HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY, EUROPEAN OUTDOOR FILM TOUR
The European Outdoor Film Tour (E.O.F.T.) is the European outdoor community’s landmark film event. For ten years, it has been tracking trends on the extreme sports scene, compiling the world’s best adventure documentaries and outdoor sports videos to create a program covering the entire range of outdoor sports. Mountaineering, climbing, skiing, mountainbiking and kayaking are but a few of the sports covered. Every year from October to December, the two-hour program tours across Europe. In addition to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the itinerary includes Italy (since 2006), the Netherlands (2007), and Belgium (2009).
Outdoor and adventure films share the fate of all documentaries: It’s tough making inroads at the theaters. On TV, same story: They are usually programmed in the middle of the night. What a shame, given that much of the footage features monumental imagery made for the big screen but rarely seen on it. The outdoor boom of recent years has helped revive classic mountain movies, but portrayals of German heroism à la „North Face“ or „Nanga Parbat“ have little in common with true documentaries. If audiences wanted to see real heroes rather than actors, they used to have no choice but to trek to mountain film festivals (e.g. in Graz, Tegernsee, or Trento). Or they would settle for a DVD. The European Outdoor Film Tour (E.O.F.T.) avoids the problem by taking outdoor films directly to their fan base. This year, it celebrates its 10th birthday.
It all began in 2001, when the tour included 16 stops all across Germany. Meanwhile, the schedule boasts 100 events in six countries. Thus, over time the tour has increasingly lived up to its name. As the number of events grows, so does the E.O.F.T. community. During the last year alone, the audience attending an E.O.F.T. event during a three-month-period swelled to more than 50,000. The faithful return every year and have the event kick off their own winter outdoor season. They practice sports and capitalize on the events or the E.O.F.T. online portal www.eoft.eu to exchange information on outdoor activities and films.
The E.O.F.T.‘s two-hour program takes the audience on an extremely athletic and adventurous trip to the remotest corners of the earth. Topics and how they are captured on film will vary from year to year but reflect the wide range of outdoor sports, such as alpine sports and climbing, mountainbiking, kayaking, B.A.S.E. jumping, and much more. Even though most activities are labeled, “Don’t try this at home,” there’s just no stopping that spark of inspiration, mostly due to the great work by E.O.F.T.’s protagonists. Their passion for sports and adventure often borders on drudgery. But still they know the audience will be on their side, loudly cheering them on.
