Top 5 movies set in the Arctic

by Cassady Craighill

December 11, 2012

Makushin Bay after an oil spill resulting from the shipwreck of the Malaysian freighter MV Selendang Ayu.

© Mateo Williford / Greenpeace

With a stunning landscape and incredible wildlife including polar bears, seals and Arctic foxes, it’s no wonder that Arctic movie sets trump anything filmed in sunny Hollywood. We took a break from working on our Arctic campaign to compile a list of our favorite movies set in the endangered region.The Arctic is currently at risk from oil companies like Shell looking to profit from sea ice melt by drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

5) Smilla’s Sense of Snow

Based on a bestselling book, this 1997 thriller about a missing boy in Greenland is a favorite of our communications director although he claims the book was much better.

4) Insomnia

A rare opportunity to judge Robin Williams’ acting chops in a serious role, Insomnia is set in a Northern Alaskan fishing town where the sun doesn’t set. Al Pacino stars as a Los Angeles detective solving a boy’s murder.

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3) White Fang

Jack London could be considered the official literary voice of the Arctic. The film adaptation of his incredible story about a hybrid wolfdog is full of snowy good versus evil battles.

2) Into the Wild

Not many can watch this movie based upon the biographical account of a recent college graduate hitchhiking into Alaska without feeling the desire to adopt the romanticized life of a young nomad. Most of this award-winning film takes place in Alaska.

1) Chasing Ice

We had to finish the list with a film that is not only visually stunning, but also speaks to our hearts here at Greenpeace. Renowned photographer James Balog used time-lapse cameras to capture the astonishing rate at which Arctic ice is melting.

However, it’s not too late to slow this process! Join us in our campaign to save the Arctic!

Cassady Craighill

By Cassady Craighill

Cassady is a media officer for Greenpeace USA based on the East Coast. She covers climate change and energy, particularly how both issues relate to the Trump administration.

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