The International Fly Fishing Film Festival is celebrating its sixth year and returning to the Vogue Theatre on Mar. 10.
The festival features a collection of feature films dedicated to fly fishing culture, which range between 12 and 15 minutes in length, and short films, which hover around five minutes long. Organizer Derek Bird believes that everyone, not just fly fishing enthusiasts, will enjoy what the films have to offer.
“Even if there are people who don’t fully enjoy fly fishing or they feel like this would be a good place to be exposed, it is a good place to see a lot of different avenues that fly fishing can take a person,” said Bird. “People will come and be able to see the different fishing experiences that they will be exposed to.”
There have been over 100 screenings of the festival worldwide, including stops in the US, Australia, New Zealand and South America. However, Bird says that the East Kootenay is a priority stop for organizers.
“We very intentionally screen in the Kootenays – in Cranbrook, Fernie and Kimberley because essentially this is where we grew up,” he said. “Fernie is a huge destination for fly fishing and then the rest of the Kootenays is one of the best kept secrets in terms of fly fishing. There is a huge culture in that area.”
The festival has already screened in Cranbrook and Kimberley to positive audiences. Bird says there was roughly 120 people at the Kimberley screening and 200 at the one in Cranbrook. He hopes to see a similar turnout in Fernie.
“We always get a really positive reception in Fernie just because of the culture there,” he said.
Tickets for the show are available at the Vogue Theatre and the Elk River Guiding Company, as well as online at Flyflimfest.com. Trailers for all the films can also be viewed online. The festival is set for 7 p.m. on Mar. 10.