WATCH: Laois man's Siberian adventure set for the silver screen
A Laois man's adventure is Siberian features in a new film set to have its World Premiere at the prestigious Galway Film Fleadh.
One Mile Down: Siberian Scramble follows the dreams of two Irishmen – motorbike adventure enthusiast Declan McEvoy, from Clare, and "one-eyed thrill seeker" Gary O’Keeffe from Abbeyleix. It's produced by another Laois man and film maker Darragh Kettle from Wolfhill.
They put together an international team who, in February 2020, drove for seven days across the ice of Lake Baikal in the middle of a minus 40-degree Siberian winter. They set two Guinness World Records: The Longest Motorcycle Journey on Ice and The Longest 4×4 Journey on Ice.
The film is described as not only about an extreme motorbike expedition, but how a common passion for life and adventure can bring together a team of people from all corners of the world.
Lake Baikal in Siberia is the deepest lake in the world. With a depth of over 1 mile and a length of 800km, it contains 20% of the world's fresh water. During the winter months the surface of the lake freezes over, leaving 800km of treacherously thin ice. The One Mile Team say that one crack or wrong move and you could suffer a very cold descent to the depths of this frozen abyss.
They also visited some of the most isolated and remote villages in Siberia, while meeting amazing people along the way. For instance, they lived with the local Buryat communities and experience the harsh and untamed severity of a Siberian winter. Ultimately, after several setback sand despite some growing discontent, the team relied on their strong friendship and will power to navigate across the treacherous ice and make it to the top of the massive Lake Baikal.
"This film is the story of two determined Irish men realising their mutual dream, born out of curiosity and fuelled by a passion for discovering the people and places in this vast world.
"One Mile Down: Siberian Scramble is not only about an extreme motor bike expedition but how a common passion for life and adventure can bring together a team of from all corners of the planet and how this disparate group pulled off a crazy but ultimately beautiful feat of derring-do in the most severe terrain on the planet," said a press release.
William Fitzgerald, Artistic Director, Galway Film Fleadh, described it as "a rip-roaring action-adventure doc”.
Executive produced by world renowned cinematographer (Long Way Round & Long Way Up, with Charley Boorman
and Ewan McGregor) and director(Race To Dakar and Chasing the Jet Stream) Claudio von Planta.
The producer is Darragh Kettle and it was directed by Alexander Hick. The cast in full is Gary O’Keeffe, Declan McEvoy, Kevin Emans, Mark Kemp, Karolis Mieliauskas, Fritz Kreis, Mariano Caroni.
The World Premiere of the Feature Length Adventure Documentary takes place at 34th at the Palas Cinema Galway on Thursday, July 9 at 4 pm. Get your tickets HERE.