Do you think this is just land covered with snow? These are not simply snow deserts; this is one more continent and one more ocean for you to marvel at. It is a gift. A very special gift to humanity, every single one of us. They are the Arctic and the Antarctica; we live between their poles. We breathe the same air, see the same sun and observe the common equilibrium of nature’s forces. The only possible answer to this gift is gratitude.
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MAKING OF
The idea for “The Arctic and Antarctica” belongs to Liss Ross, a film director based in Germany, for whom to see and compare the ice of the Arctic Ocean and the glaciers of Antarctica was a childhood dream. Thanks to her persistence and a happy coincidence, her dream came true when she and her film crew joined an expedition to the North Pole in 2000. Crossing 4,000 kilometers in an 8-seater, the expedition landed at Zero Point, the place on the planet the world has no sides. There are no scents or sounds, and to reach the earth, you have go into the deeps.
Arctic
Antarctica
To convey the North Pole visually is a difficult challenge: a sweeping white desert that blends into a similarly sweeping white sky at the horizon, while the sun wheels in a small ellipse above your head. This is typically what travelers to the North Pole see during that brief window of time when it’s possible to reach it.
Five years later, in 2005, the film crew travelled to Antarctica as part of a scientific expedition, where they were able to film some of the most picturesque parts of the 7th continent—Argentina’s Wilhelm Archipelago and the side of the continent that is washed by the Pinola Stream. The film crew was accompanying a group of ornithologists to the islands where penguins nested. Together with surveyors, they studied continental Antarctica and took samples of the ice for dating purposes with geophysicists.
Antarctica has become a kind of scientific laboratory for the entire planet, as it offers people of the 21st century an experience of its primeval state. Antarctica’s air is the epitome of a clean atmosphere and its water the epitome of clean water. The primeval purity of Antarctica is what strikes the human eye immediately after crossing the Drake Passage. It feels like this world was created just yesterday and you are the first human to see it.
Serhiy Mykchalchuk and Liss Ross in Antarctica
With the technologies available to work over archival video materials today, and the music of the talented Canadian composer Milana Zilnik, this musical film essay called “The Arctic and Antarctica” was produced in 2018. The concept of this film by Liss Ross is to present a non-narrative story of the relationship between people and nature in the most risk-filled regions of the earth, the two polar regions. The main idea of the film is to restore in viewers biophilia, the innate sense of belonging to the natural world, which most humans have long forgotten in their urbanized environments.
The director deliberately avoids explanations so that viewers can absorb the images of the Arctic and Antarctica in their own way, even losing track of the differences between them. According to Liss Ross, the film is a puzzle of plot lines brought together to form a complete mind map of the Arctic and Antarctica.
DIRECTOR’S COMMENT:
I find myself moving more and more away from linear narratives in my work, in order to allow images to engage the viewer in what’s happening on the screen. Images have no language barrier—their meaning is understandable to everyone. Combining the Arctic and Antarctica in a single image is hardly a new idea, too. Starting with Scott and Amundsen, the polar regions were seen as dangerous snow-filled wastelands that attracted researchers like a magnet.
Based on interviews with the members of polar expeditions who had the opportunity to study both the northern and southern regions, I came to the conclusion that they were all moved by a kind of “thirst for snow,” an emotion that those around them could not grasp, but immediately understood by those who had also felt it.
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After returning to ordinary life in their home countries, they felt exhausted by man-made pollution, informational trash, the mish-mash of colors, the empty days.
For them, the little joys of daily life could not replace the vast snowy expanses. And so they went back to those sources again and again, where there is only the human and pure nature in all its whiteness. In struggling with the elements, humans find themselves. The soul becomes cleaner, thoughts fuller, and the person more whole. These are the places where humans and wild nature can be in harmony.
My hope is that, with Milana Zilnik’s music and the masterful filming of Serhiy Mykhalchuk, I have been able to put together the puzzle of these various plot lines into an integrated mind map of the Arctic and Antarctica.
