Vilar Performing Arts Center kicks off 2025 with “Unlimited Adventure” through Mountainfilm on Tour Jan. 2. Each short adventure film is handpicked from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride for the Beaver Creek audience.
With a theme of resilience depicted across sectors, cultures, experiences and time, the collection features engaging documentaries meant to motivate audiences to create a better world. Native Americans, older women, young and older men and a blind woman star in these documentaries, which include “Ghost Resorts: Japan,” “Dancing Warrior,” “Never Too Old,” “Footprints on Katmai,” “Unseen Peaks,” “Planetwalker” and “To Scale: TIME.”
Sweetgrass Productions’ “Ghost Resorts: Japan” opens with incredible footage of powder skiing. It talks about how Japan was selling the most skis and snowboards worldwide, so it’s nearly heartbreaking to see the remains of dead ski areas. And, yet, this film is so inspiring in the way it speaks to, and deeply understands, the heart of skiing.
“Dancing Warrior” reminds us of how we all have to find our own purpose, and that purpose can be found in the seemingly most dismal of circumstances. The film opens with a young man commenting on how Pine Ridge Reservation can be a “real ugly place to live.” He grew up struggling with depression, until he was introduced to the powerful medicine of the horse. This beautifully inspiring film follows a group of young people who ride horses bareback, learning patience, understanding and cooperation. Through the traditional sport, known as Indian Relay, they find ways to overcome such challenges as the death of a father or temptations of alcohol abuse.
“Never Too Old” reveals what it was like growing up in the 1950s, when girls weren’t encouraged in physical education, as well as being overlooked as an older female runner, even if one who breaks records. Libby James decided she wanted to run the Boston Marathon after she turned 40; she hadn’t even begun running until she turned 35, but she’s credited with starting a women’s over 40 division into the Boston Marathon. And, she broke a record in the marathon. She also holds 25 of the top 20 finishes in the Bolder Boulder and has set a world record for the Disney Half Marathon. This film highlights her humility and strength, and reminds people that they’re never too old.
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In “Footprints on Katmai,” Max Romey traces his grandmother’s steps to one of the most remote — and bear-filled — beaches in Alaska for a profound message that crosses generations. Through a blend of gorgeous wildlife and landscape videography and his own artwork, the film begins with awe-inspiring visuals, and then focuses on the realities of plastic and trash within the ocean. While visitors on this beach might not see another human being, they encounter the remnants of humans, specifically in the form of washed up shoes and trash. And that’s only a small portion of the millions of tons of plastics that lie beneath the ocean, affecting the environment, wildlife and humans. The end of the film delivers staggering statistics, making viewers consider their own impacts.
Skier, climber and outdoor athlete Addie Hugan, who is blind, talks about how she feels the most grounded and inspired, allowing her to focus on body awareness, as opposed to challenges, in “Unseen Peaks.” It shows her scanning with her hands, rather than eyes, for best holds on rock faces, as well as how skiing allows her to gain speed and exhilaration she otherwise could not experience. Meanwhile, ice climbing helps her feel strength and great ability. Through the film, she encourages people to step outside their comfort zones and find commonality.
“Planetwalker” advocates walking to the beat of your own drum. In 1972, John Francis gave up motor vehicle travel after more than 1 million gallons of oil spilled in San Francisco. In 1973, he began a 17-year vow of silence. During that time, he wrote, made art, earned his doctorate and even taught in a university. When he finally began speaking again, he spoke for the environment. “Planetwalker” portrays how walking and not talking helped at least one human being wake up, while offering viewers complete permission to follow their own calling.
“To Scale: TIME” takes audiences on a mind-bending, speedy journey of time, told through video snippets and a scale model of all of time, constructed on a dry lakebed in California. Tiny lights represent essential moments in the universe’s history, from the Big Bang through the evolution of humans until now. Within the scale model, a human life takes up about a half of the width of a hair — an insignificant blip within the larger spectrum. And, yet, this life is a gift. The film begs the question: What will you do with the brief moment of time while you’re on this planet?