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The Big Five Dive

This short adventure documentary follows a group of women as they attempt to SCUBA dive one historic site in all five Great Lakes within the span of 24 hours. Directed by Elizabeth Kaiser, and filmed by a mostly female crew, these women show that there is a place for everyone under the water.

  • Elizabeth Kaiser
    Director
  • Kyle Maddux-Lawrence
    Producer
  • Tami Lynn Ross
    Producer
  • Stephanie Gandulla
    Producer
  • Stephanie Gandulla
    Key Cast
  • Meaghan Gass
    Key Cast
  • Jacque Edwards
    Key Cast
  • Sarah Waters
    Key Cast
  • Hannah MacDonald
    Key Cast
  • Tami Lynn Ross
    Cinematography
  • Elizabeth Kaiser
    Editor
  • Josiah Graf
    Sound
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Adventure, women, gender, sport
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 22, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Thunder Bay International Film Festival
    Alpena, Michigan
    United States
    January 27, 2018
    Michigan Premiere
  • Freep Film Festival
    Detroit, Michigan
    United States
    April 13, 2018
    Detroit Premier
  • Sunrise 45 Film Festival
    Alpena, MI
    United States
    August 18, 2018
    Nominee: Best Short Documentary
  • Hell's Half Mile Film Festival
    Bay City, Michigan
    United States
    September 29, 2018
  • Detroit Shetown Female Film Festival
    Detroit, Michigan
    United States
    September 15, 2018
    Best Michigan Film, Nominee
  • Soo Film Festival
    Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
    United States
    September 15, 2018
  • SCAD Savannah Film Festival
    Savannah, Georgia
    United States
    November 2, 2018
    Georgia Premier
    Official Selection
  • East Lansing Film Festival
    East Lansing, Michigan
    United States
    November 2, 2018
    Official Selection
  • Way Down Film Festival
    Columbus, Georgia
    United States
    October 20, 2018
    Georgia Premier
    Nominee: Best Cinematography
  • Fresh Coast Film Festival
    Marquette, Michigan
    United States
    October 20, 2018
  • Women's Adventure Film Tour
    Crows Nest, NSW
    Australia
    September 16, 2018
    Official Tour Selection
  • Great Lakes International Shorts Festival
    Erie, Pennsylvania
    United States
    October 6, 2018
    Pennsylvania Premier
  • Rome International Film Festival
    Rome, Georgia
    United States
    November 2, 2018
  • The Women's Film Festival
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    United States
    March 12, 2019
    Pennsylvania Premier
  • Clean Shorts Film Festival
    Choctaw, Oklahoma
    United States
    April 6, 2019
    Oklahoma Premier
    Nominee, "Best Documentary"
  • Capital City Film Festival
    Lansing, Michigan
    United States
    April 20, 2019
  • BZN International Film Festival
    Bozeman, Montana
    United States
    June 7, 2019
    Montana Premier
Director Biography - Elizabeth Kaiser

Lover of funfetti cupcakes and forever a northern Michigander at heart, Elizabeth's life work has been taking many tiny pieces and weaving them into a concise whole. Elizabeth is an award-winning video editor, motion graphics designer, producer and director currently based in Savannah, Georgia. Her true passion lies primarily in adventure documentary filmmaking. "The Big Five Dive" is Elizabeth's directing debut.

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Director Statement

With stark parallels between women in filmmaking, and women in the diving world, I could not pass on an opportunity to tell the story of a group of women taking on such an amazing feat of endurance. This story is more than a testament to the women who dove all five Great Lakes in 24 hours. It's for all the women everywhere doing badass things just because they can.