On Screen Manitoba

Local paddle enthusiasts take note! The kayak adventure documentary Soul of the Sea, directed by Winnipeg filmmaker Ivan Hughes, will screen on Tuesday, May 29, 7:30 p.m., at the Park Theatre, 698 Osborne Street. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

Soul of the Sea takes place in the waters surrounding the island of South Georgia, as treacherous as any on the planet. Even at the most inviting times of year, winds are apt to top hurricane force and roughly coax dark ocean swells to a riotous crescendo. Not surprisingly, no one had ever solo‐kayaked around the island.

Hayley Shephard, the subject of the film will now be travelling to Winnipeg to present the film which follows Hayley’s quest to be the first to solo-kayak around the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia to raise awareness for an endangered seabird-the albatross.

Perhaps no less surprising, wilderness guide and expedition leader Haley Shephard takes up the challenge. Shephard is a passionate and off‐kilter character with an endearing penchant for tilting at improbable odds. In this case, it’s not just circumnavigation of the remote, wind‐and‐wave‐battered island, but Shephard’s hope to help save the great albatross that is severely threatened by overfishing, longline fishing and the plastic detritus that too often ends up in albatross bellies.

Shot in HD against the dramatic backdrop of rugged peaks and stunning glaciers, trumpeting penguins and an abundance of wildlife, Soul of the Sea is a story of solitary endurance, passion and survival.

“It was probably the most profound adventure I have ever undertaken,” says Shephard who is also an expedition leader in Churchill for Frontiers North. “I was constantly reminded that despite all the planning and preparing, things don't always go as planned but you can always find success in working through the challenges.”

“The adventure didn’t only take place on camera,” says director and editor Ivan Hughes. “The making of the film was a challenge across borders, around the world.”

Soul of the Sea was made almost entirely online. The bi‐coastal American Katie Mustard, and the Canadian prairie producer, Angela Heck of Fringe Filmworks, Inc, produced it. An email introduction from Slovakian film fest producer Alan Formanek put the team in touch. Online video transfers and FedEx helped get hundreds of hours of the actual video, shot near Antarctica, into the hands of the Winnipegbased director and editor Ivan Hughes. Angela and Katie have yet to meet in person.

“We’re thrilled to have this screening for our community in our local theatre. After this journey, we just have to walk across the street to get to the show,” says Heck.

The Winnipeg screening of Soul of the Sea is presented with the support of Manitoba Eco‐Network and Frontiers North Adventures.

Tickets are $12 and available now online at http://www.soulofthesea.org and at the door on May 29.