By Marie-Renee Goulet
OUT THE BACK DOORS – Short Films
- 55 minutes – 4 films – Mountain Sports, Adventure & Exploration, Snow Sports
“Leave your passport at home because sometimes the best journeys are those taken right out the back door. Running, fly fishing, bike-packing, and skiing adventures close to home – wherever that may be – is what this film program is all about.”
WHERE I BELONG ** (2019) 9 mins
Country: USA
Filmed in Haines, Alaska, this film has indescribable vistas. Chris Hill and her boyfriend Craig Schlachter are passionate anglers who love spending time out in the wilderness and focus on the present moment. She also is an environmental lobbyist, a black woman who was often made to feel she didn’t belong fishing. For the past years, she has been using Instagram to create a community where all can connect in their love of the sport and of the conservation movement.
Look them up: #everyoneoutside
CHOOSING TO LIVE **** (2019) 7 mins
Country: Canada
Ryan Correy and his wife Sarah Hornby relocated to Canmore, Alberta, as the Bow Valley community was well suited to their lifestyle. Ryan, an avid cyclist, began working on a bike packing book to allow people to explore the area around their new home. He started feeling ill while scouting the last route, hoping it was just minor stomach problems. Although in pain, he still participated in the grueling 24-hour adrenaline bike race in Canmore, and he managed to win 1st place in the solo category. The very next morning, they were called to the doctor to learn that he had cancer. He enlisted his friends (Matt Clark & Jeff Bartlett) to shoot a movie about his fight and return to cycling. Life rarely goes according to plans; however and Ryan died at home nine months after being diagnosed.
This film is about Sarah, who wanted to honour and connect with her late husband. She wanted a way to move forward without leaving him behind. He had created ten bike packing routes for his book, and she set out to complete them on her own or with close friends. She stopped to spread his ashes along each route. Her story transforms from grief to a profound celebration of life. Ryan was only 35 when he passed in 2018. This is a tragic but beautiful story, and you can feel the love his wife and filmmakers have for him, for his passion, and the Canadian Rockies. This film has you go through a range of emotions I didn’t think possible in 7 minutes, ending on a beautiful, hopeful note.
A FEW STEPS FROM HOME *** (2020) 7 mins
Country: Germany
Inspiring people to enjoy their backyard while in Covid lockdown, the filmmakers tried to find paradise at their doorstep. They have a leg up on some, though, as their location between Munich and Innsbruck is spectacular. The three find a small mountain hut equipped with a warm stove and a ski-out back door. They open the door and push off the mountain. Even if the big cities of Munich and Innsbruck are almost in sight, they can feel away from everything to recharge for a few days. Some of the skiing scenes made me dizzy as they freestyle from the tallest mountain peaks.
RUN THE LINE *** (2019) 23 mins
Country: Australia
Beau Miles (Writer, Director) lives close to an abandoned, overgrown, and rotting train line. He sets off with shovel in hand, dressed like a 50’s train driver, to re-trace the old train-line. To run the line end to end (43KM, a marathon) would mean to be the first human passing in over 60 years. Crossing fences (sometimes electrified), private properties, followed by a chat with police, Beau makes his way across a landscape he’s lived in his whole life but had never truly seen. This film continues to encourage us to find something near you to explore. Thank goodness Beau is a charismatic interesting Aussie because this could have been a long 23 minutes. It takes him roughly 10 hours to make his way across the sometimes challenging terrain, on a very hot Australian day.
The point is, as we may not be able to travel for a while longer, lookout your doorstep. We don’t all have to run the length of a marathon or jump off mountains. As Beau says: “Explore your backyard. Follow your nose on a half-cooked idea or something that is only half there; run the line.”
Marie’s appreciation for movies & TV began early in life as it offered escapes, laughter, and often an education. It sparked a love of photography, travel, and a general curiosity for the world and everything in it. Originally from Quebec City, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Trebas Institute in 1998 where John H. Foote was her Film History professor. The winds pushed her into a different professional field and on a few adventures around the world. The passion for film and storytelling in all forms continues. Marie lives in the Canadian Rockies.
