For three years, the North Bend Mountain Film Festival has brought international perspectives on the great outdoors to the big screen.

This fall, Valley filmmakers get their moment in the limelight at North Bend Theatre as part of the Outdoor Amateur Film Challenge.

Entries will be accepted until 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15.

Filmmakers were invited to submit their outdoor films to the challenge. Entries should be between five and 15 minutes long, must be PG rated and have a connection to North Bend and outdoor recreation.

The winning film and other runner-ups will be played at the festival, which begins Dec. 5, concluding with the Banff Mountain Film Festival, Dec. 8 and 9.

To Martin Volken, owner of Pro Ski guiding service, the festival is a major coup for North Bend.

“Normally, festivals like that go to bigger venues,” he said. “The fact that we can bring something like that is pretty special for out town.”

North Bend must offer events that fit into its new outdoors-oriented brand.

“It’s part of the plan to make the North Bend community be what we’re saying we are,” Volken said. “We want to be an authentic town that cares about the outdoors.

“A while ago, it was a town that lived off resource extraction,” he said. “That has come to an end. Now, North Bend has a chance to re-present itself as a logical conclusion for somebody who wants to have a nice outdoor experience.”

Volken has previewed a few of the films in the challenge, has so far been impressed.

While challenge films must celebrate the outdoors and have some link to the Valley, “They’re very different from each other,” he said.

The film challenge prize includes four tickets to the North Bend Banff Film Festival; the top 3 films selected by the North Bend Marketing Team will be featured on the city’s Web site.

The contest is sponsored by the theatre and the city of North Bend.

To learn more about submissions, contact Gina Estep, Community and Economic Development Director for the city, at ginae@ci.north-bend.wa.us or call (425) 888-7640.