The Wood River Valley is no stranger to the cinematic world with the Sun Valley Film Festival, Family of Woman Festival and the Homegrown Film Festival. Ketchum has its winter and spring months packed full of screenings, premieres, filmmaker lectures and other special events.
Years before those locally grown cinematic celebrations first made their mark on the valley, Ketchum began playing host to a foreign event: the Banff Mountain Film Festival.
The most recent Banff Film Festival was held between Oct. 27 and Nov. 4, 2018, in the eponymous Albertan resort town. Though most film festivals strive to achieve international prestige, few go about it the way Banff does: by taking the show on an expansive world tour.
For 18 years, the festival movies have graced the screens of various theaters and cinemas around Ketchum.
“The first year I did it was 2001,” said Tour Host Michael Boge, who is in charge of coordinating the festival in Idaho. Given the winter sports community here, he said bringing it to Sun Valley “just seemed like a no-brainer.” Boge said of the festival, “It’s one of the five best things in my life.”
The 2019 showings will be divided between two locations, conveniently across the street from one another: the Limelight Hotel and the Argyros Performing Arts Center, both on Main Street in Ketchum.
The festival will begin locally on Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Limelight Hotel. Screenings will resume on Monday, Feb. 4-5, at the Argyros.