Check out more of CinemaDaily US’ video interviews on our YouTube channel
In recent years, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi have become two of the foremost documentary filmmakers after winning the Oscar for their 2018 doc, Free Solo, about mountain climber Alex Honnold. That was followed in quick succession by docs The Rescue (recreating the rescue of a team of young Thai soccer players), Return to Space, and Wild Life.
In 2023, Chin and Vasarhelyi made their narrative feature debut with NYAD, a Netflix biopic that garnered Oscar nominations for its stars, Annette Bening and Jodi Foster, but now they’re back in the world of documentary with Endurance. Their new film, co-directed with Natalie Hewit, follows the failed 1915 expedition to Antarctica by Ernest Shackleton that became shipwrecked and the modern-day attempt by various parties to find the wreck of his ship, the Endurance. Endurance features foremost experts on Shackleton’s journeys, as well as actual words written by Shackleton and the original crew used as narration in their own voices, using modern-day AI.
Recently, Cinema Daily US spoke with Ms. Vasarhelyi about the film, and what went into making Endurance around all the other projects they’ve been involved with in recent years.
Endurance will debut on the National Geographic Channel on November 1, 2024 and be available on Disney+ and Hulu in the U.S. and U.K. a day later on November 2. It will stream in Canada (and France) starting November 29.
Director: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Natalie Hewit
Cast: Ernest Shackleton, John Shears, Mensun Bound, Nicolas Vincent, Dan Snow
Producer: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Bob Eisenhardt, Natalie Hewit , Ruth Johnston
Production Co: History Hit, Little Dot Studios, Little Monster Films
Distributor: National Geographic
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Release Date: November 1, 2024 (TV/streaming)
Runtime: 1 hour, 43 minutes
If you like this video interview, please share your comments below.
Check out more of Edward Douglas’ articles.
You can watch the trailer below: