PacSci Presents New Documentary Film on the Arctic

The documentary film The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness will launch at Pacific Science Center on November 25 — Native American Heritage Day. Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neet’saii Gwich’in) and National Geographic photographer Florian Schulz co-narrate the film, now released in IMAX® and Giant Screen theaters. The film was produced by Terra Mater Factual Studios with executive producer Tom Campion and written and directed by veteran IMAX® producer Myles Connolly and award-winning National Geographic photographer and cinematographer Florian Schulz.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a special place. It has been my life’s work to document this last great wilderness with the hope it will be preserved for future generations. There is no better venue to bring the wonders of the Arctic to life than on the giant screen. Florian Schulz

“The urgency to protect the Arctic Refuge, to defend the sacred, has never been greater,” said Princess Daazhraii Johnson. “Lending my voice to this film is lending my spirit to this work which I care so deeply about. The film is filled with wonder and spirit and I feel humbled to do my small part in opening the public’s eyes to the beauty of these lands. When I watch the image of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, I also feel the spirit of my Ancestors. It’s a deeply emotional sight to behold and I’m grateful that a larger audience might realize why this place is worth protecting.”

The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness takes viewers to a place that is vast, wild, and magical — where one of Earth’s greatest natural spectacles unfolds. Princess Daazhraii Johnson reveals the land that has sustained her people for untold generations. Experience a world that has evolved intact and untamed since the beginning of time. Journey with Florian Schulz on his five-year quest to film the elusive 200,000 strong Porcupine Caribou herd as it migrates to the Arctic Coastal Plain, one of the longest animal migrations on earth. Filled with intimate moments featuring polar bears and musk oxen, wolves, grizzlies, golden eagles and more, The Arctic: Our Last Great Wilderness is the first cinematic exploration of a world few have truly seen until now. Experience this special place worth protecting.

The 19.6 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — the largest wildlife refuge in the United States — are full of life and history. The land is home to hundreds of species of plants, birds, mammals, and fish. It supports Indigenous cultures and has global ecological importance. This public land is at risk and a national coalition called the Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign has been working with the Indigenous peoples of the region to fight for protection. The film’s impact campaign has been collaborating with this coalition, guided by the Gwich’in Steering Committee to support their efforts. The film’s impact campaign played a key role in stopping seismic testing in the winter of 2021 in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, through a TikTok-driven campaign, which generated an unprecedented 6 million comments for a Fish and Wildlife comment period.

Learn more about the film and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

About Princess Daazhraii Johnson

Co-Narrator Princess Daazhraii Johnson is Neets’aii Gwich’in and her family is from Arctic Village, Alaska. Johnson is the former Executive Director for the Gwich’in Steering Committee and is a founding member of the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition. Johnson has been a member of the SAG-AFTRA Native American Committee since 2007, serves on the boards of NDN Collective and Native Movement. In 2015 Johnson was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Institute of American Indian Arts. She is based in Alaska and is currently creative producer and writer on PBS Kids “Molly of Denali” a Peabody award-winning animated series produced by WGBH.

About Florian Schulz

Co-Narrator Florian Schulz has dedicated his life to documenting the natural faces of our planet. Aiming his cameras at Earth’s last wilderness areas has led him to the farthest reaches of the globe. Using his talent for visual storytelling he hopes to inspire action to preserve Earth’s wild virtue. He is constantly striving to meet the next challenge, to embark upon the next adventure. Ultimately seeking to transport his viewers into nature, acting as an ambassador for the natural world.

Specializing in wildlife and conservation photojournalism, the quality of Florian’s work is reflected in the widespread recognition he has received. His photographs have been published in magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, and GEO, and he has won numerous awards for his photography, including ‘Environmental Photographer of the Year’. But these prizes have never been his motivation. His tireless efforts to document and protect wilderness areas are fueled by an honest commitment to our environment and a love for the natural world.

Florian is a devout advocate for wildlife corridors, coining the phrase “freedom to roam” and founding the Freedom to Roam project. He aims to expand the new conservation movement for wildlife corridors, just like the creation of Yellowstone as the first national park – he envisions the establishment of national corridors as an idea to spread around the world.

About Cosmic Picture

Cosmic Picture was founded to produce and distribute the most compelling cinematic experiences possible to change people’s perception of the universe in ways never imagined. Cosmic Picture represents one of the industry’s largest libraries of top quality Giant Screen and Fulldome films including the National Geographic library of documentaries. Past films include award-winning IMAX® and Giant Screen Productions and transformative environmental documentaries with tremendous social impact including “Superpower Dogs,” “Back from the Brink: Saved from Extinction,” and “Extreme Weather.” Learn more about Cosmic Picture.

About Terra Mater Factual Studios

Terra Mater Factual Studios (TMFS) were founded January 2011 and based in Vienna, Austria. The full-blown production unit is a subsidiary company of Red Bull and specializes in premium factual programming for TV, multimedia platforms and theatrical release TMFS’ diverse portfolio contains more than 250 hours, honored with approximately 300 international film awards, including several Panda Awards at Wildscreen Festival and Grand Teton Awards at the Jackson Wild Media Awards Wildlife Film Festival. The feature doc “The Ivory Game” about the illegal ivory trade was recognized on the Academy Award® Best Documentary Feature Shortlist in 2017, “Sea of Shadows” won the prestigious Audience Award at Sundance Festival 2019 and is positioned to be one of the most successful impact films to date, catalyzing action on a broad international political scale. TMFS continues to strengthen the integral part of its vision by producing films that show a unique and very fragile part of Mother Earth and help bring about change. With its own YouTube channel, the company inspires with high-quality education videos to take responsibility for our planet – because #terramatters.

About the Campion Advocacy Fund

The Campion Advocacy Fund is a philanthropic and advocacy organization committed to protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other irreplaceable wild places across the western United States. Founded by Tom and Sonya Campion, the Fund is proud to support the creation of this film and the Protect The Arctic campaign. Visit ProtectTheArctic.org for more information.

About Pacific Science Center (PacSci)

Pacific Science Center is an independent, not-for-profit institution in Seattle and has been a gateway to access science education and innovation for nearly 60 years. The institution’s mission is to ignite curiosity in every child and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking in all of us. Pacific Science Center innovated during the pandemic to expand its digital programming and increase its reach across Washington, employing technology to bring experiential science education directly to homes and classrooms. In 2021—2022, its interactive online programs reached nearly half a million people and Virtual Field Trips reached more than 28,000 students across the state. PacSci imagines a future in which it serves every grade in every preK-8 Title I school in the state with programming in schools, virtual and digital programming, and in-person field trips–all at no cost to schools, educators, or families.