1975年，世界上的首次班夫山地电影节在加拿大艾伯塔省的班夫国家公园举行。这个由著名的登山家John Amatt和Chic Scott创意并发起的电影节，从此成为了一年一度世界户外爱好者的盛会。班夫山地电影节每年11月的第一个周末都会如期在加拿大班夫公园举行，在一周的展映中，户外爱好者们将跟著名的探险家、户外纪录片导演和摄像共同观看探险、攀登、运动、山地文化以及自然环境等主题电影。在这个盛会中，世界知名的登山家、环保人士、作家、探险家、摄影家、制片人、旅游爱好者、自然爱好者都会发起研讨和交流活动，不断的推进了户外运动和户外纪录片的发展。

1976年，班夫把山地电影节推广到了全球，启动了世界巡回展映（Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour）项目。截止到2013年，全球巡回展映的国家已经超过40个，电影类型也由探险类不断的扩张到了极限运动、自然探索和人文纪录等。班夫山地电影节对于世界的户外爱好者、极限运动爱好者、探险家和环保者来说，是一次嘉年华的盛会，人们也把这场精彩的纪录片电影节誉为“户外电影的奥斯卡”。

In 1975, the very first Banff Mountain Film Festival was organized by two of the most renowned mountianeers John Amatt and Chic Scott in the mountain town of Banff, Alberta, Canada. It has become one of the most popular gathering of the outdoorsy people from all around the world since. For over 40 years, the Banff Mountain Film Festival takes place each fall in Banff, Alberta. It is nine epic days of mountain stories that includes profound journeys, unexpected adventures, and ground-breaking expeditions told by authors, photographers, and filmmakers from around the globe.

Each year since 1976, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road following the Festival in Canada, bringing audience favourites and special tour edits to local screens around the world. What began as humble festival in a small town has morphed into a massive operation spanning 40 countries and reaching more than 500,000 people each year. The film types are also transforming from exclusively adventure documentaries to extreme sports, nature, environment and culture over the years. The world tour in each country has also been regarded as an annual carnival for local outdoorsy people, extreme sports fans, adventurers, photographers, filmmakers and environmentalists.