Celebrating cycling at the Big Bike Film Night

THE Big Bike Film Night is returning to Geelong for its sixth year with a new collection from creators.

Screening on Monday, August 5, the film festival features more than two hours of bike films packed with action, drama, humour and inspiration.

Big Bike Film Night founder Brett Cotter said the films were curated for two-wheeled devotees.

“This year, the 2024 collection has 10 films and they’re filmed in all sorts of different places around the world – there’s Australia, New Zealand, Africa, London,” he said.

“There’s a real multitude of different films, anything with stories that go behind it; the films go beyond two wheels.”

The annual event started 10 years ago in New Zealand, and now travels around the world.

Mr Cotter said one of the standout submissions for him this year was about a New Zealander who has set himself the challenge of the ‘double Everest’.

Everest is a common cycling term where a cyclist must pick a hill and ride up and down it until they get to the equivalent height of Mount Everest (8,848m).

This particular filmmaker set himself the challenge of completing it twice.

“It’s pretty audacious and it’s pretty ambitious and it’s just amazing to watch the filmmaker and the cinematography, but also his condition

and what happens over that period of time,” Mr Cotter said.

While the films highlight cyclists, Mr Cotter encouraged everybody to attend the festival as they would enjoy it regardless.

“You don’t have to be a cyclist to enjoy the films because they’re people films, films about challenge, adversity, passion and we can get close to it and relate to it,” he said.

Mr Cotter hopes people who attend the screening feel inspired about where a bike can take them and trying different things.

After finishing its tour of Australia, the festival will move on to Scotland and London.

The Big Bike Film Night will screen at Village Cinemas Geelong at 6.30pm.

For tickets and more information, head to bigbikefilmnight.nz