Spend an evening at the Nature Center (or Big Grove Brewery’s Iowa City Taproom) as we host the Winter Wildland Alliance Backcountry Film Festival, a compilation of films that celebrate the human-powered experience through winter adventures.

Doors open at 6 PM, Program starts at 7 PM

2024 Film Lineup

WHAT IF? (6:00 minutes)

Director(s): Josh Goldsmith

Human(s): Mallory (Mal) Duncan

Location(s): Oregon and Washington

A countdown into the mind of a backcountry skier as he contemplates the delicate balance between risk and reward; confidence and apprehension.

CON ARTIST (12:00 minutes)

Studio/Production Company: MBG Motion Pictures

Director(s): Griffin Glendinning

Human(s): Addison Rafford, Ella Meade, Josie Petersen

Location(s): Colorado

Three female freeskiers find themselves on a transcendental journey, crossing the lines of reality and the subconscious mind in a heist for self-identity.

BELOVED WHITEBARK: STALWART WITNESS (6:33 minutes)

Studio/Production Company: Creative Ascents Films

Location(s): Montana and Wyoming

Having worked to protect whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for the last 23 years, Nancy Bockino invites you to get to know this charismatic tree in the alpine. Learn about why whitebark is important and its present perilous situation. Nurture your own connection to the alpine and its inhabitants.

BURN. // A SKI FILM (11:22 minutes)

Studio/Production Company: above productions

Director(s): Kellen MacDonald

Human(s): Parkin Costain, Jake Hopfinger, Tristan Robles, Cameron Daley, Parker Norvell

Location(s): Montana and Colorado

The story of how forest fires are impacting large swaths of terrain in the western United States and Canada. In the wake of the fires, certain areas are transformed into beautiful playgrounds for skiers and snowboarders.

109 BELOW (13:42 minutes)

Studio/Production Company: Stept Studios

Director(s): Nick Martini

Location(s): New Hampshire

A tale of resilience, grit and elite rescue volunteers going out of their way to save the lives of strangers, 109 BELOW traces how an attempted rescue on Mount Washington in 1982 changed not only the course of two climbers’ lives – but also the lives of the rescuers who attempted to save them, and the future of prosthetics, forever.

RACHA (10:00 minutes)

Director(s): Andy Hardy

Location(s): Georgia

Through stunning cinematography and powerful storytelling, this film takes you on a journey of discovery, where the love of skiing leads to an unexpected education, and a story that demands to be told.

BEYOND BEGBIE (13:36 minutes)

Director(s): Zoya Lynch

Location(s): Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada

Climbing Mt Begbie is a “right of passage” for every hiker, climber, sledder, and skier who chooses to make Revelstoke their home. While this peak has created an entire contemporary culture in Revelstoke, its name and story only represent colonial history, with no reference to the Indigenous heritage of this land. Is it the outdoor community’s responsibility to help change this?

THE REDLINE TRAVERSE – SHORT (6:33 minutes)

Director(s): Steve Seime

Location(s): California

Jenna Kane and Greg Cunningham take on the Redline Traverse, the tallest and longest ski tour in the Sierra Nevada. They pay tribute to the pioneers of the route, the spirit of the tour and, of course, ski.

BLOOM (14:20 minutes)

Director(s): Kyle Hilken

Human(s): Sierra Schlag

Location(s): New Jersey and Colorado

Bloom follows the life of Sierra Schlag as she navigates the world after losing her father on 9/11. As Sierra matures, she explores her grief and identity as a Japanese-American and finds herself under the cloak of depression. While she navigates these complexities, Sierra finds a way to connect with her dad and heal through skiing.

HAVE AN ADVENTURE (20:00 minutes)

Director(s): Colby Elliot

Location(s): Utah

A human powered think piece that follows a collection of skiers as they explore familiar terrain in search of new adventure around Utah’s famous backcountry. Join John as he follows in his father’s tracks to turn new corners and explore the canyon he grew up in. Along the way John explores his father’s skiing philosophies while considering ways to nurture the rapidly changing culture of a growing ski community.

Tickets: $15

BUY TICKETS  

Festival Date and time: January 26, 2024 

Location:  Big Grove Brewery Taproom, 1225 South Gilbert Street,Iowa City, IA, 52240. 

Click here for more information