“Beyond the Known World” Makes its World Premiere at the Independent
3/23/2013LOS ANGELES — “Beyond the Known World” is a short film by Hansjoerg During that documents his expedition to the remote South Sandwich slands, an archipelago of 11 active volcanic islands lost in the Furious Fifties of the southern Atlantic Ocean.
Few researchers have studied these remote islands, let alone captured their treacherous coastlines and animal life on film. The South Sandwich Islands are beautiful, yet they possess a severe maritime polar climate. “Beyond the Known World” is During's ode to the islands, a visual canvas of beauty in the midst of harsh desolation. This film is During's directorial debut, a feat all the more impressive because he filmed and photographed the entire expedition without a film crew. “Beyond the Known World” is scheduled to be screened April 5, 2013, at 6 p.m. at Belle Varado Studios, Los Angeles.
James Cook discovered the South Sandwich Islands in 1775 on his second exploration journey. He found an uninhabited place without a safe harbor, where natural elements are unpredictable and violent. During experienced these conditions firsthand, making shooting of any footage extremely arduous. The film dedicates unprecedented attention to the South Sandwich Islands and their bird and seal populations, which thrive despite an exceptionally inhospitable environment. The film exposes the extraordinary sight of the world's largest chinstrap penguin colony on Zavodovski Island, which is home to some 2 million penguin couples. During sees filmmaking as a natural extension of his passion for photography. “Beyond the Known World,” During's first short film, began with an idea hatched during a sailing expedition to South Georgia in 2007. For his next endeavor, During would like to undertake a feature-length project yet to be determined.