Telluride Mountainfilm Festival Tour Tests Boundaries, Expands Horizons

They came out in droves—with their picnics, their blankets and a sense of adventure.

More than 5,000 people set up camp at the Parq Villa-Lobos in São Paulo, Brazil, in front of a massive outdoor screen last month, waiting for the sun to set and the opening night of Telluride Mountainfilm Festival’s world tour to begin.

As soon as it was dark enough, the projector flipped on and the films began—50 stories of exploration, preservation and perseverance from across the globe.

The next night, more than 7,000 gathered at the park in Brazil, where the festival has deep roots and a following in the city of 19 million, according to Henry Lystad, director of Mountainfilm on Tour. And this weekend, his team will chart unfamiliar territory by traveling to the East End for the first time in the tour’s 15-year history, he said.

“You live in an affluent area, where people have the ability to travel, but have they really been to Rwanda and met a guy like Frederick from the film ‘I Am Able,’ who watched an entire bus load of people murdered by rebels and left for dead after having his hands chopped off?” Mr. Lystad said. “I’m guessing no. Neither have we.

“We dig deep and find issues that are not on the surface, not easily searchable, and bring them to audiences and expand their minds, compassion and view of the world,” he continued. “We like to take people on a journey.”

Mountainfilm began in 1979—one of America’s longest-running festivals to date—as the brainchild of skier Lito Tejada-Flores and avid outdoorsman Bill Kees. Over the course of three nights at Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Colorado, they screened a dozen films all about mountain sport and culture. And during the day, the audience members braved the mountains themselves, climbing the 14,000-foot peaks with skis, kayaking the San Miguel River and talking about the importance of “wild places, adventure, art and action,” according to the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival website.

In the years since, the region has completed its transition from a hard-rock gold and silver mining community into a destination resort and ski town, and the festival has only continued to grow, screening educational, inspiring and motivational films about issues that matter, Mr. Lystad said.

Every year, the film festival team narrows down upward of 400 full-length documentaries and shorts to 80, licensing between 35 and 50 for the tour, he explained. Each program is custom-built for every location, of which there are 150 total this year in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and even Antarctica—“Six out of seven continents, baby!” Mr. Lystad laughed.

On Friday night, eight “Adventure and the Environment” films will screen at the Southampton Arts Center, including Ben Knight’s seven-minute “Denali,” which takes a glimpse into photographer Ben Moon’s story as he says goodbye to his dog, Denali, who helped him fight cancer.

“This film went viral right after our festival. There were 10 million views in two weeks,” Mr. Lystad reported. “Be prepared to have your heart ripped out, to cry. Just be prepared to cry, especially if you have a dog. It is sad, but it is fantastic.”

To lighten the mood, “Sufferfest 2: Desert Alpine, AKA 34 Pieces Of Choss And 5 Horrendous Life Experiences” follows adventurers Cedar Wright and Alex Honnold, who decide it would be fun to climb 45 of the Southwest’s most iconic Desert Towers via their most difficult routes.

“Oh my gosh, how funny is this film,” Mr. Lystad said. “They’re just in the pain cave, it is just horrible and hilarious. They’re rained on, snowed on, wind, everything about it is a suffer fest.”

Saturday’s lineup of eight films deals with “The Indomitable Human Spirit,” as seen in Vasu Sojitra, who refuses to quit skiing after losing his leg in “Vasu Sojitra: Out on a Limb,” to Garmai Sumo, the only woman in a group of medical professionals who are tasked with handling the bodies of Ebola victims in Liberia, as seen in “Body Team 12.”

“People walk out and say, ‘This has changed my life. In 2½ hours, I feel different. I feel inspired. I want to get up and do something. I want to be a better person,’” Mr. Lystad said of the film festival. “Hopefully, we bring films that are able to induce that for people—even if it means camping, or just taking pictures of some birds. It’s about getting outdoors, being a better steward, being a better person.”

The Telluride Mountainfilm Festival World Tour will host screenings on Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., both nights, at the Southampton Arts Center. A Filmmakers’ Reception will be held on Saturday, September 12, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the center. Advance tickets are $10 per night, or $12 at the door, and $75 including the reception, or $100 at the door. For a full list of films, visit southamptoncenter.org. For more information about the film festival, visit mountainfilm.org.