About The Film

It is a land of mystery and yet what happens here affects every single one of us. With never-before seen footage, our story brings audiences to the farthest reaches of this wild and majestic continent. It is the coldest, driest and windiest place on Earth with the roughest oceans and yet, weird and wonderful creatures thrive here in astounding abundance. Antarctica is the perfect fit for the Giant Screen.

Using the latest underwater filming techniques, dive beneath sea ice, more than 6 feet thick, to experience the alien world of its seafloor - thousands of purple starfish scuttling to escape being entrapped by growing ice and elaborate jellyfish dancing a deadly dance. Swim alongside playful seals, soar above mountain peaks and vast penguin colonies and witness the largest congregation of fin and humpback whales ever filmed.

Although so remote from us, Antarctica and its surrounding Southern Ocean play a vital role for the entire planet, regulating ocean currents, sea levels and its wildlife-filled waters can absorb huge amounts of carbon. New science is revealing that dramatic changes are occurring and rapidly warming this pristine land of snow and ice. No one owns Antarctica but it will take global cooperation and collaboration to protect it and ensure the future health of our planet.

Cast
Benedict Cumberbatch
Narrator
Benedict Cumberbatch

Academy Award Nominee Benedict Cumberbatch is known for playing the title role of “Sherlock Holmes” in a role that has earned him international acclaim and several awards including The Primetime Emmy. In 2015 Benedict portrayed Alan Turing in the multi award winning film "The Imitation Game" which earned him a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination as Best Actor.

Other big screen performances include the role of the dragon Smaug and the Necromancer in Peter Jackson’s "The Hobbit", Khan in JJ Abrams’ blockbuster "Star Trek: Into Darkness", Julian Assange in "The Fifth Estate", Little’ Charles Aiiken in "August: Osage County", Ford in Steve McQueen’s Oscar winning "12 Years A Slave" and Billy Bulger in "Black Mass".

Early TV roles included his incredibly powerful performance as Stephen Hawking, in the BBC’s highly acclaimed drama "Hawking" which earned him his first BAFTA nomination. A second BAFTA nomination came in 2010 for his portrayal of Bernard in the BBC adaptation of "Small Island". Benedict also starred as Christopher Stejens in the Tom Stoppard’s BBC/HBO drama "Parades End" based on the acclaimed novels, also earning him an Emmy nomination.

In 2016 his depiction of Richard III in the BBC’s "Hollow Crown" series cemented his place as one of the finest actors of his generation earning him another BAFTA nomination. Benedict joined the Marvel Universe as the titular character in 2016’s Doctor Strange, reprising his role as Dr. Strange in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame".

More recently, Benedict’s performance in David Nicholls’ adaptation of Edward St. Aubyn’s beloved "Patrick Melrose" has earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor and Emmy and Golden Globe Best Actor nominations. Last year, he appeared in the HBO/Channel 4 political drama "Brexit: The Uncivil War" and filmed the Cold War spy-drama "The Courier" and a film about the English artist Louis Wain. Benedict is currently in New Zealand filming the Jane Campion film "The Power Of The Dog".

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Filmmakers
Fredi Devas
Director
Fredi Devas

Dr. Fredi Devas is a wildlife filmmaker who cares deeply about the natural world and the challenges it faces. After completing a PhD on Chacma baboons in Namibia, Fredi did research on the bushmeat trade in Equatorial Guinea and then spent time living with the San bushmen in Southern Africa.

Having worked on Meerkat Manor and Nick Baker’s Weird Creatures, he joined the BBC to work on Frozen Planet and then Wild Arabia. He’s been lucky enough to film polar bears feasting on a whale carcass, camel racing with robotic jockeys, and be surrounded by nearly half a million King penguins.

On Planet Earth II he decided to leave the wildernesses behind to produce and direct the ‘Cities’ episode. Highlights included filming langurs and macaques in India, and hyenas roaming the streets in Ethiopia, where he was struck by the harmonious relationship between people and the potentially dangerous animals they shared their cities with.

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Jonny Keeling
Producer
Jonny Keeling

Having completed a Zoology degree at Cambridge University and PhD at Bristol, Jonny went on to pursue a career with the BBC and share his passion for the natural world. Jonny has 20 years filmmaking experience in the NHU spanning a wide range of output – from blue chip landmarks to live broadcasts, observational documentaries to presenter-led formats.

He was researcher on the Natural World, assistant producer on David Attenborough’s Life of Mammals and producer on Planet Earth. He has produced and directed a variety of wildlife documentaries for BBC One and BBC Two and was the series producer on Expedition Tiger, Expedition Wolf and The Dark.

In 2012 Jonny took on the role as Executive Producer of Children’s Natural History. Recent projects for CBeebies and CBBC include Andy's Dinosaur Adventures, Andy's Prehistoric adventures, Wild, Deadly Pole to Pole, Wild and Weird and Naomi's Nightmares of Nature.

Alongside his children's portfolio, Jonny has also exec produced two series for BBC four...The Wonder of Animals with Chris Packham and Secrets of Bones with Ben Garrod.

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Myles Connolly
Supervising Producer
Myles Connolly

Myles Connolly has filmed in more than forty countries during his thirty-year career and filled a number of production and post-production roles along the way including producer, writer, picture editor and VFX supervisor. Myles has worked extensively in the feature documentary and IMAX genres on more than fifty films including some high profile projects like Everest, The Living Sea, Samsara, Enchanted Kingdom, Flight of the Butterflies and Oceans: Our Blue Planet.

Working alongside some of the best talent in the film business, his efforts have helped garner numerous awards, including four Cine GoldenEagles, the Grand Prix du Festival at the Theater du La Geode in Paris, the Best 3D/Immersive award at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and two Academy Award nominations in the Short Documentary category.

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Jonathan Williams
Executive Producer
Jonathan Williams

Jonathan Williams is the Head of Commercial for BBC Earth and manages BBC Earth’s giant screen business. He was the Executive Producer of Oceans: Our Blue Planet 3D, BBC Earth’s award-winning 2018 giant screen film.

He has an extensive track record of developing multiplatform content and experiences that offer global audiences new ways of enjoying BBC Earth’s premium natural history content. He is a strong believer in the power of the immersive giant screen format to excite and inspire audiences, and has spearheaded BBC Earth’s strategy in this industry.

Jonathan grew up in South Africa where he developed a passion for the natural world. He spent his early career working in book publishing and, after completing an MBA, then moved to BBC Studios in 2013.

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Theater Advisors