SOAR Film Festival is the first of its kind in Northern Ontario, Canada. A unique partnership between Laurentian University’s Outdoor Adventure Leadership Program (ADVL) and Sudbury Indie Cinema has allowed adventure film to SOAR. The festival boasts a curated programme of outdoor adventure and environmental/wilderness themed features and mid-length films from around the world, as well as adventures shorts- both local and international. Special consideration in the selection of films is given to diverse voices, as well as those which feature outdoor activities and adventures enjoyed in Northeastern Ontario, namely: wilderness canoeing, back-country winter travel, Nordic skiing, kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing.
All screenings will take place at Sudbury Indie Cinema, 162 Mackenzie Street, Sudbury. Free parking.
by National Geographic Impact Story Lab
Friday November 8 6:30pm
2024 / USA / Documentary / 54 min. / English
Edmonton-based professor and scientist Alison Criscitiello leads an international team of scientists on a daring expedition to the summit plateau of Mt. Logan in the Yukon to collect a record-breaking ice core. For Winter is both a gripping and moving wilderness adventure rooted in climate action which aims to inspire support for climate science. It profiles an extraordinary National Geographic Explorer in Alison who is as inspiring for her bravery as for her candour
by Miguel Araoz Cartagena, Stephanie Boyd
Saturday November 9 2:00pm
2024 / Peru/Canada / Documentary / 72 min. / Spanish, Kukama-Kukamiria. English subtitles
As Benjamin, a working-class musician and gay immigrant, grapples with the aftermath of a traumatic sexual assault by a stranger, he faces the daunting challenge of securing access to costly HIV preventative medication. Amidst this struggle, he finds himself drawn into a delicate dance of romance, navigating the complexities of new love.
by Ryan C Pierce
Saturday November 9 4:00pm
2024 / USA / Documentary, Short / 39 min. / English
Call Me Moab chronicles the story of the town’s newest mountain bike outfitter- from ideation in 2019 all the way to modern day success. Some said his business plan wouldn’t work. Tenacity and creativity has proven otherwise.
Viewers will be inspired and challenged as they witness an against-the-grain business model take shape, while at the same time learning the major stages of Moab’s history and how it evolved into the tourism giant it is today. But more than that, Call Me Moab shows the journey of every explorer, every dreamer looking for a way to build a better life.
by Ted Simpson
Sunday November 10 4:30pm
2023 / UK / Documentary / 92 min. / English
Winner Best Environmental Film Banff Mountain Film Festival
We drove it to extinction. We brought it back. Can we learn to look it in the eye? The White Tailed Eagle is one of the largest birds of prey on the planet. For generations, humans have struck an uneasy relationship with this apex predator. The return of this apex predator in Britain sparked controversy, as accusations of livestock killings quickly surfaced from Scotland’s rural community. Despite no record of predation in Norway, and with an Irish reintroduction scheme ongoing, in Scotland a war of words rages on over the future of this raptor.