Abandoned in the Arctic - THE FILM

In 1881 the US Army sent Lt. Adolphus Greely and 24 men to build a scientific research station in the High Arctic, 500 miles from the North Pole. Part of the First International Polar Year, the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition began as the most ambitious Arctic expedition in United States history. Stranded by impassable ice conditions, the expedition was destined to descend into a three year journey through frozen hell — a voyage of forced retreat, starvation, brewing mutiny and cannibalism. Against all odds, six men survived.

Abandoned in the Arctic attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding what really happened during the three years Greely and his men were marooned. In June 2004 a team of expedition kayakers lands on the inhospitable northern coast of Canada’s Ellesmere Island to retrace Greely's epic open-boat retreat. One of the adventurers is 25 year old James Shedd, great-great-grandson of A.W. Greely. The team’s journey over rugged terrain and treacherous, ice-clogged waters is a constant challenge, expeditioners at times only narrowly escaping death. Ultimately, while the team experiences the Arctic in all of its drama and immensity, the Greely descendent finds affirmation in the pursuit of his ancestors’ legacy.

Category: Feature Documentary

Format: Hi-Definition

Duration: 90 min

Release Date: 2007

Executive Producer: Geoffrey E. Clark

Production Company: Cocked Hat Ventures LLC

Director: Gino del Guercio

Director of Operations: Stephen Smith

Production Manager [CANADA]: Stephen Smith

Expedition Leader: Stephen Smith

Writers: James Shedd, Gino del Guercio