At the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, it's hard not to be inspired by adventure. The films here explore a variety of topics, but one thing is clear: that sense of adventure is also a driving force behind making positive change.

Time spent exploring natural places reminds us of how important it is to protect them. This past summer when we set out to capture the essence of the Great Bear Rainforest to showcase just how destructive the proposed Enbridge pipeline would be to the surrounding environment and communities, our days were filled with trekking through rainy forests in search of spirit bears, wading through streams to photograph salmon and walking along rocky beaches breathing in the salty air and taking a moment to honor the beauty of this place.

Those brief moments of respite, when for a few seconds the issue falls by the wayside and your mind is only consumed with your surroundings, are the catalyst behind what we do. We work to protect natural spaces because we can't imagine ourselves living without them.

Tonight we'll be joining together with many of the individuals that made the Great Bear RAVE a success, to talk about the beauty of this place and what's really at stake. We'd love for you to join us.

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Details:

WHAT: iLCP, Pacific Wild and Sierra Club BC host a screening spOILed: From the Tar Sands to the Great Bear Rainforest. Join us for an evening of photography, film and multimedia presentations by world renowned conservationists, adventurers, film-makers and photographers such as Ian McAlister, Tom Peschak, Garth Lenz, Norm Hann and Frank Wolf. Doors open at 6:30.

Festival tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door. Books, films and photographs will all be for sale/ auction and there are lots of prizes to be won!

TICKETS: Advanced tickets are available online at www.vimff.org, and at the Centennial Theatre, 2300 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, tel (604) 984-4484, and at the Mountain Equipment Co-op stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

Thanks to SaltSpring Island Cheese, Gulf Island Brewing, Sitka Surfboards and many others for supporting this night!