Chasing Ice (2012)

Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.

Director:

Jeff Orlowski

Writer:

Mark Monroe

Stars:

James Balog, Svavar Jónatansson, Louie Psihoyos

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Balog	...	Himself - Photographer
Svavar Jónatansson	...	Himself - Photo Assistant
Louie Psihoyos	...	Himself - Photographer & Oscar Winning Filmmaker
Kitty Boone	...	Herself - The Aspen Institute
Sylvia Earle	...	Herself - National Geographic Explorer (as Sylvia Earle Ph.D.)
Dennis Dimick	...	Himself - National Geographic Editor
Adam LeWinter	...	Himself - EIS Engineer (as Adam Lewinter)
Jason Box	...	Himself - Climatologist, Ohio State University (as Jason Box Ph.D.)
Tad Pfeffer	...	Himself - Glaciologist, University of Colorado (as Tad Pfeffer Ph.D.)
Suzanne Balog	...	Herself - James's Wife
Jeff Orlowski	...	Himself - EIS Videographer
Synte Peacock	...	Herself - Oceanographer, National Center for Atmospheric Research (as Synte Peacock Ph.D.)
Terry Root	...	Herself - Senior Fellow, Stanford University Woods Institute (as Terry Root Ph.D.)
Thomas Swetnam	...	Himself - Directof of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona (as Thomas Swetnam Ph.D.)
Peter Hoeppe	...	Himself - Head of Geo Risks Research, Munich Reinsurance (as Peter Hoeppe Ph.D.)

Storyline

'National Geographic' photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change. But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In 'Chasing Ice,' we follow Balog across the Arctic as he deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers. Balog's hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Traveling with a young team of adventurers by helicopter, canoe and dog sled across three continents, Balog risks his career and his well-being in pursuit of the biggest story in human history. As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramp up around the world, 'Chasing Ice' depicts a heroic photojournalist on a mission to gather evidence and deliver hope to our carbon-powered planet

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Plot Keywords:

climate change | ice | arctic | camera | photographer | 

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Taglines:

As the debate polarizes America, and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, a heroic photojournalist is on a mission to deliver fragile hope to our carbon-powered planet.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Scigajac arktyczny lód

Filming Locations:

Bolivia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$83,200, 21 December 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,328,467

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,358,668

Company Credits

Production Co:

Exposure,Diamond Docs

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

James Balog - Photographer: If you had an abscess in your tooth, would you keep going to dentist after dentist until you found a dentist who said, "Ah, don't worry about it. Leave that rotten tooth in"? Or would you pull it out because more of the other dentists told you you had a problem? That's sort of what we're doing with climate change.

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Connections

References Nova: Extreme Ice (2009)

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Soundtracks

Land Father
Written and Performed by Keith Kenniff

User Reviews

Disturbingly beautiful footage of the effect of climate change on several of the world's largest glacier fields.

James Balog and Jeff Orlowski team up in what turned out to be a fantastic effort in documenting vast amounts of photographic evidence of the effects of recent global temperature increases on glaciers in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland.

The footage is magnificent and the film is scored very well. James Balog's personal challenges in undertaking the project are also documented, and present an interesting angle to this style of documentary.

By presenting the footage in as non-partisan manner as possible, Chasing Ice avoids tarnishing its message with politics.