The Antarctica Challenge is a TV-hour HD documentary film that explores the past, present and future of scientific exploration on the world’s most mysterious continent with a focus on announcing the latest discoveries on the issue of climate change.

From Ernest Shackleton’s first scientific expedition 100 years ago to today’s scientists, old, new and yet unreleased data raise questions about what is happening on Antarctica and its impact on the rest of the world.

International Polar Year (2008 to March, 2009): The world has come together to initiate special study programs in the hope of answering these and other questions. This is an excellent opportunity to see how the world’s scientific community has rallied to study this issue.

The film opens with an overview of the current study being conducted by the world’s scientific communities. The majority of the study today is focused on climate change and the effects of global warming on the Antarctic environment, its wildlife and, by extension, the world.

Footage of field study and interviews with scientists stationed in Antarctica reveal some startling data never before included in a television documentary for the public at large. Here are just a few of the findings The Antarctica Challenge is showcasing:

Several species of insect life indigenous to Antarctica are facing extinction due to the increase of temperature caused by the increasing hole in the ozone layer situated over the continent.
Other species of insect life have evolved a unique means of surviving the deadly increase in ultra-violet rays from the sun. They have developed a hormone that acts as a sunscreen lubricant protecting their bodies.
Many varieties of starfish have stopped reproducing and their numbers are exponentially diminishing as they no longer procreate. Their species is expected to face extinction in the coming years due to a two-degree increase in water temperature.
Certain varieties of penguins are exhibiting a disturbing behavior pattern. Groups gather away from their feeding and nesting grounds for a period of time. They then split up and return to their respective areas, except for one. This sole penguin turns and faces the interior on the continent and begins a march that doesn’t end until he dies.

Part of the film showcases one of the first trail-blazing explorers of the polar region: Sir Ernest Shackleton. His first expedition with a group of scientists took place 100 years ago and paved the way for study for the world’s scientific communities.

In this section, we profile his unique leadership abilities that enabled him to maintain loyalty among his ranks even when their ship, the aptly-named Endurance, was crushed by pack ice leaving them stranded on the barren and hostile continent with minimal provisions for 18 months.

His early scientific findings are presented along with an incredible story about how his rules of leadership led the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl victory in 2003.

The featured interview subject in this segment is none other than Sir Ernest Shackleton’s own granddaughter, Alexandra Shackleton. Her personal and anecdotal reminiscences of her grandfather provide a unique perspective on one of Antarctica’s most heroic scientific pioneers.

Her voice is also used to narrate the archival footage and a male voice (yet to be cast) is used when Sir Ernest will be speaking from his log.

Our production is also profiling the several penguin rookeries throughout the Antarctic Peninsula during hatching season.

The numbers of Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap penguins in this region has reduced drastically in the past few years when the temperatures first began to average above zero. Between 50 and 65 per cent reductions in general populations have been recorded while Emporer penguins have left the area altogether for the colder climate further south.

We also explore the most measurable effect of global warming in Antarctica: the melting of the ice. We showcase Pine Island Glacier, an enormous section of fresh water ice that is contributing 46 gigatons of water to the world sea level every year.

The film also presents the scientific projections of what is expected to happen to Antarctica and its wildlife based on the current temperatures and forecasted climate reports.

The scientists profiled explain the reasons for these projections and extrapolate how they will impact on the rest of the world.

The film concludes with an uplifting report from the scientists stationed at Vernadsky Station on Galindez Island in Antarctica on the ozone hole.

Both scientists from the Ukraine stationed here in Antarctica and scientists in Cambring, England have been able to confirm that the ozone hole has stopped growing – for the first time since its discovery in 1984.

The documentary film has two versions: one 45:03 in length for Canadian television and an extended “director’s cut” version running 52:00 minutes for foreign television broadcasts and theatrical runs.