A polar bear with two cubs stands on the snow-covered Arctic landscape, looking upward. The expansive icy background and overcast sky emphasize the chilly environment.
Two musk oxen with long, thick brown coats engage in a head-butting battle on the snowy arctic tundra. The sky is clear and blue, emphasizing the icy wilderness setting.
Two young arctic foxes playfully nuzzle each other in a grassy field. The fox on the left has its nose touching the other, who is sitting attentively, surrounded by green plants and small wildflowers.
Aerial view of a winding river cutting through a vast, golden-brown arctic landscape under a cloudy sky. Snow-capped mountains are visible in the background, and sunlight casts a warm glow over the scene.
A herd of reindeer wanders across an arctic grassy field during sunset. Four reindeer are prominently visible in the foreground, with more grazing in the background. The warm golden light creates a peaceful atmosphere.

America’s Arctic – A Refuge Imperiled

Nature & Wildlife·1 x 50 min·Completed

Explore Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for caribou, polar bears, and migratory birds. But this stunning wilderness now faces threats from oil drilling.

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Genre
Conservation
Nature & Wildlife
Duration
1 × 50 min
Definition
4K
Audio
5.1
Status
Completed
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Synopsis

The coastal plain on the northern coast of Alaska is a unique place. For millennia it has been the summer home for huge herds of caribou and countless migratory birds. The area supports a greater variety of plant and animal life than any other protected area in the Arctic Circle. This is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

This film shows the splendor, enormous scope and indescribable beauty of this untouched land far to the north of Alaska, one of the last havens for caribou herds and polar bears. Shot over a period of four years, this film offers a unique insight in the lives of the most charismatic arctic animals. Outstanding aerial photography captures the scope and epic dimensions of the annual caribou migration, revealing the many dangers the herds encounter on the way. Awe-inspiring footage shows how wolves and grizzlies strategically stalk and attack the herds.

The Arctic coastal plain stretches southward from the coast to the foothills of the Brooks Range. This area of rolling hills, small lakes, and north-flowing, braided rivers is dominated by tundra vegetation consisting of low shrubs, sedges, and mosses. Caribou travel to the coastal plain during June and July to give birth and raise their young. Migratory birds and insects flourish here during the brief Arctic summer. Tens of thousands of snow geese stop here during September to feed before migrating south, and muskoxen live here year-round. Along the northern coast of the refuge, the barrier islands, coastal lagoons, salt marshes, and river deltas of the Arctic coastal tundra provide habitat for migratory waterbirds including sea ducks, geese, swans, and shorebirds.

But this unique paradise hides another natural treasure. Almost 8 million barrels of oil are believed to be extractable from this part of the Arctic, most of it within an area designated as “1002”. The refuge is now under threat from the Trump Administration’s policy which systematically dismantles environmental protection in favor of the oil extraction industry. For the last 40 years, ever since the Refuge received its protected status, Republicans have tried to open the area to oil exploration. They all failed – until last year a drilling provision was slipped into a tax bill creating the legal basis for the exploitation and – consequently – destruction of this unique ecosystem.

At the moment of the making of the film, the then-current US administration was working hard to clear the remaining regulatory and legal hurdles to sell off two of the leases expecting 2,2 billion Dollars in return. But the losses would be immense: “This is one of the last truly wild landscapes”, says filmmaker Florian Schulz, “It’s like looking back in time when mastodons roamed the land.”

Team

Directed and photographed by Florian Schulz
Written and produced by Martin Mészáros
Executive producers Sabine Holzer, Walter Köhler
Production Companies A Terra Mater Factual Studios production in co-production with Campion Advocacy Fund and Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with Florian Schulz Productions

Awards & Recognitions

Cannes, France Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards Gold Dolphin (Category: Environment, Ecology & Sustainability) 2021
New York, USA New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Gold World Medal (Categoriy: Nature & Wildlife) 2021
New York, USA New York Festivals TV & Film Awards Gold World Medal (Category: Best Camerawork) 2021
Prague, Czech Republic PSFF - Prague Science Film Fest Official Selection 2021
Lihula, Estonia MAFF - Matsalu Nature Film Festival Official Selection 2021
Namur, Belgium FINN - Festival International Nature Namur Official Selection 2021
Rotterdam, Netherlands WFFR - Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam Nomination (Category: Green Impact Award) 2021
Darß, Germany Darßer NaturfilmFestival Nomination (Category: Outstanding International Film Productions) 2021
Gödöllö, Hungary International Nature Film Festival Gödöllö Official Selection 2021
Graz, Austria Mountainfilm International Filmfestival Graz Kleine Zeitung Audience Award 2020
Menigoute, France Festival International du Film Ornithologique de Menigoute Landscape Award 2020
WCSFP - World Congress of Science & Factual Producers Buzzies Awards: Nomination (Category: Best Multi-Platform Factual Project) 2020
WCSFP - World Congress of Science & Factual Producers Buzzies Awards: Nomination (Category: Best Natural History Program/ Content – Long Format) 2020
Bold white text on a dark background reads PROTECT THE ARCTIC, with the A in ARCTIC uniquely stylized as a triangle, emphasizing the need for arctic preservation.

Protect the Arctic

Protect the Arctic
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