CREDITS
THE ARCTIC & ANTARCTICA
DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY
LISS ROSS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
SERGIY MYKCHALCHUK
EDITED BY
LISS ROSS AND DMITRIY USOV
ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSED BY
MILANA ZILNIK
CONCEPT AND TREATMENT WRITTEN BY
LISS ROSS
MUSIC PRODUCTION BY
ARTY SANDLER
ADDITIONAL VIDEOGRAPHY
RuDIVE
FILMING LOCATIONS
ARCTIC
TAYMYR PENINSULA, KHATANGA, SREDNY ISLAND ON THE SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA ARCHIPELAGO, THE NORTH POLE
2000
ANTARCTICA
ARGENTINE ISLANDS OF WILHELM ARCHIPELAGO GALINDEZ ISLAND, WINTER ISLAND, PETERMANN ISLAND, DRAKE PASSAGE
2005
THANK YOU
UKRAINIAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION 2000
UKRAINIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION 2005
ARTUR CHILINGAROV, RUSSIAN POLAR EXPLORER
DR. RADOMIR ILIC, SLOVENIAN SCIENTIST
PILOTS TEAMS OF An28, An24, IL76 AND Mi8
CAPTAINS OF USUAIA ANTARCTICA SHIP
SCIENTISTS WITH A CHILIEN SAILOR DANIEL, WHO SAVED OUR LIVES ON A ZODIAC SHIP DURING A STORM IN ANTARCTICA
DR. RADOMIR ILIC, SLOVENIAN SCIENTIST AND AUTHOR OF THE BOOK “Radon Measurements by Etched Track Detectors”
OLEG, DIVER FROM DIVING CLUB OF MOSCOW STATE UNIVERSITY RuDIVE
WLADIMIR GRIBANOV, PILOT
RUSLAN MIGUNOV, PILOT
SPECIAL THANKS
PILOT VLADIMIR GRIBANOV, PILOT RUSLAN MIGUNOV, TEST PILOT ANATOLY KHRUSTITSKY, GENNADI MILINEVSKY, YURIY BOGDANOV, YURIY BONDARCHUK, KONSTANTIN EZKOV, ANDREY KUPRIN, IVAN PAVLOVICH, NATALIA POPOVICH,
VIKTOR BOYARSKY, VLADIMIR CHULKOV AND
A CHILIEN SAILOR DANIEL, WHO SAVED OUR LIVES ON A ZODIAC SHIP DURING A STORM IN ANTARCTICA
REVIEWS
If you made a priority list of the problems of human existence on this planet, the environmental crisis, environment itself would be very high up.
Again and again scientific knowledge proofs that environmental constellations that seem to be unnecessary, – not to mention animals and plants –, are a required and essential part of the whole system. If you keep this in mind when watching the documentary film “The Arctic & Antarctica” by Liss Ross, which composes pictures of two expeditions to the North Pole and the Antarctica in an artistic way to a meaningful conclusive unit, then its wise intuitive element is obvious.
The viewer will not be annoyed by sapient comments and there are no technical tricks, that would outdo the human eye or cause excessive demand. The avoidance of anything artificial is a strong message itself. Without persuading the viewer, the natural conditions of this hostile environment are presented in a natural way. It shows, that it is a meaningful living world and not a death zone which is free for exploitation of material resources. The value of the film is in the wisdom behind the pictures, which are transported in the mind of the viewer and is not manipulatively set in scene. Thus, it is unconditionally remarkable and recommendable!
Petro Mudryk
If you made a priority list of the problems of human existence on this planet, the environmental crisis, environment itself would be very high up.
Again and again scientific knowledge proofs that environmental constellations that seem to be unnecessary, – not to mention animals and plants –, are a required and essential part of the whole system. If you keep this in mind when watching the documentary film “The Arctic & Antarctica” by Liss Ross, which composes pictures of two expeditions to the North Pole and the Antarctica in an artistic way to a meaningful conclusive unit, then its wise intuitive element is obvious.
The viewer will not be annoyed by sapient comments and there are no technical tricks, that would outdo the human eye or cause excessive demand. The avoidance of anything artificial is a strong message itself. Without persuading the viewer, the natural conditions of this hostile environment are presented in a natural way. It shows, that it is a meaningful living world and not a death zone which is free for exploitation of material resources. The value of the film is in the wisdom behind the pictures, which are transported in the mind of the viewer and is not manipulatively set in scene. Thus, it is unconditionally remarkable and recommendable!
