- To The Arctic – Premiering in 2011
- Return to Everest – Premiering in 2012

To The Arctic – Premiering in 2011

Cinematography of polar bears and underwater and ice scenes were achieved in 2008 and photography continues on Alaska’s North Slope in 2009. (Click image to enlarge)

Magnificent fjords, eerie tundra, calving glaciers and crevasses, and an ocean of ice and icebergs are waiting to be explored in To The Arctic. This 40-minute documentary will be a stunning visual journey across the Arctic, a far-away place that few of us will ever experience, yet what’s happening there has global implications important to us all.  To The Arctic is an opportunity for international audiences to discover and experience the dramatic impact of climate change on an ecosystem and its unique inhabitants.  Polar bears, caribou, and millions of migrating or resident birds rely on this environment to survive as a species. Migrations, food supplies and ice cover are shifting, even disappearing.  Change is occurring so rapidly in the Arctic that many animals like the polar bear cannot adapt quickly enough.  Insects and birds are appearing in the Arctic for the first time, upsetting the cycles of life there.  In the most spectacularly visual and vivid film format that exists, To The Arctic will unravel the web of interactions that connect us to this remote part of our planet.  Global warming, climate change, environmental change – whatever you call it, is more than just a temperature rise.

Return to Everest – Premiering in 2012

Click image to enlarge

In 1996, MacGillivray Freeman Films filmed an amazing story that unfolded on the tallest mountain on Earth.  In May of that year, Mt. Everest claimed its deadliest season.  A horrific storm killed eight climbers on one fateful day.  The film told the story of that tragedy through the sympathetic eyes of its main characters, which included geologist Roger Bilham, Spanish climber Araceli Segarra and Jamling Norgay, son of the legendary climber Tenzing Norgay.  The resulting 44-minute giant screen film, Everest, became the highest grossing giant screen documentary film of all time.

Eleven years later, in the spring of 2007, veterans from the 1996 expedition returned to Everest, this time with other mountaineers – scientists – determined to experience and learn from the “death zone” – 8000 meters and beyond.   This expedition included researchers who are studying how the body copes with extreme conditions, including low oxygen levels.  Ultimately, what researchers learn on Everest could make a difference to someone’s survival in real-life circumstances back home, especially for those suffering from heart and lung afflictions.  With a focus on science, Return to Everest aims to increase the public’s understanding of scientific research and its applications to everyday life.

The production team will film in the Himalayas again in the spring of 2009, including attempt a helicopter aerial view of Everest’s summit, which has never been documented before.  Return to Everest promises to be a story about people who challenge themselves – even put themselves at great risk – for others, because there is so much more to learn.

MFF Educational Foundation is looking for partners and sponsors to help support this film production and its outreach programming.  Please contact us