To other worlds, and back

It’s Telluride’s other film festival. MountainFilm in Telluride will lure an expected 2,000 visitors to its Memorial Day weekend watch-a-thon, from adventurers to photographers to Nobel winners. The guest list includes Alberto Inurrategi, who has summitted the world’s 14 highest peaks; Everest climber John Porter; ice climber Will Gadd; and polar explorer Borge Ousland, among others -- as well as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who champions Himalayan cultures, and gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson. Photographer Chris Rainier, who produced two photo books about New Guinea (including the image below), will speak about his journeys during the fest’s Moving Mountains Symposium. Nobel Peace Prize winner Doctors Without Borders will present excerpts from a 13-part National Geographic documentary about the medical relief organization’s fieldwork from the Congo to Bolivia. Kris Torgeson, communications director, said that allowing filmmakers behind the scenes may help people connect to what her organization does. “It’s hard to try and explain immunizing 800 kids in two days or doing war surgery in Burundi,” she said. “It’s very hard to picture that.” For a list of guests and films, go to www.mountainfilm.org.