Petro Mudryk
STILLS FROM THE FILM
BEHIND THE SCENES
BIOGRAPHIES
Liss Ross
Liss Ross is a film director, visual artist and accomplished explorer. While traveling the whole year long and reaching the farthest corners of the planet, Liss works on capturing stories that inspire people to engage in a personal relationship with nature, and at the same time help to preserve wild habitats. The main themes of her works are the cultural diversity of the planet, landscape and environmental issues.
Liss Ross was educated in Media Studies and Comparative European Ethnology at the University of Regensburg, Germany and, after 20 years of experience in media, has the knowledge to uniquely combine communications with culture. The personal art projects by Liss Ross, such as The North Pole, The Arctic and Antarctica Regions, Iraq: Delta Base, were widely known in her home country and received awards from the government. She is originally from the Ukraine and currently lives in Munich, Germany.
Milana Zilnik
Milana is an accomplished pianist, composer and singer-songwriter, who has been a performing and recording artist since her childhood. A strong lyricist and composer in her own right, Milana’s style is reminiscent of Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Michael Nyman, Keith Jarret and Chick Corea. Milana enjoys playing by ear, improvising and using whatever inspires her to create her own style of playing. She is known as an adept improviser, catching melodies on the fly and expanding them into her own creations.
Serhiy Mykhalchuk
Serhiy Mykchalchuk is a Ukrainian cinematographer. He graduated in 1994 from the Kyiv Theater Institute of Karpenko-Karyj. In addition to film work, Mykchalchuk has also produced documentaries and television feature films, music videos, and advertising features. His photography is characteristic of rich cinematic aesthetics as well as being deeply meaningful – his works seem to reflect on the place of humans in the world and universe. He received numerous festival awards including the Silver Berlin Bear for Under Electric Clouds at the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Photography award for Lubovnik at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
SOUNDTRACK
“Nature themes can be heard in my music quite often, yet it was intriguing and challenging to write music about the Arctic and Antarctica – places I’ve never been to myself. What music could suit those frozen deserts? Ambient, haunting and cold are the first epithets coming to one’s mind, yet this relatively short film was packed with different, often contrasting moods. Of course, there was a place for the haunting and ambient atmosphere but it was so much more: the adventurous journey, playful encounters, diving into mysterious deeps, edgy life-threatening situations and a sweet nostalgia when it was the time to bid farewell. These were the scenes and the moods I aimed at writing the music for: different emotions, different styles, different instruments – the whole world of music coming together to meet at the Earth poles. There was a soaring vocal ballad inviting you to the Arctic and Antarctica.
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There was a Latin tango of the journey to those distant lands, driven by ethnic percussion, groovy bass, sweet accordion and a singing sax. There was a humorous swing and rag with tribal ethnic drums, percussion and… tuba! Tuba always sounds a bit funny and cartoon-ish to my ears – so were the penguins and seals, playful and clumsy. There was a dark mysterious ambient synth taking you to the freezing underwater. There was a tribal vocalization, primeval and shamanistic, and there was an ethereal elegy with an exotic eastern touch. A song and a tango, a swing and a blues, a groove and a rag, a ballad and an elegy, a nocturne and a requiem – all those were inspired by watching Liss’s film. I hope you will be inspired as much by watching and listening to it.” – Milana Zilnik
18.06.2018
Coming December 1st, 2018: the original motion picture soundtrack album will take you on the musical journey to the Arctic and Antarctica: from ambient New Age to world fusion, from jazz to Tango, from the epic ballad song to exotic tribal chants.
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Frozen Song
Icicles Staccato
Sailing Tango
Penguins Swing
Misty Ballad
Birds Blues
Seals Rag
Wind Elegy
Underwater Nocturne
Exotic Vocalizzo
Icy Requiem
Farewell Groove
CONTACT
Telling remarkable stories about the world through film and photography is what drives us. If you have an idea, we can help you bring it to life and get it in front of the right audience.