The Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour in Savannah will take place January 19-21, 2017, screening over 30 films throughout the three-day festival. Mountainfilm on Tour Savannah supports and promotes Telluride Mountainfilm’s mission to use the power of film, art and ideas to educate and inspire audiences to create a better world, and all film screenings at the festival highlight this mission exploring adventure, cultural diversity, environmental awareness and the beauty of life.

The festival will kick off on Thursday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Trustees Theater with the screening of Life, Animated, a feature length film by Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams. Life, Animated follows the story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate with each other by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. Characters like Simba and Ariel gave him a means to understand his feelings and interpret reality in a way that nothing else was able to. This inspirational story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps towards independence.

Films featured in this year’s festival include Mile 19, Ace and the Desert Dog, StrongWater, and Across the Sky, in addition to many more inspiring and adventure seeking films. Throw will screen Friday evening with Coffin Nachtmahr present to demonstrate his world-class yo-yo skills and answer questions after the film which follows his story growing up in East Baltimore and finding purpose in the unlikeliest of pursuits—yo-yoing. Saturday, 1-800-Give-Us-Your-Kidney will screen with Harold Mintz participating in a discussion and Q&A following the film which dives into the ethical and practical realities around the giving and receiving ends of a kidney transplant.

Education is a strong element of Mountainfilm on Tour Savannah’s mission. The festival will host 4,000 children from Savannah Chatham County Public Schools at the Trustees Theater on January 19^th and 20^th as part of the “Movies that Matter” program. This program provides customized educational materials in support of the films, using the power of film to educate and inspire young audiences to create a better world.

Festival events will be held at the Trustees Theater, 216 East Broughton Street, starting each evening at 7:00 p.m. A family matinee will also take place at the Trustees Theater on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Other festival events include a coffee talk with visiting filmmakers at Kennedy Pharmacy, 323 East Broughton Street, on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., an organized bike ride in conjunction with the Savannah Bicycle Campaign at 11:00 a.m., and a Veterans Walk with the Southeastern Guide Dogs at 11:00 a.m.

For more information about festival events and tickets, visit www.mountainfilmsav.org.