The Mountain Film Festival world tour is coming back to Tunbridge Wells once again, on Saturday 14th March.
There are two showings, one at 2pm and one at 7pm and each showing features different films.
These film festivals showcase the best of the outdoor world – amazing stories, individual courage, beautiful locations, daring feats. Tales of endurance, bravery, strength across any discipline you can imagine that has the ‘adrenaline junkie’ tag. BASE jumping, high lining, bouldering, white water rafting, fell running. Watching makes you realise how many incredible film makers are out there, and how the human mind and body are only constrained by the barriers we impose ourselves.
These films are always inspirational, leaving the audience with the sense that they too are capable of some of these feats. But once the initial wow factor fades, how many of us truly do go off on an adventure of our own? As the mundane realities of life kick in, are we too constrained by work, admin and relationships to really push the boat out?
Life is hard, and it is busy. There are deadlines and bills to meet and very few people are lucky enough to have unlimited time and money to pursue their dreams. But don’t let despair set in. There are ways and means, and sometimes, it is best to start small.
If you climb, day trip to another crag. If you run, pencil yourself in for a 10k or half-marathon and use that as inspiration to get into training. Make your next holiday an adventure one rather than a city break.
The great outdoors is so called for a reason – beautiful and awe-inspiring, it can sometimes seem so vast and terrifying in its size. But it needn’t be. The more time you spend in the wilderness, the more you appreciate the small things, the quiet of the forest and the gentle babble of a river.
Adventures come in all shapes and sizes. Yours might not be made into an award-winning film, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t valid to you. Adventures shape our outlook on life, and change us in ways we never thought possible.
So if you go to BANFF, let the films wash over you and inspire you, remember what you used to dream of before life got involved. Remember your strengths, and your passions. Don’t be put off if you feel that what you are seeing is impossible to replicate – concentrate on what you can do, and start small.
