The Gorge Cinema here embraces winter in full force this weekend as it premieres a new documentary film, Antarctica: A Year On Ice.
It is a visually stunning film that lets people experience what it is like to live in Antarctica for a full year, including winters, isolated from the rest of the world, while enduring months of darkness in the harshest place on Earth.
Introducing the film on the opening Friday night and following Sunday afternoon the cinema has invited resident and adventurer Ian Evans, just returned from the South Pole, to discuss his harrowing 1,000km, two month ski trek and give a personal account of his experiences in Antarctica.
The film’s director, Anthony Powell, has been working in Antarctica with his wife, Christine, for many years and with over 10 years of filming, his award winning documentary is finally available in cinemas.
Antarctica: A Year On Ice offers an appreciation for the logistical hurdles involved in supplying a small town during the months when it is inaccessible to supply ships. It acquaints viewers with the particulars of “T3 Syndrome,” the mental fogginess that overtakes everyone after weeks of darkness and relative isolation.
And it demonstrates the bonds that form between these hardy, vaguely loony souls, including home-movie footage of Powell’s Antarctic wedding to a fellow traveler.
“To be tolerant is very important,” understated one winter resident regarding the challenges of being cooped up for six months with relative strangers.
Powell refuses to stint on the visuals, either, using time-lapse to capture stunning auroras, terrifying storms and awe-inspiring vistas.
The film plays at the Gorge Cinema March 6 at 6:30pm and on March 7 and 8 at 2pm each day. Evans will make introductory remarks and offer a follow up question and answer session at the Friday and Sunday screenings.
