The Raftsmen

FEATURE DOC

Director / Producer
Chadden Hunter

Writer / Editor
Chris Bamford

Producer

William Ward

Executive Producers
Bettina Dalton p.g.a.  
Anna Godas  
Oli Harbottle

Dir. of Photography
Dale Cochrane

Composer
Finn Clarke

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The Raftsmen

FEATURE DOC

Twelve adventure-mad misfits set out to cross the world’s largest ocean... on three log rafts. Fifty years on, revisit this perilous and historic journey, beset by storms, sharks, and frayed nerves.
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In 1973, 12 men gathered in Ecuador at the start of a seemingly impossible mission. At the helm was Captain Vital Aslar, a prophet-like leader with a Salvador Dali-inspired dream to cross the South Pacific – roughly 14,500 kilometres, non-stop. The largely inexperienced crew began by building their own vessels from trees they’d felled. Then they headed out into the blue: navigating by the sun and stars, they encounter myriad creatures, tempests and doldrums as they make their way from Ecuador towards Australia. Award-winning documentarian Chadden Hunter blends original 16mm footage with stories from the surviving rafters, vividly conjuring a dreamlike adventure in which each voyager is pushed to their limits.