International film festival helping keep Southern Colorado trails maintained

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The international "BANFF Mountain Film Festival" returns to Colorado Springs on Tuesday with all ticket sale profits benefitting the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI).

"It helps what we do every day. Making [the film festival] happen makes what we do happen, and so it's this coexistence where we can have something so fun that benefits the other fun that we have on the trails," said RMFI community engagement coordinator Calla Balliet.

BANFF contracts with local organizations in over 45 countries every year to bring their outdoor films to a diverse audience across the world. Mountain Chalet, an outdoor outfitting store in downtown Colorado Springs, has hosted and organized the film festival locally for 18 years.

"In Colorado, what are we known for? What do we love? Why do people move here? So that they can get outdoors!" Mountain Chalet co-owner Elaine Smith said.

Mountain Chalet will host the film festival at Stargazers. The movies and short films range from extreme sports to new discoveries and harrowing rescues, all centered around the outdoors.

RMFI is a non-profit organization contracted out to do trail work on some of the most-used trails in Southern Colorado like Barr Trail and Garden of the Gods. It specializes in work on parts of the trail where crews can't get heavy machinery to. Almost everything they do is by hand with non-motorized equipment.

The film festival is three nights long with showings Tuesday through Thursday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and films start playing at 6:55 p.m. Seating is first come, first serve. Tickets are $19. You can buy them at Mountain Chalet in person or online.