Private Project

Arctic Daughter A Lifetime of Wilderness

Arctic Daughter: A Lifetime of Wilderness is a 90-minute documentary filmed and produced by author Jean Aspen and her husband, Tom Irons and edited by Brian George Smith. Recorded at their log cabin in the remote Brooks Range of Alaska, this retrospective piece carries the viewer from Aspen’s childhood in an arctic log cabin, through her precarious youthful wanderings, and across six wild decades. Using historic footage, vivid photographs, high-definition video, and original music, Jeanie shares her amazing life beyond civilization and conveys her love affair with wilderness and family. The couple’s work speaks to the authentic human journey and to our belonging in the greater community of life.

This is the second in a planned trilogy of documentaries by Aspen and Irons. Their first, Arctic Son: Fulfilling the Dream, depicting their young family establishing a foothold alone in the arctic, aired on PBS stations across the nation. Currently, the two elders are recording Rewilding Kernwood, as they release and deconstruct all that they have built, restoring the land to nature. Their message is universal, as is their intended audience.

  • jean aspen
    Director
    arctic son fulfilling the dream, desert glass: a love story
  • tom irons
    Director
    arctic son fulfilling the dream, desert glass: a love story
  • jean aspen
    Writer
    arctic son fulfilling the dream, desert glass: a love story
  • tom irons
    Writer
    arctic son fulfilling the dream, desert glass: a love story
  • tom irons
    Producer
    arctic son fulfilling the dream, desert glass: a love story
  • jean aspen
    Key Cast
    arctic son fulfilling the dream, desert glass: a love story
  • Brian George Smith
    Editor
    Puffin Bay, The Care and Feeding of Jack, The Roosevelt Tree,
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    wilderness
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 26 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 25, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    75,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • anchorage international film festival
    anchorage, alaska
    United States
    north american premiere
Director Biography - jean aspen, tom irons

Director’s Bio of Jean Aspen

I began life in the Arctic wilds. My parents were authors who filmed documentaries in Alaska’s remote Brooks Range during the mid-1900s. I was twenty-two when I was drawn back with a friend to spend four years afoot wandering these mountains. My book, Arctic Daughter: A wilderness Journey, became a Reader’s Digest selection. Later, my husband, Tom Irons and I returned with our young son to craft another wilderness cabin, which we call Kernwood. Our years here are reflected in my second book, Arctic Son: Fulfilling the Dream, and the two-hour documentary which we wrote, recorded and produced. Together they speak of honest relationship and survival—a family alone amidst the splendor of vast solitude. Arctic Son has aired on PBS stations across the country.

Publication in 2017 of my memoir, Trusting the River, coincides with completion of our second documentary. Recorded at Kernwood, Arctic Daughter: A Lifetime of Wilderness weaves seventy years of family films, slides, and video into a tapestry of our continuing wilderness journey. This complex ninety-minute piece focuses on my youthful adventures and insights gained from choosing authentic experience. This year we close the circle by dismantling Kernwood as we create the third documentary in our trilogy. Rewilding Kernwood is the story of release and restoration as we remove all traces of what we have built—allowing tomorrow’s children to create beautiful dreams of their own. More at www.jeanaspen.com.

Thomas W. Irons (Tom)

Born: 1946

Enlisted US Navy 1965.

1973: After three cruises to Vietnam I received an Honorable Discharge and was immediately employed by TRW— a large aerospace corporation in southern California.

1979: Moved to the Sonoran Desert to pursue a life of simplicity and personal freedom.

1983: Married Jean Aspen

1979-2005: As self-employed artists Jeanie and I created art in glass, enjoyed our desert home that we built by hand, and explored the Alaskan arctic. We built a log cabin, braved two arctic winters and roamed the mountains and river valleys with no clock, no commitments, and few worries.

2012: Produced, Arctic Son Fulfilling the Dream, our first independently created documentary of our wilderness life. Although not licensed by CPB it was broadcast in 26 states on PBS stations— some multiple times. Arctic Son Fulfilling the Dream represents 20 years of perseverance and is universally acclaimed as an authentic portrayal of one families’ life in remote wilderness— funny, poignant, and painfully true.

2016: Wrote, directed, produced, and co-recorded Desert Glass: A Love Story— A 26 minute video on my life and our glass art.

2017: I have lived 71 adventuresome years while becoming adept at glass craftsmanship, competent at wood working, and capable of canoeing. I’m handy with an axe and a shovel and somewhat experienced in arctic wilderness. Presently I am producing our next documentary Arctic Daughter: A Lifetime of Wilderness which is the second video in a planned trilogy.

For further information: www.jeanaspen.com

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