INTERVIEW WITH “ARCTIC TALE” DIRECTOR ADAM RAVETCH

By Karen Dezelle and Lauren Barth

To fill your lungs with the icy mist that rises over the small islands of the Arctic Circle and immerse yourself in the spectacular scenery presented in Paramount’s film Arctic Tale, premiering in Houston on August 17, you would have to jet to Ottawa, transfer planes, turbo-sled through sheets of thick snow, board dog sleds, and navigate boats across the frigid sea.

Adam Ravetch, scholar of marine biology and the film’s co-director, said in a recent interview that it was his “passion for animals” that drove him to the northernmost stretches of the globe and such feats of endurance. “I was playing with the idea of making drama out of the animals instead of documentary. It was about being close to the animals.” But, in the end, the docudrama delivers a powerful environmentalist message through its stunning footage and narrative structure.

Ravetch says that he and his wife and co-director, Sarah Robertson, did not set out to create an environmental piece. “Our only intention was to document the lives of the Arctic creatures in a way that would allow human audiences to empathize.”

Adam, Sarah, and their three children, born during the course of the 15-year-project, endured dark winters, minimal commodities, and temperatures so cold that icicles formed on their eyelashes. They relied on the Inuit to teach them the skills that would make their work possible and keep them alive, such as how to track a polar bear, how to build an igloo, and what to do if someone falls through the ice.

It wasn’t until the couple was five years into their project that they decided to address the issue of climate change. “The ice was disappearing beneath our feet,” explains Ravetch. “The Inuit were saying ‘We’ve never seen this before.’” For the first time, scientists observed walruses and polar bears coming into contact because of the shrinking ice. Polar bear cubs were parting with their parents sooner because of lack of food, new patterns of migration ensued as arctic animals were evicted from their traditional glacial homes, and the balances of power in the “ancient ice kingdom” were disrupted as the animals met new challenges.

The Inuit were struggling as well. They told Ravetch that the caribou and seals they relied on for food were getting skinnier, that the seals’ coats were getting patchier, and hunting more difficult because of the thinning ice. Insects they had never seen before were appearing, and the fish were covered in scratches because the dropping water level in rivers was forcing them to contend with rocks on their voyage upstream. An Inuit elder asked Ravetch, “What will happen when the ice disappears?”

“They might not be able to hunt anymore,” Ravetch said. “They still have such a connection to the land, and such knowledge of the land. It would be terrible to lose.”

Upon reflecting on his original desire to document “the dramas playing out in the lives [of these animals],” Ravetch explains, “I think the environmental shift came naturally. I never said ‘I’m going to be environmental now.’ It’s just wanting to tell the real story. Global climate is a big part of that. How do we ignore that?”

Ravetch says he subscribes to, “The old explorer axiom that you prowl the widest reaches of the planet, and you bring back what you learn to share with the world,” adding, “I think people need to know about this, they need to be aware of it, but also they can enjoy these remarkable images and witness nature up in the arctic that they’ve never seen before.”

There will be a free preview of Arctic Tales on Wednesday, August 8 at the Marquee Theater on Weslayan. For passes, call CEC at (713) 524-4232 or email ella@cechouston.org.

CEC’s Lauren Barth and Karen Dezelle and interviewed Ravetch when he was in Houston promoting the film on July 20.