Visiting 40 countries on its annual world tour, the Banff Mountain Film Festival came to Edinburgh on Saturday, 7 February and I had the privilege of attending it on behalf of The Student. At the Festival Theatre, the Red Programme screening contained five of the 35 films featured in this year’s tour: Mandala; Gabon Unchartered; The Finisher: Jasmin Paris & The Barkley Marathons; Emil & Karl: Little Wheels, Big Mountains, and finally, Reel Rock: Riders on the Storm. In just over two hours, I was transported across continents and terrains, from the Ivindo River in Gabon to the peaks of Patagonia. With mountain biking, kayaking, Barkley Marathoning, big wall climbing and even cycling across the Alps with two year olds, these short documentaries showcased the revitalising power of adventure – certainly inspiring when I consider my days spent studying in the library.
Fast-forward 50 years and the auditorium of Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre was full of excited spectators, ready to witness the dangers and rewards involved in the pursuit of ever-evolving challenges and thrills.
The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is held in Alberta, Canada each autumn before the best films from the competition tour internationally. Banff itself, where the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity that hosts the festival is based, is a resort town in the Canadian Rockies, famous for its skiing, biking and hiking opportunities. It was named after Banff in Aberdeenshire by Sir George Stephens in 1884, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, but Indigenous people have inhabited the area for over 10,000 years. In 1976, climbers Chic Scott, Patsy Murphy, Evelyn Moorehouse and Betty Ware came together in the town and decided to set up the festival to celebrate mountain culture, extreme sports and phenomenal landscapes through film. Fast-forward 50 years and the auditorium of Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre was full of excited spectators, ready to witness the dangers and rewards involved in the pursuit of ever-evolving challenges and thrills.
My favourite of the five films in the Red Programme was Emil & Karl: Little Wheels, Big Mountains. The 22-minute German-language film follows a pair of fathers who decide to take their two-year-old sons, Emil and Karl, on a cycling journey through the Swiss Alps. For six days, fathers Jakob and Konne work together to create an exciting adventure for their sons and themselves through the beautiful Swiss National Park. Apart from when they are on their own balance bikes, Emil and Karl experience the journey in trailers, pulled by their cycling fathers across flat land and up and down hills. Traversing 180 kilometres with an elevation gain of 6,000 metres, Jakob and Konne do remarkably well at pedalling for themselves, their sons and with all the equipment and supplies necessary for the journey. The short film is very entertaining – an inevitability when you pair the various logistics involved in a trip like this with the presence of two temperamental, hungry toddlers.
While their fathers tackle steep terrains with impressively heavy loads, the biggest concern for Emil and Karl is where and when they might get their next croissant. However, Jakob and Konne remain patient and light-hearted throughout, and despite some fated tantrums, the adventure certainly brings their sons a lifelong sense of awe and excitement towards the natural world.
Emil & Karl: Little Wheels, Big Mountains, directed by Holger Wimmer, can be found on Kendal Mountain Player with a subscription, though hopefully it will become more readily available after this world tour ends.
Overall, the Red Programme of the 2026 Banff Mountain Film Festival highlights what it means to lead a life of bravery and adventure, whilst also exhibiting the extraordinary beauty and power of nature. If you are interested, there are still many dates available on their website to catch the festival across the UK.
Images provided by Banff Film Festival as press material.