happy that more
and more people are keen on taking up adventure activities,” adds Samrat.
Even
if trekking to the Himalayas is a distant dream, the festival will motivate and
encourage trekkers and thrill seekers to pursue their goal earnestly.
