‘No Turning Back’ will show at the Granada Theater in November
Published in the Oct. 29 – Nov. 11, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Photo courtesy Poppy Jasper Film Festival
A skier tackles a hill in Warren Miller’s film ‘No Turning Back’ that will play at the Granada Theater for four days in November. Tickets are now available at www.PoppyJasperFilmFest.org.
Downtown Morgan Hill’s Granada Theater will bring in ski buffs when it shows the Warren Miller film “No Turning Back” next month as a fundraiser for the Granada Theater Preservation Society and the Poppy Jasper Film festival.
“The film pushes you toward the edge and over the edge,” said Bill Leaman, a member of the organizing team for the Poppy Jasper Film Festival.”Warren Miller’s filmmakers don’t just go around the United States, they go all over the world to see the most interesting places that you can see and then they put people in positions skiing that are almost impossible to do. Every year, they keep pushing the film further, that’s what makes it interesting.”
The full-length film “No Turning Back” is the 65th one produced by Warren Miller Entertainment. Footage was shot in Montana, Beaver Creek, Colorado, Alaska, France, Japan, Greece, Norway and Switzerland.
“I’ve been going to the films now for probably 25 years and every year I’ve been astounded by how fantastic the Warren Miller movies are,” Leaman said.“It’ phenomenal. Bringing a Warren Miller film down into the South Valley is a big deal as it’s never been shown down here before.”
The films have a cult following, with a showing at the Rio Movie Theater in Santa Cruz pulling in a crowd of 500 Warren Miller fans last year, he said.
The film will also have an appeal for non-skiers and people who simply appreciate athletics, too, Leaman said.
“If you like sports, if you like to see things pushed to the edge, this is what that is,” he said. “It’s a whole unique way of telling a story — there’s a story behind the whole thing. After 65 years of doing this, they’ve become very good at story telling and finding a unique way to do this.”
This is a big deal for Morgan Hill’s Granada to show the Warren Miller ski movie, said Tracy Foster Pyke, an organizer with the Granada Theatre Preservation Society.
“Our venue is setup to create a special atmosphere — a red carpet affair — for enthusiasts who find they have a personal relationship with this kind of film. We can showcase films in this fashion where we don’t have to compete against the latest movie that has just come out,” she said. “Ski enthusiasts who follow Warren Miller’s films come out to see something of this caliber on the big screen, which is great for downtown Morgan Hill. Life happens where people are — in fact, something magical happens everyday our community comes out to support the historic Granada Theater. Memories of that life continue to bring people out to experience our “Grand Ol’ Lady” the Granada Theater.”
Part of the Granada Theater’s mission is to work with local nonprofit organizations such as the Poppy Jasper Film Festival to bring quality films to Morgan Hill, she said.
“It is important to team up with organizations to give nonprofits a venue that allow for a lower overhead cost and a higher value experience for their patrons,” she said. “We can continue to provide interesting and unique experiences that keep people asking, ‘What’s coming up next at the Granada?’”
