ROCKPORT—Swinging back up to Maine once again, the Banff Film Festival’s World Tour is coming to Camden Hills High School Strom Auditorium in Rockport February 9 and 10.

For the last 18 years, Maine Sport has hosted this annual event, which showcases short films on mountain sports, adventure and the environment. Moore than 22 films will be shown over the course of the two nights.

The lineup this year is exciting, as always. Jeff Boggs, manager and buyer for Maine Sport Outfitters, said, “We're traveling to Mont Blanc, Nepal, West Virginia, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands and Norway this year in some films. We’re also going on an epic trip to Greenland, traveling over glaciers using kite skis to haul the gear and kayaks.”

As someone who is heavily involved in bringing the festival back to Camden every year, Boggs noted that there were several films in the line up that were getting some buzz.

On Friday, breakout films are sure to include:

Loved By All – The Story of Apa Sherpa (14 minutes)

Apa Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest 21 times, more than any other human. But he wouldn’t wish this upon anybody. Having grown up in the remote Khumbu region of Nepal, Apa was forced to leave school and work as a porter at the age of 12. His dreams of being a doctor forever lost. It is a story all too common for the Sherpa people of Nepal, a story Apa aims to change with his work at the Apa Sherpa Foundation.

And another one that will thrill the ladies in the audience:

Where The Wild Things Play (4-minute short)

Friday night at the local watering hole and … where the ladies at? Answer: BASE jumping from high desert cliffs, performing tricks on slacklines, climbing granite routes, shredding singletrack, skiing backcountry lines and generally leaving you fellas behind. This rowdy ode to female athletes by Krystle Wright leaves no doubt about the state of women in today’s outdoor world: badass.

And to circle back to what Boggs was referring to about kite skiing:

Into Twin Galaxies: A Greenland Epic (52 minutes)

Three National Geographic Adventurers of the Year embark on an unreal ski and kayak mission across Greenland. Using kite skis, they tow their whitewater kayaks over 1,000km of the Greenland ice sheet to reach the most northern river ever paddled.

And on Saturday night, a film that will warm your heart is:

Edges (9 minutes)

Tragically, she passed away two days after the release of this film, but 90-year-old skater, Yvonne Dowlen was still ice skating at least five days a week. She rose to fame as an Ice Capades star and never officially retired from competitive figure skating. This short film about Yvonne, Edges, is a celebration of the longevity of life and resilience of the human spirit.

To see each night’s lineup visit: Maine Sport movie presentations

Each night’s show begins at 7 p.m. and features a different slate of films. Online ticket sales have closed. Tickets are still available at our Rockport and Camden locations, over the phone and depending on availability, at the door. Adults: $10 when purchased in-store, $12 at the door, Students: $5 per show. Call (207) 236-7120 for more info.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com