Surprises and adventure on the high seas
Battleship Antarctica combines gripping human drama with spectacular scenery to tell the story of a unique encounter in the ice-caked waters at the bottom of the world; the Antarctic.
The Japanese whaling fleet sets off into the Southern Ocean in pursuit of its prey of nearly 1000 Minke whales. En route to frustrate the hunt is the Greenpeace vessel “Esperanza”, with its diverse crew of 37 environmental activists. In a rare coup, renowned film-maker Morgan Matthews gained access to the Esperanza (the Battleship Antarctica of the film’s title) for the duration of the trip. This film is the spectacular, poignant and at times extremely funny account of Morgan’s nearly two months filming during the Greenpeace voyage to confront the Japanese whaling fleet in early 2007. This is not just a story of a remarkable journey, but also a revealing portrait of the eclectic crew on board, exploring the motivation to spend months at sea and the consequences of that decision on life and love. After weeks of searching, Greenpeace encounter their old adversary – but in the most extraordinary of circumstances, providing an unexpected twist to the expedition.
