AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
Q&A with director Dan Stone
Buy TicketsIf you think pirate stories are a thing of the past, meet the members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, seafarers who raise customized Jolly Rogers over their ships while conducting contemporary battles on the Antarctic Ocean. The treasures they protect are the lives of whales on the verge of extinction. Their enemies are Japanese vessels that continue to hunt whales despite an international ban. These poachers exploit a loophole that allows killing for scientific research, but the meat usually ends up in restaurant kitchens. The Sea Shepherd’s goal is to stop the slaughter, even if it requires aggressive actions.
At the Edge of the World follows one season in this high-stakes war. At the helm of Sea Shepherd is controversial Canadian activist Paul Watson, who left Greenpeace to pursue his own methods. He sets out with a crew of forty-six international volunteers who are relatively inexperienced at sea. The ships, named Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat, carry a helicopter that enables stunning overhead photography. Its combat tools include a steel “can opener” designed to rip open the hull of enemy ships while they lie in part, rope to tangle propellers and stink bombs that make whale meat inedible.
How far would you go to save an animal’s life? That is the question at the heart of Watson’s expedition. Much of the team’s time is spent searching and waiting, but when Sea Shepherd finally encounters a whaling vessel, the young activists must face challenges that are both physical and mental.
For his first feature, director Dan Stone has assembled a stellar crew. Their cameras keep hot on the tail of the action, and the suspense of watching two real boats collide is more gripping than any computer-generated version.
Whatever you think of Sea Shepherd’s outlaw tactics, At the Edge of the World will force you to grapple with the difficult question of how to protect endangered species when the law proves inadequate.
Running time: 99 min
Release date: 2008
Screened: FALL 2008 September 23, 2008 8:00 pm
Tell a friend about this film
Join the STF Mailing List »
Upcoming Screenings
Mar 16: DAVID HOLZMAN’S DIARY
by Jim McBrideThis landmark work blending fiction and reality made a deep impression on the 1970s generation of filmmakers. STF is pleased to show this rare big screen appearance, accompanied by a Q&A with the ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Apr 6: AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE
by Steven SoderberghAND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE provides an intimate portrait of master monologist Spalding Gray, as described by his most critical, irreverent and insightful biographer: Spalding Gray. Director Steven ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Apr 13: HORSES
by Liz MerminAn unusual, beautifully detailed documentary following a year in the lives of three charismatic Irish racehorses. Ireland’s horse-racing culture has produced some of the finest athletes in the ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Apr 14: FAMILY AFFAIR
by Chico ColvardWednesday Night Special Description from Sundance catalogue: At 10 years old, Chico Colvard shot his older sister in the leg. This seemingly random act detonated a chain reaction that exposed ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Apr 20: THE KIDS GROW UP
by Doug BlockIn his previous documentary, the internationally acclaimed 51 BIRCH STREET, Doug Block looked at his parents’ seemingly ordinary marriage and uncovered a universal story about an archetypal, ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Apr 27: CLEANFLIX
by Andrew James and Joshua LigairiDescription from Toronto International Film Festival catalogue: Mormons can be movie lovers too. The problem is that their religious leaders strongly discourage R-rated content. As one Mormon ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
May 4: PIN GODS
by Larry LockeInspired by the record breaking accomplishments of Walter Ray Williams, Jr., the reigning professional bowler of the year, three newcomers set out to chase their own dreams of pro bowling greatness. ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
May 11: LIFE 2.0
by Jason Spingarn-KoffDescription from Sundance catalogue: Every day, across all corners of the globe, hundreds of thousands of users log onto Second Life, a virtual online world not entirely unlike our own. They enter ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
May 18: MY PERESTROIKA
by Robin HessmanDescription from Sundance catalogue: The Bolshevik revolution, the cold war, and the collapse of the Soviet Union defined the history of the twentieth century. With such a past, what does it mean ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
May 25: MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA
by Dziga VertovSoviet director Dziga Vertov’s experimental film grew out of his belief, shared by his editor, Elizaveta Svilova (who was also his wife), and his cinematographer, Mikhail Kaufman (also his brother), ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Jun 1: HAYNESVILLE
by Gregory KallenbergHAYNESVILLE: A Nation’s Hunt for Energy takes place in the Louisiana backwoods, and follows the momentous discovery of the largest natural gas field in the United States (and maybe the world). The ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
Jun 8: CLOSING NIGHT FILM: TBA
by ...
Get More info or Buy Tickets »
