A father-son duo, two horses, one windy island nation, and net-zero carbon emissions.

 

Watching an adventure film outside seems fitting. Premiering a net-zero adventure film outdoors at an adventure festival just makes sense. So when the entire ExplorerFest crowd gathered beneath towering gums to see Dometic showcase the first public screening of A Silent Rebellion, it felt like everything was falling into place.

 

What’s A Silent Rebellion about?

A Silent Rebellion isn’t like any adventure film you’ve ever seen. There’s no adrenaline, no ego, there’s pretty much no talking, particularly by the two protagonists. Instead, there’s calm, beauty, sheer nature, and a message more profound than any new height reached.

 

 

The film follows Dr Geoff and Kitale Wilson as they hoof and hike across Iceland, decked out in hardy Dometic gear, endure stinging winds, float in icy waters, battle snowstorms blindly, and breathe in Mother Nature’s glory and strength.

‘Every step across Iceland felt like we were walking through a warning,’ says Kitale Wilson.

However, the pair also behold her fragility, as they sit atop Vatnajökull Glacier at the pinnacle of their trek, and peer down at one of the world’s largest, but fastest receding glaciers, pondering how something so mighty can fall victim to the destruction of humankind.

‘Glaciers disappearing, unpredictable storms…it was clear the planet is changing faster than we think. A Silent Rebellion isn’t just a story of adventure, it’s a wake-up call’, Kit says.

‘It’s about recognising what’s happening to our world and choosing to act, no matter who you are or where you live. We all have a part to play in protecting what’s left.’

 

What’s a net-zero adventure?

A Silent Rebellion is part of a series of films and adventures called Project Zero Earth, a multi-year expedition by Geoff and Kit to the furthest reaches of the Earth as a means of raising awareness of the climate crisis.

The catch? All the adventures need to produce net-zero emissions. This means sailing instead of flying, riding horses instead of driving, and offsetting any other emissions that may come up along the journey. An onerous but valiant effort, made extra special by the deep bond shared by this father and son.

 

‘A Silent Rebellion is our protest in motion, a refusal to accept the decline of the natural world’, says Dr Geoff Wilson. ‘Iceland was brutal and beautiful, and it gave us a glimpse of what the world stands to lose.’

A Silent Rebellion Premiere at ExplorerFest

From the Dometic rooftop deck, cold one in hand, I watched bean bags and seats fill up with Explorers, stoked to be some of the first in the world to spectate this poetic and evocative story.

 

 

Beginning with a video message from Geoff and Kit themselves whilst sailing towards their next expedition in Svalbard, the pair were stoked for the premiere to be at ExplorerFest – there’s no slowing those two down!

Then, the film. The videography alone was moving, but paired with an original classical soundtrack and poetic narration, I couldn’t help but quietly sit and pay witness. There were no stats recalled, no route expertly explained or adrenaline-fuelled montage. Just two blokes, known well enough to each other to communicate in nods, peacefully plodding along with horses through Iceland’s most stunning and stark landscapes.

 

 

An ethereal voiceover narrates stream-of-consciousness thoughts and reflections on what it means to find your place in the world, protect Earth, and journey through it, while Dometic gear is slung over horses’ saddles and tugged through snow and ice.

‘During the whole expedition, Dometic Gear has once again held up in the very harshest of conditions’, said Geoff Wilson.

The premiere was followed by a Q&A with four of the filmmakers and support crew who helped bring Geoff and Kit’s adventure to life, in Iceland and on the big screen, including:

  • Dom Gould, Co-Director, Project Zero
  • Fin Walton, Sustainability Coordinator, Project Zero
  • Vincent Tran, Cinematographer, Project Zero
  • Jordan Pearson, Expedition Support Team, Project Zero

 

 

They shared how the adventure maintained net-zero carbon emissions (plenty of tree planting to offset the minimal use of cars), their artistic choices around voiceovers and music, and how special it was to play a part in such a meaningful expedition.

If you have the chance to see this film, you simply must. The beauty of the production is only bested by the beauty of Mother Nature herself. And it will inspire you to silently rebel in whichever way you can.

 

Photography by the Project Zero Team

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