IMAX Presents: The Last Glaciers(2022)

Plot Summary

• A trip to the Alps in 2017 shocked award-winning Filmmaker Craig Leeson. After witnessing the tragic deaths of mountaineers due to avalanche, Craig learns that climate change is drastically altering these special environments, making the mountains warmer and more dangerous. Around the world the story is frighteningly similar. The Last Glaciers follows Craig's three-year journey to understand climate change through the simplicity of ice core science. He changes from a skeptic to a believer and begins a quest to raise awareness of an issue that is affecting billions of people.Extreme sports athletes, Dave Turner and Malcolm Wood, support Craig on this global filming project, teaching him the skills necessary to overcome his fear of heights and access glacial ranges so he can witness first-hand the changes taking place and the gathering of scientific data. Dave and Malcolm come from extremes of para-alpinism and alpine climbing with very different skill-sets and personal goals making them either the perfect team or a recipe for disaster. Add to the mix a journalist who is very uncomfortable in the high mountains, and the team of three face breath-taking challenges on this journey of discovery.Each expedition takes Craig Leeson to extreme locations, to the burnt homes of people most affected by climate change all the way to the center of global power and problem solving. He engages the world's youth, so overcome by angst at the lack of political will to tackle this issue that many have taken to the streets to protest. Craig also interviews climate change scientists about the shocking results of their global studies, and witnesses first-hand how climate change is destabilizing many of the peaks around the world.Through the eyes of scientists from NASA to France's Ice Memory Project, to the studies being done by INAIEGM in Peru, the documentary investigates how ice, particularly glaciers, tells us the story of past climate change, and how man is affecting the health of the planet.This film is a long-overdue wake-up call that tackles climate change like no other documentary before it. It is a life-changing journey of discovery, taking the audience on the thrilling ride of extreme sports, while explaining climate change through the story of the earth's melting ice. It exposes entire communities facing uncertain futures as the relationship between earth, water and our changing climate severely impact ecosystems, agriculture, water systems, infrastructure and human health. Its message is simple: The very life support systems we all rely on for daily survival are beginning to collapse.THE FIRST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY CREW TO JOIN NASA ON THE OPERATION ICEBRIDGE RESEARCH MISSION FLYING OVER ANTARCTICA. Supported by some of the most highly respected scientific institutions globally, including NASA, INAIGEM, ICIMOD, Arctic Basecamp, GLACIOCLIM, and Climate Outreach."DISCOVERING FIRSTHAND AND DOCUMENTING CINEMATICALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME ONE OF THE BIGGEST CATASTROPHIC FALL-OUT OF CLIMATE CHANGE THAT IS ALREADY AFFECTING ALMOST 2 BILLION PEOPLE IN THE HIMALAYAN WATERSHED..."

Storyline

• The Last Glaciers tells the story of climate change through the visual impact of one of the planet's most important and yet critically threatened resources - glaciers. A trip to the Alps in 2017 shocked award-winning filmmaker Craig Leeson who witnessed the tragic deaths of mountaineers due to avalanche on Europe's deadliest mountain, Mont Blanc. Craig's investigation finds that climate change is drastically altering these special environments, making the mountains warmer and more dangerous. Around the world the story is frighteningly similar, but scientists point out that climate change is causing a much more widespread threat to humanity, not just the natural world. Extreme sports athletes, Dave Turner and Malcolm Wood, team up with Craig on this global filming project, teaching him the skills to overcome his fear of heights so he can access glacial ranges with scientists to witness first-hand the dramatic changes taking place. The team climbs a 5800m mountain in Peru twice in two days to attempt to be the first to tandem paraglide off the summit and survive the endeavour. Craig also joins NASA on an airborne research mission over the largest ice sheet in the world. He visits the burnt homes of people most affected by climate change wildfires and engages the world's youth, so overcome by angst at the lack of political will to tackle this issue that many have taken to the streets to protest. Craig seeks out climate change scientists globally to hear and understand the shocking results of their global research. Through the eyes of scientists from NASA to France's Ice Memory Project, to the studies being done by INAIGEM in Peru, the documentary investigates how ice, particularly glaciers, tells us the story of past climate change, and how humans are knowingly impacting the Earth's climate. This film is a code red wake-up call that distills the dense science on climate change in to an easy to understand and visual journey of the facts. A heart-wrenching story of discovery that takes the audience on a thrilling ride of extreme sports whilst sharing the camaraderie of the team as they confront personal challenges amongst the immense beauty of natural mountain environments. Shot on cinematic cameras, its message is simple: we must protect and restore our life support systems before they completely collapse.