Chasing Ice

"Art meets science."

2012 1h 14m EN

👍

7.5

SOLID

🔥

96%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.7

IMDB

★7.5TMDB · 174🍅96%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★7.7IMDB · 8,916

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When National Geographic photographer James Balog asked, “How can one take a picture of climate change?” his attention was immediately drawn to ice. Soon he was asked to do a cover story on glaciers that became the most popular and well-read piece in the magazine during the last five years. But for Balog, that story marked the beginning of a much larger and longer-term project that would reach epic proportions.

“Art meets science.”

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Cast

James Balog
Self - Photographer
Svavar Jonatansson
Self - Photo Assistant
Adam LeWinter
Self - EIS Engineer
Louie Psihoyos
Self - Photographer & Oscar Winning Filmmaker
Kitty Boone
Self - The Aspen Institute
Sylvia Earle
Self - National Geographic Explorer
Dennis Dimick
Self - National Geographic Editor
Jason Box
Self - Climatologist, Ohio State University

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jeff Orlowski
Writers: Mark Monroe
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jeff Orlowski, shot by Jeff Orlowski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by J. Ralph. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Davis Coombe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Balog and Svavar Jonatansson and Adam LeWinter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Art meets science.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jeff Orlowski directs. Jeff Orlowski behind the camera. J. Ralph scores. Davis Coombe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 74-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 14 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Jeff Orlowski, shot by Jeff Orlowski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by J. Ralph. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Davis Coombe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7James Balog and Svavar Jonatansson and Adam LeWinter carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Art meets science.".
9IMDB entry: tt1579361 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "climate change", "global warming", "glacier", "environment".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jeff Orlowski
Original score: J. Ralph
Editing: Davis Coombe
Runtime: 74 min · 1h 14m
Status: Released
Box office: $1,328,467
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Chasing Ice (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 7.7/10 · 8,916 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 9 wins & 5 nominations total

Also by

Jeff Orlowski

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-04-07
★ 10/10
I first saw this at my city's International Film Festival, then later thankfully I was able to watch it with my son, who was 9 at the time, when at a friend's place for one of the big 3 holidays, it was on Netflix. Brilliantly conceived and carried out, over a long stretch of time, by the filmmakers, it led to a fine father-son discussion about the environment, its importance, what is wrong with it and what can be done to improve things on Earth. Its importance is inestimable, and I highly recommend it to everyone. It is something everybody needs to see, think about and actively discuss, regardless of one's personal priorities or political sphere of influence.

Production companies