The First Annual Backside Film Festival

Click the image above to view the Film Festival poster. Image courtesy of Backside Tours Inc.

EDMONTON, AB – Edmonton has some of the most passionate ski and snowboard fans on the planet, and yet for some reason, it doesn’t have a truly world-class film festival. In celebration of its 10th season, Backside Tours is hoping to deliver just that with its First Annual Backside Film Fest on October 27-28 at the Myer Horrowitz Theatre.

“We know how many people get excited for skiing and snowboarding in Edmonton, so we really wanted to promote that,” said Curtis Hrdlicka, the corporate account manager for Backside Tours Inc. “And as much as it is a way to excite people and prepare them for the upcoming winter, the Backside Film Fest is really our way of saying ‘Thank you’ to our customers. It’s going to be a great time, and so far it’s sold really, really well.”

The event is being presented in conjunction with the University of Alberta Ski Club, the school’s biggest student group, who has been Backside’s biggest client for the past decade. “These people were instrumental in helping us getting the venue. The Myer Horrowitz Theatre at U of A is really a fantastic, underrated venue in my opinion, so we’re all really excited to be able to host the event there. The U of A Ski Club are great friends of Backside and we love having them on board.”

$3,000 worth of powder

Backside Tours is an adventure tour operation out of Edmonton that seeks to promote the Canadian experience. They tour some of the best resorts that Alberta and British Columbia have to offer, and their goal is to introduce people to places and activities that they love. 

With that in mind, Backside wanted to give something back to the people who’ve been so supportive for the past 10 years. And there’s no better way for a company to give back than to give away more of itself. Backside will be giving away a slew of terrific prizes, including a mammoth $3,000 grand prize at the end of the weekend. 

The First Annual Backside Film Festival will be happening at the Myer Horrowitz Theatre at the U of A on October 27-28. Image courtesy of Backside Tours Inc.

Each night they’ll be do a random draw – one guy and one girl per night – and at the end of the two days they’ll do another draw to choose the winner from the four finalists. The winner gets a Season’s Pass with Backside, which means a free season of powder up to your eyebrows. 

“That’s 10 trips, each at about a $300 value. And we certainly don’t let the other three people go home empty handed, as we have some sweet runner-up prize packs to give away as well.”

Prizes, prizes, and more prizes

As part of the prize package, the lucky winner will be given a state-of-the-art flip camera and will be required to blog about his/her experiences throughout the season as he/she lives the Backside experience. 

But the giving doesn’t stop there. Christmas is clearly coming to Edmonton early, because the Backside crew will be giving away a slew of cool door prizes all night long: hats, gloves, t-shirts, backpacks, and more. There’s a lot to win.

And as if you needed another incentive to come check out Edmonton’s coolest film festival this year, the folks at the Edmonton Ski and Snowboard Show (Oct. 30) will be selling discounted tickets at only $6 a pop. You won’t find this exclusive discount anywhere else.

The doors open at the Myer Horrowitz at 5 p.m. on both Wednesday, Oct. 27 and Thursday, Oct. 28. It’s a licensed venue, and tickets cost $12 per night (or $20 for both nights). For tickets, contact Backside Tours at 780-454-7669 or email at tickets@backsidetours.com.

 

Film Info

 

MYER HORROWITZ Theatre - U of A Campus - Wednesday, October 27 

Doors Open: 5 p.m. (licensed venue)

First Film: 6 p.m. Hello World (Alterna Films) - CDN

"Alterna Films is a company out of Vancouver, and they were the first company to say to us, "How do we get involved?" Hello World involves a lot of Canadian riders, and is a blend of backcountry and city jibbing. These guys have produced Knockout, Elektro, really amazing stuff."

Intermission: 7-7:30 p.m.

Second Film: 7:30 p.m. Revolver (Poor Boyz) - USA

"At Backside, we’ve been showing Poor Boyz’s films for three years. Revolver is primarily a ski film, but what’s really cool is that it dedicates a 20 minute section of the filim to Edmonton. They’re at Commonwealth Stadium, Muttart Conservatory, and some other really, really cool places."

 

MYER HORROWITZ Theatre - U of A Campus - Thursday, October 28

Doors Open: 5 p.m. (licensed venue)

First Film: 6 p.m. Now You Know (Sandbox Films) - CDN

"Sandbox Films is a smaller company operated out of Whistler, and they are just so stoked to be involved with us. Now You Know is primarily a snowboard film, and it has a really cool soundtrack with some really cool urban content. These guys are really out of the box when it comes to the places that they ride.'

Intermission: 7-7:30 p.m.

Second Film: 7:30 p.m. The Way I See It (Matchstick Productions) - USA

"We’ve shown Matchstick’s films for the last two years and we love their stuff. The Way I See It features a lot of backcountry, a lot of big drops, and an outstanding soundtrack."