04/02/2026
HIBBING FILMMAKERS HONORED WITH ACCEPTANCE TO CANADIAN FILM FESTIVAL
BANFF, ALBERTA - Bluejacket Alpine Media, a collaborative between filmmakers Andrew Mathews and Zach Johns, was recently honored by the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, as their recent film âNew Horizons" was accepted into the Banff Mountain Film Festival which will be held this fall in the Canadian Rockies.
The film follows the Hibbing Bluejackets alpine ski team as they compete during the 2025-26 ski racing season. Johns, who has been producing films featuring the team for years, explained that the addition of Mathews to his team, and the excellent work he did in filming and editing, inspired him to submit the film for consideration.
âIâve studied mountain films for decades,â Johns said. âAnd after seeing the finished product, I knew we had something special in the can.â
Julie Canmore, executive director of the nonprofit Banff Centre, echoed Johnsâ sentiments.
âThis film is a masterwork of mountain culture. It actually takes you on a ride where you experience the highs and lows of a high school ski racing season. And during which, you actually find these kids nice and likable, which is a rarity among ski racers.â
Canmore went on to explain how ski racers generally are not the most popular residents of mountain towns.
âI mean, come on - theyâre always getting in the way, closing off some of the best runs on the hill by setting up a course every single day - they leave their gear laying all over the place, ugh! Racers are the worst!â
âBut itâs a testament to Johns and Mathews skill as filmmakers how they take this terrible group of gate-bashers and make them look like wonderful kids who youâd like to ride the chairlift and take a run with.â
Johns said the acceptance to the film festival wasnât the only good news the pair received recently. Bluejacket Alpine Media also received a lucrative sponsorship from Propel Fitness Water, which was featured in a short but memorable section of the film.
âYeah, Propel just threw a lot of money at us. A LOT of money. And all we need to do is make sure we show a couple bottles of Propel in next yearâs movie.â
âThe best part is, it was a Rock Ridge skier who brought the Propel - it wasnât even a Hibbing kid!â Johns laughed. âWe talked about sharing some of the money with the Rock Ridge Ski Team because of that, but screw âem! Theyâre our biggest competition!â
âHeck, we probably wonât even share it with the Hibbing team, either. Yes, I know things are tight with schools cutting budgets and whatever but we need to buy some top of the line filmmaking equipment.â
âAnd the rest, Andrew and I will blow on a month of heliskiing in Alaska! Champagne, lobster and unlimited verticalâ
