Documentaries

LOSING SIGHT OF SHORE follows the extraordinary journey of four brave women known as the Coxless Crew that set out to row the Pacific Ocean from America to Australia unsupported. As they row over 8,000 miles during their nine months at sea, they face extreme mental and physical challenges they must overcome in order to go down in history. This is a story of perseverance, friendship and the power of the human spirit. Everyone has a Pacific to cross.

A small group of adventurous mountain bikers attempt to race the longest mountain bike route in the world traversing over 2700 miles along the Rocky Mountains from Banff, Canada to the Mexican border.

14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to become the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone.

This feature-length film reveals what it is like to live and work at the bottom of the planet, in Antarctica, for a full year. The story is not from the point of view of scientists, but of the people who spend the most time there; the everyday workers who keep the stations running in the harshest place on the planet. Filmed over 15 years by Frozen Planet photographer Anthony Powell, the film features a unique insiders point of view, with unparalleled access, and never before seen stunning footage of the deep Antarctic winters.

In the summer of 2003, a group of shepherds took a herd of sheep one final time through the Beartooth Mountains of Montana, in the extreme north-west of the United States. It was a journey of almost three hundred kilometres through expansive green valleys, by fields of snow, and across hazardous, narrow ridges - a journey brimming with challenges. The aging shepherds do their very best to keep the hundreds of sheep together; the panoramic high mountains are teeming with hungry wolves and grizzly bears.

When pro kayaker Rafa Ortiz decides to follow his dream to paddle over Niagara Falls, he sets in motion an incredible series of events that eventually takes on a life of its own. To prepare for this mission, Rafa enlists the help of world-renowned paddler Rush Sturges and a tight team of their friends. Together they go on a remarkable three-year journey from the rainforest rivers of Mexico to the towering waterfalls of the U.S. Northwest.

GIVEN is the story of a legacy that takes one unique family on an adventure from their home in Kauai around the world. Told through the memories of a child, Given is the simple yet powerfully contemplative story of a unique family legacy come full circle.

Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.

A thought-provoking cinematic experience of the ancient, earthly wisdom. An inner journey, reconnecting us with our source and the mutual path we are walking. From the Amazon to the jungles of India, from the Australian outback to the Kalahari Desert, from the Andes to Lake Superior, we meet one-to-one with the Earth Keepers. Humble, connected individuals who have something that most of us lost completely. They are still connected to the Earth, the Elements and to the Other Worlds. Having lived in hiding for centuries, the Keepers of the Earth see that now is the time to step forward and share their insights and wisdom with those who are ready to listen. Are you ready?

Billed as 'The Last Great Race on Earth', the Iditarod Trail is the toughest dog sled race in the world. Snaking through over a thousand miles of the Arctic's harshest wilderness, the race is one of Alaska's proudest traditions and Lance Mackey is its greatest champion. He's a man with dog sled racing hard wired into his family, across generations. And he's a man who has battled homelessness, addiction and cancer, but who has always returned to the sled.

Do you know how to turn ordinary water into a billion-dollar business? In Switzerland there's a company which has developed the art to perfection - Nestlé. This company dominates the global business in bottled water. Swiss journalist Res Gehringer has investigated this money-making phenomena. Nestlé refused to cooperate, on the pretext that it was "the wrong film at the wrong time". So Gehringer went on a journey of exploration, researching the story in the USA, Nigeria and Pakistan. His journey into the world of bottled water reveals the schemes and strategies of the most powerful food and beverage company on our planet.

In an epic snow year, five friends leave their daily lives behind to hike California's historic John Muir Trail, a 211-mile stretch from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney (the highest peak in the contiguous U.S.). Their goal - complete the journey in 25 days while capturing the amazing sights & sounds they encounter along the way. Inspired by their bond, humor, artistry & dedication, the group continues to grow: to include other artists, musicians & adventure seekers. Before they all reach the summit, hikers and viewers alike affirm the old adage - it's about the journey, not the destination. Mile... Mile & A Half is the feature-length documentary of that journey...

Featuring the insights for three children (aged 10, 8 and 4), a family leaves the comforts of home to live for 9 months in the remote wilderness of the Canadian North. They spend the long northern winter living in a small cabin with no road access, no electricity, no running water, no internet and not a single watch or clock. Set in the Yukon, All The Time In The World is a deeply personal documentary that explores the theme of disconnecting from our hectic and technology laden lives in order to reconnect with each other, ourselves and our natural environment. Winner of 20 Film Festival Awards from around the world, including 9 Audience Choice Awards, 5 Youth Awards, 7 Environmental Awards and 3 Best Picture Awards. "Top 20 Audience Picks" at Hot Docs.

A diverse cast of non-professional runners attempt to complete the most difficult ultramarathon race series on Earth. Their dramatic journey takes them across the World's most picturesque yet brutal landscapes, pushing their bodies, hearts and spirits through a myriad of external and internal obstacles. DESERT RUNNERS delves into the mindset of ultra-athletes, and the complex ways in which human beings deal with both heartbreak and triumph.

This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Dam removal has moved beyond the fictional Monkey Wrench Gang to go mainstream. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. DamNation's majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.

A documentary about the evolution of the depiction of First Nations people in film, from the silent era to today. Featuring clips from hundreds of films, candid interviews with famous Native and non-Native directors, writers and actors, Reel Injun traces how the image of First Nations people in cinema have influenced the understanding and misunderstanding of their culture and history.

Chef Eduardo Garcia went for a hike in the beautiful backcountry of Montana. Literally shocked when he touched a dead bear with his knife, he survived the 2400V jolt and walked out alive. Nearly two dozen surgeries take his left hand, four ribs, and significant muscle mass from his torso, legs, arms, and scalp. Despite all his loss, Eduardo says he would never go back. Charged tells Eduardo's journey from getting up off the forest floor to becoming the man he is today.

Martina Halik and her 60 year-old mother Tania embark on a six-month ski trek through the treacherous Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. This journey has only been completed once before, and never by a female duo. Their adventure is interspersed with beautifully crafted portraits of high-altitude human endurance and passion-an avalanche survivor, a snowshoe artist, a snowbound convent-that are by turns captivating and inspiring. Woven between their arduous and uplifting story are vignettes of others who have chosen a mountain life: a group of nuns inhabiting a mountain retreat to be closer to God; a photographer is buried in an avalanche; an impassioned alpinist; a focused snow artist; a couple who has been living off grid in the mountains for nearly 50 years. What is it that leads these adventurous people to sacrifice everything - comfort, family, personal safety - for a life in the mountains?