The documentary “Explorer: Lost in the Arctic” will have its premiere on Disney+ and Hulu this Friday. The photo is courtesy of Nat Geo.
NEW YORK, Aug. 25 (UPI) — Renan Ozturk, a filmmaker and photographer, describes his new National Geographic documentary special, Explorer: Lost in the Arctic, as an exploration of the beautiful and treacherous nature of this part of the world.
Set to debut on Friday on Hulu and Disney+, the film follows Ozturk and fellow rock/mountain climber Mark Synnott as they embark on a journey to find the tomb of Sir John Franklin, the 19th-century British captain who disappeared with a crew of 129 men while attempting to navigate the Northwest Passage trade route.
“I wanted the Arctic itself to have a presence in the film because it was an opportunity for more people to understand its landscape,” Ozturk explained in a recent interview with UPI.
“I’m not trying to portray it as dangerous or anything; I just want to show it for what it is – its raw beauty, the wildlife, the untouched areas, and how the Inuit people have preserved it,” he added.
Ozturk hopes that viewers will develop an appreciation for the region and gain an understanding of how humans have impacted it over the past century.
“I want to showcase what is at stake because this is a vast part of the world that will undergo significant change as it opens up for shipping, tourism, and resource extraction,” he said.
“Giving the landscape itself a voice is always important in nature films, but perhaps even more so in this one.”
The trip initially began as a personal dream of Ozturk and Synnott to sail from the East Coast of the United States to the Arctic.
“We are professional climbers, but we realized that climbing isn’t everything,” Ozturk reflected.
“We wanted to find meaningful stories and ways for people to connect with these places culturally and historically. Mark had done research on the [Lost on] Everest mystery, which is similar to this story, and that’s how this project came about.”
Ozturk credits meeting Synnott as a life-changing experience.
“I didn’t know anything about adventure at the time. Mark presented a slideshow at my school while I was an undergrad,” Ozturk recalled.
“Later on, I sought out that same lifestyle and climbed with him on expeditions around the world. Now, I have been involved in many Nat Geo projects,” he added.
“What makes Mark a great collaborator is his level of research and care, as well as his skills as a writer and expedition leader.”
Despite their challenging feats and notable achievements, Synnott maintains a sense of self-deprecating humor.
“His humor adds a fun element to these trying situations,” Ozturk said.
The production of Lost in the Arctic had its unique risks and rewards, with Synnott captaining his own fiberglass boat in the icy waters of the Arctic.
“The boat he built from scratch for this journey was like a member of his family,” the filmmaker revealed.
“He was constantly worried that something would happen to the boat. The level of stress and responsibility we faced was greater than anything we had experienced before. We pushed the safety margins more than usual.”
Ozturk also had his hands full as he assisted in crewing the boat while finding time to capture the adventure on film.
“Normally, a film project like this would involve a team of five to ten people. However, it was just myself and one other person. Mark told us, ‘You guys can’t focus on filming. Your first priority is keeping the boat afloat. Every six hours, for four months, regardless of the time, you need to look out for ice and not shoot,'” he explained.
The demanding schedule took a toll on Ozturk.
“We descended into a sleepless delirium, where we never saw darkness and were shooting when others were on watch and the lighting was good,” he said.
“It put us in a mentally challenging state.”
However, Ozturk never doubted that the project would be worth it, especially when Jacob, an Inuit man with extensive knowledge of the region, joined them on the boat as a guide and hunter for the film crew.
“It added a level of meaning to the trip because we gained an Inuit perspective of the North,” he noted.
“Without him, I think we would have questioned a bunch of white guys sailing a boat through the Arctic.”
Modern technology and the desire for comfort have undeniably impacted adventure and exploration.
“We have satellite devices and can communicate anywhere on Earth. We have SOS buttons on our Garmin devices… We can even request a HeliRescue,” Ozturk remarked.
This was one of the aspects that attracted the team to this particular adventure.
“Even with all the climbing trips we’ve done, like Everest, it’s difficult to find that level of remoteness,” Ozturk stated.
“During this expedition, even if you pressed the full-on HeliRescue button, it’s likely that you would die before the helicopter arrived, as it would take a week or longer to reach you, and it would be extremely challenging to locate you,” he added.
“This journey allowed us to test ourselves in a more traditional manner, despite having the best safety technology available today. We faced similar challenges to Franklin.”
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