The Man Who Skied Down Everest

Directors Bruce Nyznik, F. R. Crawley
Year 1975
Run Time 84min
Genre Documentary

While many explorers have climbed the legendary peak of Mount Everest, Yûichirô Miura had a different dream. This Japanese skier and daredevil became the first person to ever ski on the treacherous slopes of the highest mountain in the world, descending nearly 4200 feet. While becoming famous in Japan for his achievement, it wasn’t until Canadian filmmaker F.R. Crawley released this documentary that he received widespread international attention.

Showing all of the dangers and thrilling moments of his journey up and down the mountain, this tense and engaging film won the Oscar for Best Documentary and became a formative work in the sports documentary genre.

Directors

F. R. Crawley

Crawley was a pioneering filmmaker and producer known for his significant contributions to the Canadian film industry. He co-founded one of Canada’s earliest independent production companies and produced and directed numerous influential documentaries and features, including The Man Who Skied Down Everest, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, The Loon’s Necklace, and The Chairmaker and the Boys.

 

Writers

Yûichirô Miura, Judith Crawley

Cast

Yûichirô Miura, Douglas Rain, Shintaro Ishihara

Producer

F. R. Crawley

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Classics, Global Experiences, Sports

Original Language

English

The Man Who Invented Christmas

Director Bharat Nalluri
Year 2017
Run Time 104min
Genre Drama

After a string of flops, Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey) finds inspiration from his own life to write his most famous work, A Christmas Carol. With a tight deadline and doubt over how successful a Christmas book can be, Dickens must work around the clock and ends up living out the novel’s most famous scenes in his own study, in order to find the story that would come to be beloved by millions.

Also featuring screen legend Christopher Plummer as Ebenezer Scrooge, The Man Who Invented Christmas is a fascinating look behind the scenes of the creation of a classic and beloved novel, and a charming portrait of one of the most famous authors of all time.

“A surprisingly fresh movie about a story we all know very well.” - Peter Howell, The Toronto Star

Director

Bharat Nalluri

Writers

Charles Dickens, Les Standiford, Susan Coyne

Cast

Jonathan Pryce, Christopher Plummer, Dan Stevens

Producers

Susan Mullen, Ian Sharples, Vadim Jean, Robert Mickelson, Niv Fichman

Genre

Drama

Interests

Arts and Culture, Asian Filmmaker, Biography, History

Original Language

English

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

Directors Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal
Year 2018
Run Time 87min
Genre Documentary

In 2016, scientists declared that the Earth has entered a new geological era, one that is entirely the consequence of humanity’s abuse of the planet. This documentary goes around the world illustrating the variety of ways that humanity has affected its environment.

In Kenya, authorities set fire to mounds of elephant tusks to protest the illegal ivory trade, resulting in a devastating display of the impact of poaching. In Russia and Germany, mining operations transform the land into an otherworldly wasteland. The unfathomable scale of the images created by these moments are equal parts beautiful and disturbing.

Following Manufactured Landscapes and Watermark, photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier conclude their award-winning trilogy with an urgent message to all the citizens of the world to see the consequences of our actions, before it’s too late.

Directors

Nicholas de Pencier

De Pencier is an award-winning documentary cinematographer and producer known primarily for his work with director Jennifer Baichwal. They made the CSA-winning Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark and Anthropocene in collaboration with Edward Burtynsky. Their other credits include The Holier It Gets, Payback, and Long Time Running, which won the DGC award for Excellence in Documentary. De Pencier also produced the drama One Week, directed the documentary Black Code, and was cinematographer on The Colour of Ink, for which he won a CSA.

 

Jennifer Baichwal

Baichwal is an award-winning director who has collaborated with her partner, producer and cinematographer Nicholas de Pencier, on documentaries such as the CSA-winning trilogy Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark, and Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, with Edward Burtynsky. Her other credits include Act of God, Payback, and Long Time Running, among others. She has won 13 awards, including three CSAs.

Writer

Jennifer Baichwal

Cast

Alicia Vikander

Producer

Nicholas de Pencier

Genre

Documentary

Interests

Asian Filmmaker, Environment

Original Language

English