Page 8 - 2022 WHFF Offical Program

The 31st Annual Woods Hole Film Festival

2022 Filmmaker in Residence

The Woods Hole Film Festival is proud to present the 2022 Filmmaker in Residence Tasha Van Zandt and
Special Guest Will Steger with the film AFTER ANTARCTICA
Tasha Van Zandt Will Steger

Tasha Van Zandt is an award-winning A formidable voice calling for under-
director, cinematographer, and Emmy- standing and the preservation of the
nominated producer who has document- Arctic, Will Steger is best known for his
ed stories across all seven continents. legendary polar explorations. Through-
Her debut documentary feature-length out over fifty years of exploration, he is
film After Antarctica follows the life of the the leading eyewitness to the dramatic
legendary polar explorer Will Steger and transformation of the world’s most hostile
his lifelong journey as an eyewitness to landscapes. In 1995, Steger joined the
the greatest changes to the polar regions ranks of Amelia Earhart, Robert Peary,
of our planet. Her documentary film One and Jacques-Yves Cousteau in receiving
Thousand Stories follows the renowned the National Geographic Society’s John
artist JR in the creation of one of his most Oliver La Gorce Medal. Shortly thereafter,
ambitious mural projects to date, which joined together over one thou- Steger became the National Geographic
sand people from all walks of life into a single work of art. With the artist Society’s first Explorer-in-Residence, and in 2007 he received the presti-
JR, she also collaborated on the documentary short film Tehachapi, gious National Geographic Adventure Lifetime Achievement Award.
which highlights the artist’s participatory mural project within the walls Today, Steger continues to venture on groundbreaking expeditions,
of a level four supermax federal prison. For her work on JR and TIME and lives in Ely, Minnesota where he runs the Steger Center. Steger also
Magazine’s Emmy-nominated Guns In America project, Tasha traveled founded Climate Generation, a nonprofit that empowers individuals to
across the country documenting varied perspectives on gun control engage in climate change solutions. He is the author of four books: Over
in the United States. Her work as a cinematographer includes Paper & the Top of the World, Crossing Antarctica, North to the Pole, and Saving
Glue (Tribeca 2021), Jagged (Toronto 2021), and Crusaders (VICE 2021) the Earth.
and her work has been featured by TIME Magazine, The Guardian, The
New York Times, National Geographic Expeditions, PBS, and VICE, and AFTER ANTARCTICA
has been exhibited in museums around the world. Tasha Van Zandt is A feature documentary by Tasha Van Zandt (USA, 2021, 105 min. )
a 2019 Film Independent Documentary Lab Fellow, a 2019 Sundance Sunday, July 31 at 7 pm at Redfield Auditorium
Institute Music and Sound Design Lab Fellow, a 2019 SFFILM Sloan In a dramatic attempt to bring awareness
Stories Of Science Fellow, a 2020 Film Independent Fast Track Fellow, to the changing continent, an international
a 2020 Library Of Congress Lavine Ken Burns Prize For Film finalist, a expedition led by renowned explorer Will
2020 SFFILM FilmHouse Resident, a 2021 Mountainfilm Commitment Steger embarked on the first-ever coast-
Grant Recipient and a 2021 Sundance Institute Sandbox Fund Grantee.
to-coast expedition across Antarctica in
1989. Six explorers and their sled dogs
braved howling storms, sub-zero tempera-
tures, snow crevasses, and other perils as
they traversed the icy terrain. Now, thirty
years since his groundbreaking expedition,
Steger heads out on the ice once again—
this time to the opposite end of the planet.
Deftly weaving his contemporary journey with rare, dynamic footage
of his original treacherous seven-month odyssey, After Antarctica is an
urgent message spanning both poles. Screening at the 31st Woods Hole
Film Festival.

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