Members of the Middlebury community gathered in Dana Auditorium on Jan. 14 to experience a collection of short films that transported them across the world and into the lives of a wide range of remarkable storytellers. This year the films featured stories from outdoor landscapes everywhere from Mexico, California, Sweden, Japan, Zambia and beyond.
Mountainfilm is a film festival started in 1979 that now has a tradition of being hosted by the Middlebury Mountain Club, bringing together students, staff and community members for a showcase of immersive and unique documentaries. As the name suggests, Mountainfilm features beautiful scenes of mountains and other outdoor spaces, but the films’ themes often go much farther beyond the surface of their settings. The Mountainfilm mission statement highlights the far-reaching intentions of the film festival.
“Fusing the power of film, art, and ideas, Mountainfilm inspires audiences to create a better world,” the statement reads.
Projects such as Mountainfilm are valuable in their ability to highlight non-mainstream stories and the importance of making the outdoors accessible to a wider group of people. One of the films from the festival, “Leaving a Tread,” focused on mountain biker Israel Carrillo and his mission of increasing access to the sport in Guanajuato, Mexico. The film “Re” showcased the story of one of the first women ski photographers in the world and her dedication to promoting female athletes. One of the longest films from the festival, “The Last Observers,” told the charmingstory of a Swedish couple who have dedicated their lives to each other and the weather station where they live.
Mountainfilm displays diverse perspectives on the outdoors that are not always at the forefront of Middlebury’s thriving outdoors scene. Former MMC president Will Hinkle ’26 was one of the primary coordinators of this year’s production of Mountainfilm and spoke about the value of the festival as a way to showcase diverse perspectives in outdoor recreation.
“Getting to bring all of these people together to watch Mountainfilm reminds us all that there is no one definition of what it means to be outdoors, which I think is especially important at a place like Middlebury,” Hinkle said in an interview with The Campus.
Some of the films featured at Mountainfilm this year spoke to audiences because of their meaningful environmental storytelling. One film, “Ghost Resorts: Japan” took viewers on a journey back in time, showing the incredible beauty of an abandoned ski resort. Next, “Above the Noise” dramatically featured skydiver Maja Kuczynska in her element as she soared above the world.
Middlebury students watching the festival described the films as inspiring and majestic. One student said that watching Mountainfilm made her feel more excited about life.
Another essential theme to many of the films this year was the sense of community outdoor spaces foster. The film “Ascend” told the story of a group of women forced to flee their homes in Afghanistan finding empowerment and family from rock climbing together in Yellowstone. “Near the River” explored the lives of locals in the town of Livingston, Zambia working together as white water kayaking guides. One of the most impactful films from the festival, “Dancing Warrior,” was filmed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and showed how native youth in the area found purpose in their horse racing team. All of the diverse communities featured in these films engage meaningfully with the outdoors, connecting with one another in unique and moving ways.
Here at Middlebury, the outdoors has a huge impact on the community many students have formed during their time in college. Groups such as Fostering Inclusive Recreation Experiences (FIRE) and MMC are examples of student organizations that focus on fostering access to outdoor recreation.
“These films have a really unique way of showing that there are a wide range of ways to engage with the outdoors, and a lot of meaning that can come from that,” Hinkle explained.
