polar exploration

The Flight of the Eagle

Thu, 26 Aug 1982

The Swedish 19th century engineer Salomon August Andrée sets out to become the first man on the north pole. His idea is to launch a polar expedition using a hydrogen balloon, together with two friends. The balloon, "The Eagle", takes off from Svalbard in 1897, but the three men are never heard from again.

Isöken

Thu, 01 Sep 2022

Three Frenchmen go out on their first polar expedition to the largest polar desert in the world. Sarek, in the north of Sweden.

Scott of the Antarctic

Mon, 29 Nov 1948

The true story of the British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his ill-fated expedition to try to be the first man to discover the South Pole - only to find that the murderously cold weather and a rival team of Norwegian explorers conspire against him

Camp Century: The Hidden City Beneath the Ice

Wed, 08 Jan 2020

How in 1959, during the heat of the Cold War, the government of the United States decided to create a secret military base located in the far north of Greenland: Camp Century, almost a real town with roads and houses, a nuclear plant to provide power and silos to house missiles aimed at the Soviet Union.

The Island at the Top of the World

Mon, 16 Dec 1974

A Victorian gentleman hopes to find his long-lost son, who vanished while searching for a mysterious Viking community in a volcanic valley somewhere in uncharted Arctic regions. The gentleman puts together an expedition team to go on the search, but when they reach their destination they must escape from some Viking descendants who will kill to keep their existence a secret.

The Brave Seven

Wed, 04 Mar 1936

Six polar explorers arrives to a remote island in Arctic for a year-long scientific expedition. When their ship departs, they unpack only to find a young stowaway, who romanticized Arctic heroes, and tried to join them on multiple occasions finally succeeding. That's how six became seven. Life of polar explorers is tough, and full of danger. During one year they are largely isolated from the mainland, and should survive using their resourcefulness, smarts, knowledge, and existing supplies with occasional unreliable radio communications. The Seven are resilient, cheerful, they forged a true friendship. Now they are ready to face the unforgiving Arctic.

Italiani all'Antartide

Thu, 01 Jan 1970

Their Frozen Dream

Fri, 03 Oct 1997

Poetic documentary about the polar expedition of S. A. Andrée which Troell had previously dramatized in "Ingenjör Andrées luftfärd" (1982).

Antarctica, in the footsteps of the Emperor

Tue, 23 Feb 2016

Gombessa Expedition 3 Protected by an international treaty Antarctica has been spared the effects of hunting and fishing. But signs in ice’s cyclical patterns and its biodiversity have become worrying. Connected to the planet’s global ecosystem via atmospheric circulation and ocean currents, this white haven is suffering the effects of human activities. To document and explain what is unfolding in Antarctica, photographer, diver, and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta and photographer of extreme environments Vincent Munier will be blending their artistic perspectives of a rapidly changing continent. Laurent will tackle technical and human prowess below the ice to bear witness to its remarkable underwater life. His photographs will advance knowledge on Antarctica’s unique and little-known biodiversity. On land, his eye riveted to the lens of his camera, Vincent captures snapshots of life in an Emperor Penguin colony.

The Worst Journey in the World

Sun, 29 Apr 2007

Drama documentary exploring Captain Scott's 1912 Antarctic expedition, which saw him and two colleagues conducting scientific experiments in harsh conditions for two years.

Antarctica: A Frozen History

Mon, 15 Apr 2002

Antarctica: A Frozen History takes a look at the history and stories of the human explorations in the Antarctic. Although quite slow paced and relatively old, the documentary film successfully incorporates reconstructed film material and original Antarctic expedition footage to fully illustrate the hardships of the heroic and extreme arctic explorations. Human endurance is tested to the maximum, as the documentary takes a look back at those who have tried, failed and conquered this most unforgiving landscape. Some of these stories entail Robert Falcon Scott, a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913. Scott reached the South Pole in January 1912 only to find he had been beaten to the spot by 33 days. His entire party died on the return journey; eight months later, a search party discovered some of their bodies, diaries and photographs.

Voyage of the Nautilus

Sat, 25 Feb 2006

A photographic journey compiled from journals, archival footage and photographs of an Australian military photographer, Sir Hubert Wilkins in 1931 as he went from New York to the North Pole in an old WWI submarine to explore the Arctic Ocean. Included on dvd are a brief history of the submarine and photographic gallery of Wilkins.

Reunification in the Ice: The Story of the Last GDR Antarctic Explorers

Fri, 02 Oct 2020

In 1989, thirteen GDR scientists and technicians set off from East Berlin to the Georg Forster research station in the Antarctic. During their expedition the Berlin Wall fell on November 9th. Cut off from the images that go around the world, the men can only experience the historical events passively. When they returned in the spring of 1991, their homeland was a foreign country. The documentary reconstructs the thoughts and feelings of the East German researchers on the basis of eyewitness accounts, diary excerpts, letters, film material, grandiose landscape shots from the location of the action and unique photos to make the consequences of the events tens of thousands of kilometers away on the small GDR expedition in the middle of the eternal ice tangible.

Belov: A Life at Sea

Sat, 25 Jan 2025

The first biographical documentary film about the greatest Brazilian sailor by miles traveled. Setting sail from Salvador - Bahia - Brazil, Capital of the Blue Amazon, the Ukrainian Brazilian personality Aleixo Belov has already circumnavigated the globe five times, three of them alone, aboard a little sailboat built in his own backyard.

With Byrd at the South Pole

Thu, 19 Jun 1930

With Byrd at the South Pole (1930) is a documentary film about Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his 1st quest to the South Pole beginning at the Little America-Exploration Base. The film's soundtrack consists mostly of music and sound effects, with narration read by Floyd Gibbons. The film won at the 3rd Academy Awards for Best Cinematography.

The Secrets of Scott's Hut

Sun, 17 Apr 2011

Ben Fogle ventures across the Antarctic to join the international effort to preserve Captain Scott's hut and its artefacts Scott's diaries. Includes readings from Scott's diaries.

Charcot: Secret Poles

Sat, 01 Oct 2016

The adventures and exploits of Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867-1936), an intrepid scientist and explorer who laid the foundations of modern oceanography.

Terre de Glaces

Sat, 01 Jan 1949

Buromsky Island

Mon, 10 Feb 2020

Off the coast of Antarctica, in the southern ocean, there is a small island. No one knows about it, except for polar explorers who winter in Antarctica, and their relatives. On the island, right on the rocks, there are sarcophagi. People who are not written about in geography textbooks are buried here. But without them, it would be impossible to develop Antarctica. More than 60 years have passed since the first burial. During this time, the cemetery has never been completely renovated. Our team of 8 people went to Antarctica to make it for the first time.

Japanese Expedition to Antarctica

Fri, 28 Jun 1912

Footage shot during Japanese Army Lieutenant Nobu Shirase’s second Antarctica expedition.