SYNOPSIS
This is the true story of the meeting between Frost, a beautiful polar bear mother, and Asgeir Helgestad, a Norwegian wildlife filmmaker. It is a four-year journey in Svalbard. Rising temperatures are responsible for dramatic changes in Frost's ecosystem as the ice is melting at record speed. From complete darkness to the absolute light of the midnight sun, Svalbard transforms from a cold and inhospitable place to the most joyous and lively scene for ice algae, fish, birds and animals. But alongside these seasonal transformations, the disappearing sea ice forces life to new limits. Fjords that were once full of ice and seals, get abandoned pushing Frost further away. Asgeir is determined to find her and document all that is being lost, but his task is far from easy. This film explores the question "this planet is home to all of us, can we afford to ignore it?"
AWARDS
2021
Winner of Audience Award, Festival International des Pertuis et Îles du Monde (FIPIM), Port-des-Barques, France
Winner of Audience Award, Le Festival International du Documentaire Maritime prend ses quartiers aux Musée Mer Marine de Bordeaux (FIDOM), Bordeaux, France
2020
Winner Best Environmental Film, Fort Myers Film Festival, Fort Myers, Florida, USA
Winner Feature Film, Best in Category Adventure, Nature Track Film Festival, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Winner of Feature Film Award, Wasatch Mountain Film Festival, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Winner of Best Nature Documentary, Memorial Maria Luisa Photo and Video Contest, Infiesto, Asturias, España
Winner of Golden Snowflake, International Festival of Winter Cinema, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Winner Best Nature/Wildlife Documentary, Canadian Diversity Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
2019
Finalist in Global Voices Category for World Wildlife Day Film Showcase, organized by Jackson Wild, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA
Winner of Special prize for sending a clear message to humanity, Special Jury of the Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, Baikal International Film Festival, Irkutsk, East Siberian region, Russia
Winner of Golden Hedgehog Award, 33e Festival international du film nature & environment, Grenoble, France
Winner of Best Conservation Film, CMS Vatavaran Environmental & Wildlife International Film Festival & Forum, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Winner of Audience Award, Sondrio International Film Festival on Parks, Sondrio, Italy
Winner of Stelvio National Park Award, Sondrio International Film Festival on Parks, Sondrio, Italy
Winner of Best Cinematography, XIV The World of Knowledge International Film Festival, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Winner of Environmental Award, INKAFEST Mountain Film Festival, Arequipa, Peru
Winner Beauty of Nature, EKOFILM International Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic
Winner of Best Feature Film, Wolves Independent International Film Festival, Utenos, Lithuania
Winner of Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso Award, Gran Paradiso Film Festival, Cogne, Italy
Winner of Best Feature Film, Elements Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada
Winner of Prix Ushuaia TV, Les Écrans dela Mer, Les Sables d'Olonne, France
Winner of Special Award Cie des Réals, Deauville Green Awards, International Festival for Responsible Film, Deauville, France
Second place Documentaries-television productions and independent films, International Nature Film Festival Gödöllö, Budapest, Hungary
Honorable mention Best Photo, Nordic docs, Fredrikstad, Norway
Nominated for Grand Prize, Ulju Mountain Film Festival, Ulsan, South Korea
2018
