Sunday, January 20, 2013

Remember Bagan?

I barely do... It was way back in June of 2009 when I first heard of the mission to travel to and through the Northwest Passage. We kept up with Bagan's mission through their blog, but when they were done it just went away.
I wrote about it here before they started and here after they had passed through.
We hadn't heard anything else about Bagan's passage for a couple of years and thought the project may have gone south and the documentary was never to be seen.
Well, today we received the Nordhavn Newsletter via email and it seems they're premiering The Other Side of the Ice in New York City next month.

Cut from the Nordhavn Newletter:
Nordhavn on the big screen The documentary The Other Side of the Ice produced and directed by Nordhavn owner Sprague Theobald, will make its premier in New York next month. The film follows Theobald and his able-bodied crew (including son, stepson and stepdaughter) aboard his Nordhavn 57, Bagan, as they attempt to transit the Arctic's infamous Northwest Passage. The journey began as a cause-driven adventurer’s calling to not only fulfill the failed mission of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition of 1845, but also shed light on the environmental and political impacts a proposed industrialized invasion of the strait would have on the native people and endangered Polar Bears that inhabit the region. As the film plays out however, the drama shifts focus on to Theobald and his crew, who not only face the dangers of being trapped in large ice fields but also the perils of onboard unrest.
Theobald has spent five years on his labor of love, from filming to painstaking editing of the film and is thrilled about its impending debut. The official opening of The Other Side of The Ice happens March 8 at The Quad Cinema in New York City where it will run for a week. Nordhavn president, Dan Streech, had the opportunity to screen an advance copy of the documentary earlier this week. “It was as riveting as you would expect a film about something of this magnitude to be,” he said. Streech, along with other P.A.E. management, spent months prior to departure discussing the Arctic exploration with Theobald – with very real intentions of accompanying him. But circumstances thwarted those plans so he was forced to watch and follow the adventure online with awe, envy and often great concern. And when Bagan successfully and safely completed its mission, an overwhelming sense of relief and pride filled Streech, who identifies Theobald as a close friend. “Watching the film took me back to those months that I followed Sprague via his blog, sometimes communicating with him on SAT phone, just hoping and praying for his safety, and being completely riveted – and quite honestly – jealous of his journey,” said Streech. “It was all that but magnified 100 times. You can imagine all that he’s going through, but it’s never quite like the real thing.

“It’s a very inspiring film and I have an even greater admiration and respect for what Sprague did – if that’s possible. I referred to him before as a Nordhavn ‘home-grown’ hero. After seeing the film, those words were never more true.”
 Short Trailer:



The Other Side of the Ice (Teaser) from HOLE IN THE WALL PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.

I really, really look forward to watching this documentary, it should be incredibly fascinating on so many levels.
Not to mention this will attest to the seaworthiness of the 57 Nordhavn. Can you imagine days and days of smacking the Arctic ice with that bulbous bow? Scary!
Can't wait to see the completed work.
According to Nordhavn: For those unable to see the film in the theater, the full-length version will soon be released on video and available through Amazon, Netflix and other VOD services.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

Cracked these guys up!