One man, 25 time lapse cameras, and a lot of ice.
The result is the feature-length documentary Chasing Ice that captures undeniable evidence of how our planet is changing due to global warming. It will screen Wednesday, January 23 at Nelson’s Capitol Theatre.
The film is about James Balog’s perilous journey to portray the shocking effects of abrupt climate change on glaciers in Switzerland, Greenland, Iceland, and Alaska.
His hauntingly beautiful time-lapse images compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.
“Ice is the canary in the global coal mine,” says Balog. “It’s the place where we can see, touch, hear and feel climate change in action.”
The film is a fundraiser for the West Kootenay EcoSociety and is a joint presentation of the society and FLIKS.ca. A panel discussion will follow the film to discuss local actions to combat climate change. Admission for this special event is $20; show time is 7:30 p.m.
It will also be shown at Kaslo’s Langham Cultural Centre on February 1 and Nakusp’s Bonnington Arts Centre on February 18.
Balog is an award-winning nature photographer who has committed his life to documenting changes to nature.
Many major magazines, including National Geographic, Vanity Fair, and New York Times Magazine have published his work. His most recent book, ICE: Portraits of Vanishing Glaciers, was published in September 2012.
Founded by Balog in 2007, the Extreme Ice Survey is the largest ground-based photographic survey of the world’s glaciers ever conducted. The project is dedicated to documenting the increasingly rapid melting of the glaciers in the Arctic and other areas.
Chasing Ice premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2012 and is now being released in theatres.
A trailer for the film can be viewed at chasingice.com.