STORYLINE
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?"
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
Distribution: ALBATROSS WORLD SALES
CREDITS
Director and original idea: ASGEIR HELGESTAD Writers: ANNE ELVEDAL, ASGEIR HELGESTAD Producer: 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 Production Assistant: AGELIKI LEFKADITOU Production Consultant: ELIN SANDER 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
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
Funded by: NORWEGIAN FILM INSTITUTE, VIKEN FILM CENTRE, THE NORWEGIAN ENVIRONMENT AGENCY, HURTIGRUTEN SVALBARD
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