From climbing to diving: five adventure film festivals coming to Scotland this autumn & winter

Call of the Cold | Courtesy of the Ocean Film Festival

There’s something counterintuitive about the idea of a film festival celebrating the great outdoors – after all, what could be more indoorsy than sitting in a darkened room watching multiple films back to back? Then there’s the small matter of the internet: if you’re desperate to watch films about skiing or climbing or long-distance paragliding, there are thousands of them available for free at the click of a mouse. Why bother schlepping all the way to the cinema to see them?

In spite of these obstacles, however, outdoor film festivals continue to thrive. A big part of their appeal is down to the immersive nature of the big screen experience. On the whole, these are films that lend themselves to large format reproduction: a drone shot of a climber inching their way up a snow-​c​overed mountainside can look a bit “meh” on a phone screen, yet jaw-droppingly dramatic in the cinema. Similarly, while you can still hear that avalanche rumbling away on the tinny little speakers on your phone, in the cinema you can feel it through your feet too.

Perhaps even more important than the enjoyment of the films themselves, though, is the social aspect of watching them in a festival setting. Some screenings feature Q&As with the filmmakers, so you can find out first-hand how they captured seemingly impossible shots, but even at the ones that don’t there’s still something special about watching – say – a ski film in a room full of ​appreciative skiers.

Over the next few months there are various outdoor film festivals ​taking place all over Scotland. Here are five worth checking out.

Montrose LandxSea Film Fest

Following last year’s inaugural edition, the Montrose LandxSea Film Fest returns to Montrose Playhouse this weekend with an impressive programme of feature-length films and shorts. Highlights include the UK premiere of Chasing Time, in which filmmakers Jeff Orlowski-Yang and Sarah Keo follow photographer James Balog’s project to record the retreat of the world’s glaciers, and a screening of X Trillion, in which a 14-strong all-female crew of scientists, sailors, engineers and teachers embarks on a 3,000 mile sailing expedition across the North Pacific to raise awareness of plastic pollution and carry out groundbreaking research. www.landxsea.org

Lisa Blair leaving Portland, Victoria, in Ice Maiden | Dean Koopman

Ocean Film Festival World Tour

There’s more sailing action in the current edition of the Ocean Film Festival World Tour, which stops off at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on 16 October. The programme’s main feature, Ice Maiden, follows the remarkable journey of adventurer Lisa Blair as she aims to become the first woman to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Antarctica. The shorts on the bill include The Call of the Cold, which sees Tim Emmett, Luca Malaguti​ and Jimmy Martinello mixing up ice climbing, freediving and stand-up paddleboarding in Iceland and – intriguingly – The Whale Song, in which DJ Sam Feldt attempts to turn ​underwater cetacean crooning into a dancefloor hit. www.oceanfilmfestival.co.uk

 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

The greatest mountain film festival of them all, yer actual Banff Mountain Film Festival, takes place in the titular town in Canada in late October and early November. However, you don't need to book a flight to experience the best of the programme thanks to the festival’s world tour, which will be stopping off at Aberdeen Music Hall on 18 October, Pitlochry Festival Theatre on 19 October and the Macrobert in Stirling on 20 October​, with further screenings at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh in the new year. There are two programmes, red and blue, taking in everything from climbing and mountain biking to caving and wingsuit flying. www.banff-uk.com

Dundee Mountain Film Festival

Taking place a week later than usual this year, from 5-7 December, the Dundee Mountain Film Festival is also moving to a new home in the University of Dundee’s Dalhousie Building. ​As usual, there’s a packed programme, but the Saturday night ​l​ine-up promises to be a particular highlight. In the first half, there will be three short films: Lost Connection, in which adventurers Alex Seghal and Calum Maclean embark on a human-powered journey through Knoydart; Man of Arran, which tells the story of an 83-year-old Paddy Conaghan and his campaign to raise mental health awareness ​v​ia wild swimming; and Two Point Four, in which superstar ​climber Leo Houlding and his wife Jess take their kids up Norway's national mountain, Stetind. Then, in the second half, climbing legend Mick Fowler will discuss his latest expedition – a near-disastrous attempt on 6,083m Patkhor in Tajikistan with Simon Yates. www.dmff.co.uk

Fort William Mountain Festival

The Fort William Mountain Festival combines guided outdoor activities with film screenings, talks, exhibitions and more, and it has a strong record of championing homegrown films. The 2025 event will take place from 13-16 February and the programme is yet to be announced, so keep an eye on the website for updates. www.mountainfestival.co.uk