Winner of Best Film, Rotterdam Wildlife Film Festival, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Winner of Grand Prix, Festival International du Film Ornithologique de Ménigoute, Ménigoute, France
Winner of Best Nordic film, Wildlife Vaasa International Nature Film Festival, Vaasa, Finland
Winner of Audience Award, Green Screen International Wildlife Film Festival, Eckernförde, Germany
Winner of Best Cinematography (Man and Nature) Award, Matsalu Nature Film Festival, Estonia
Winner of Best Environmental Film, International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula, Montana, USA
Nominated for Theatrical Award, Wildscreen Festival, Bristol, UK
POSTER
CREDITS
Director and original idea: ASGEIR HELGESTAD
Writers: ANNE ELVEDAL, ASGEIR HELGESTAD
Director of photography: ASGEIR HELGESTAD
Editors: INGE LISE LANGFELDT, METTE CHENG MUNTHE KAAS, ASGEIR HELGESTAD Additional Photography: THEO JEBB, ALEXANDER SLETTEN, FRANCISCO MATTOS Music Composer: JULIAN CISNEROS
Additional Music: GREG MYERS Score Mixer: ADAM SCHMIDT
Sound Editor: FREDRIK BERG
Foley: ERIK WATLAND, THERESE NESS DIESEN
Colorist: BJØRN EVEN SKOGSFJORD
VFX: REID PER FISKERSTAND
Animation: NICHOLAS MUNRO
Archive Video: ROY MANGERSNES, WITEK KASZKIN, JON AARS/NORSK POLARINSTITUTT, JOHAN SLETTEN, EGIL MOVIK
Archive Stills: ARILD LYSSAND, SYSSELMANNEN PÅ SVALBARD, SVALBARD MUSEUM, NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE, TROMSØ MUSEUM – UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, AAGE STORLØKKEN, SCANPIX
Field Assistants: ALEXANDRA BROWN OSTENSEN, ESPEN BERGERSEN, KJELL ARNE OIA, STEINAR STROM, VILGEIR HELGESTAD
Special thanks: ANDREW MURRAY, EVA LEU, FREDE LAMO, FRANCISCO MATTOS, HILDE FÅLUND STRØM, IDA DYRENG, JANNE SØREIDE, JOZEF WIKTOR, MORTEN EKKER, NIGEL POPE, PHIL LORING, SVEIN WIIK, TORE HOEM, VEBJØRN ANDREASSEN, WINJAR SKJELTEN, EMPLOYEES IN HURTIGRUTA SVALBARD, NORWEGIAN POLAR INSTITUTE, RED DIGITAL CINEMA, THE UNIVERSITY CENTRE IN SVALBARD
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Format: DOCUMENTARY
Production year: 2017/2018
Length: 70 and 52 MIN
Languages: ENGLISH, NORWEGIAN
Country of origin: NORWAY
Production company: ARTIC LIGH AS
Produced in association with: NRK, NDR/DOCLIGHTS, ORF, SVT, FRANCE TV, SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL
Also known as: DRONNING UTEN LAND, AUF WIEDERSEHEN EISBÄR!, MY JOURNEY WITH A POLAR BEAR, SUR LA BANQUISE, UNE REINE SANS ROYAUME
Producer: ASGEIR HELGESTAD
Production Assistant: AGELIKI LEFKADITOU
Production Consultant: ELIN SANDER
Film consultants: EVEN BENESTAD, NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE / LARS LØGE, NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE / KALLE LØCHEN, VIKEN FILM CENTRE
Production Advisors: OLA HUNNES, NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE, SIGNE PALHE, VIKEN FILM CENTRE, SIRIN EIDE, VIKEN FILM CENTRE
Financed by: NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE, VIKEN FILM CENTRE, THE NORWEGIAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY, HURTIGRUTEN SVALBARD, NRK, SVT, DOCLIGHTS, FRANCE 3, SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL
FOR NRK: TERJE DALE, Head of NHU
FOR NDR/Doclights: JÖRN RÖVER, Head of NDR Naturfilm & BRITTA KIESEWETTER, Executive Producer Doclights
FOR ORF: FRANZ FUCHS, Commissioning Editor
FOR SVT: HENRIK EKMANN, Acquisitions Executive
FOR FRANCE 3: CLÈMENCE COPPEY, Creative Director Documentary Unit
FOR SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL: TRIA THALMAN, Executive Producer & DAVID ROYLE, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production
International distribution: ALBATROSS WORLD SALES
Festival distribution: ARTIC LIGHT, NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE, ALBATROSS WORLD SALES