ELORA – Ian Evans thought he was on to something special last year when he launched the first Elora Adventure Film Festival.

This year he’s certain of it.

“We sold out every program last year, every screening,” Evans, founder of the film festival, said in an interview.

“I knew right away it would be successful. When I spoke before the first screening, there was such energy. It was palpable. And the feedback was all so positive.”

Evans thinks he’s found the “sweet spot” in Centre Wellington’s festival calendar.

This year’s festival is slated to run from Nov. 7 to 10 – after Monster Month and before Christmas events ramp up.

Films will screen at the Gorge Cinema and this year there will also be a speaker’s series at the Elora Centre for the Arts.

The festival will screen 21 films in total, each averaging about 12 minutes in length.

The films will be distributed between two programs and each program will be screened three times over the weekend.

Each screening takes about two-and-a-half hours including a 30-minute intermission.

Ticket holders can choose one or both programs. The cost is $20 per program.

Tickets for each speaker are $12. Evans is one of the speakers and proceeds from his talk will go directly to the arts centre. He speaks on Nov. 9 at 10:30am.

On the same day, Scott Kress will talk at noon about his expeditions to Antarctica and Adam Shoalts will discuss his expeditions and his most recent book Where the Falcon Flies: A 3,400 km odyssey from my doorstep to the Arctic at 5pm.

Evans isn’t listing the titles of the films – that will be revealed to ticket holders on festival weekend. But he’s provided teasers on the website.

“How fast can you go in the mountains? A woman kite surfer in a man’s world. A lifetime of fun and giving back,” are some of the brief descriptions you’ll find there.

Most people choose a program based on their availability, Evans said.

Program 1 screens on Nov. 7 at 7pm, Nov. 9 at 2pm and Nov. 10 at 1:30pm.

Program 2 screens on Nov. 8 at 7pm, Nov. 9 at 7pm and Nov. 10 at 4:30pm.

“The films are from all around the world, some from strange places,” he said. “And they cover different genres: winter sports, canoeing, climbing, extreme cycling.

“And they’re all really good. Finding the films is fun – my wife would say it’s the best part of organizing the film festival.”

Schedules are arranged so there will be no conflicts.  Guests can attend all the speakers and one screening of both programs if they want the whole package.

“People are buying tickets to both programs,” he said, noting that the price is the same as last year.

“My goal is to make it affordable for everyone, so the whole family can come.”

Evans is an adventurer himself. He cycled around Iceland; skied to the South Pole and made his own adventure film Lunatic.

He’s a sought-after speaker and believes that people will live better, enriched lives if they add some adventure, uncertainty and even a little fear.

“My goal is to have a high-profile film festival in Elora that’s affordable for families,” Evans said. 

“I hope they become adventurous. I hope the films will motivate people to do something crazy.

“If everyone has a good time, they’ll want to come back. And that, to me, means it’s a success.”

To learn more or to order tickets, visit eloraadventurefilmfestival.ca.