Film festivals are plentiful, but niches for distinct film subjects are not. Ketchum-based Silver Creek Outfitters has discovered a niche for fly-fishing films that give the pastime a whole new perspective. Silver Creek will present its fourth annual Fly-Fishing Film Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, June 26, at the nexStage Theatre in Ketchum.
This year's festival will feature segments of film productions including "Hustle & Fish," "Rivers of the Lost Coast," "Eastern Rises," "BASS: The Movie" and "Nervous Water."
"Every year we pick a nonprofit to support, and this year we are donating profits to The Nature Conservancy to help restore the [Silver Creek] area from wildfire damage," said festival organizer David James. "All the films are full-length movies, but we picked relevant segments of the film to show."
The Nature's Conservancy's Silver Creek Preserve, a popular trout-fishing spot, was partially burned in a brush fire last summer.
The festival highlights several aspects of fishing, including respect toward the environment and the enthusiasm anglers feel for the sport. James said the fly-fishing-film community is tightly knit and the products are similar to early skiing films.
"The films really do translate the passion people have for fly-fishing," he said.
"Hustle & Fish," by Rollcast Productions, is a fly-fishing adventure film made in Alaska, Canada and Washington. "Rivers of the Lost Coast" is a compelling documentary that examines the unique, little-known history of the fly-fishing community on California's pristine northern coast. Actor Tom Skerritt, who played the Rev. Norman Maclean in the film "A River Runs Through It," narrates "Rivers of the Lost Coast."
"Eastern Rises" is about an epic fly-fishing journey to Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula. It features plenty of large rainbow trout.
"BASS: The Movie" follows what the producers call the world's "most infamous underwater creature," the largemouth bass.
Filmmaker R.A. Beattie was in the region filming for an upcoming film and dropped off his new DVD, "Nervous Water," for the festival. It features films that Beattie has been working on for the last four years.
"The DVD has four long films about fly-fishing," Beattie said. "The films are more about lifestyle and people who are fishing in different places."
Beattie started making his fly-fishing films in college and funding them from his work as a fishing guide. He said his hobby has taken over his life.
"A few film companies all started at the same time with similar ideas," Beattie said. "It's pretty fun and we are all friends. This little industry has really grown."
Working for Simms fishing products has helped Beattie with his film projects, he said.
"The most rewarding part of going out to make films is having the opportunity to do it in so many beautiful places," he said. "I get to interact with different people and cultures and I have experiences and friends across the world. I am slowly breaking away from Americans catching fish, and focusing on natives in other countries to bring out their story."
Tickets are $15. For details, call 726-5282.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
R.A. Beattie’s DVD “Nervous Water” features a false albacore caught in North Carolina. Parts of the “Nervous Water” DVD will be shown at the third annual Silver Creek Fly Fishing Film Festival at the nexStage Theatre.
