Outdoorsy people seem to like outdoorsy-themed films and with that premise, Sudbury's Independent Cinema Co-op (the Indie) is just a couple of weeks away from presenting its second annual SOAR Film Fest. SOAR is the acronym for Sudbury Outdoor Adventure Reels.
Beth Mairs, the managing director of The Indie, said the SOAR festival is running from November 11 to 13 and tickets are on sale now.
Mairs said the festival began last year in collaboration with Laurentian University’s Outdoor Adventure Leadership Program (ADVL) which provides a formal education to students who also "partake in some of the foremost and longest-running outdoor adventure leadership training in Canada," said the university website.
Mairs said by virtue of being in Northern Ontario it seems more people have a practical interest in all facets of outdoors adventure, on a year-round basis.
"And you know what, to that point, I think that these outdoor adventure film festivals really flourish. In communities where there is a core of people, because of where you're located, there's a strong local community of outdoor adventures."
Mairs said this has also become obvious in western Canada in places such as Vancouver, Whistler and Banff where outdoor film festivals thrive. She said the Banff Mountain Film Festival actually reached out with screenings in venues across Canada, as part of its annual tour.
Mairs added that one positive aspect of the pandemic in 2020 was the decision that the touring film screenings could not just take place in widespread cities and towns. She said that created an opportunity for Sudbury and it allowed for the new local event that was born at the Indie last October.
She said having a local film fest in Sudbury was a natural given the ongoing interest in outdoor adventure because of the program at Laurentian. Mairs said she was able to pick and choose some of the best outdoor adventure films that had not been seen in Sudbury and present them as an in-theatre experience, as opposed to having films presented online or virtually.
Mairs said she was also able to see the winning entries from the other big festivals and book some of those films for the Sudbury event. Mairs said the outdoor adventure film genre is definitely a niche activity.
She knows the business well, having spent many years as an outdoors adventure travel operator in Sudbury and then many years as well, as an outdoors adventure filmmaker..
"So it is something that I am familiar with. And, in fact, I trained at Banff. They have an outdoor adventure film program. So it's definitely a specific niche within the filmmaking industry," said Mairs.
She added that adventure films are no longer just the stereotypical big, macho guy conquering the wilderness.
"It's taken a long time, but things have shifted in a very positive way in the adventure film genre to be far more inclusive not just having women's stories, but you know, people of colour and Indigenous subjects that are the centre of the films and people of different ages. And it's just, it has really expanded in a positive way. It's taken a long time, but it's now happening. And so that's a really great thing to see," said Mairs.
She added that some outdoor films are now sending a message that goes beyond the aspect of doing a special adventure activity, but the message is also about preserving the environment and sustainable living.
"A lot of the features are not that adrenaline-junkie kind of adventure film. They're more about a specific place; a beautiful place that someone is living in or adventuring in. And I think it really is an appreciation that gives you some insight into or inspiration as to how to live closer to the land," said Mairs.
Mairs said she is pleased with the lineup of films being offered this year and said Sudburians would likely enjoy taking advantage of the early bird pricing that is now available.
Len Gillis is a reporter at Sudbury.com.
