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Paddle for the North

Six mates paddle 1500km across six remote northern rivers to show the world the true value of the north. Before its too late.

  • Simon Lucas
    Director
  • Simon Lucas
    Producer
  • Alex Behse
    Producer
  • Alex Reed
    Producer
  • Gabriel Rivest
    Key Cast
  • Simon Lucas
    Key Cast
  • Scott Sinton
    Key Cast
  • Michah Rauguth
    Key Cast
  • Matt Holmes
    Key Cast
  • Alexandre Deschênes-Dénommé
    Key Cast
  • James Brown
    Editors
  • Simon Lucas
    Editors
  • Scott Sinton
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Conservation, Adventure, Canoe, Nature
  • Runtime:
    54 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 12, 2015
  • Country of Origin:
    New Zealand
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English, French
  • Shooting Format:
    1080HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Banff Mountain Film Festival
    Banff, Alberta
    November 7, 2015
    World Premiere
  • Reel Paddling Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    Best Canoe Film
  • Wild & Scenic Film Festival
    Nevada City
    United States
    United States
  • Lookout Wild Film Festival

    United States
  • New York Film and Television Awards

    United States
    Bronze Award
  • Fernie Mountain Film Festival
    Fernie
    Canada
    Best of Festival
Director Biography - Simon Lucas

Zoologist, Gold Miner, Explorer, Director

The debut Documentary from NZ director, Simon Lucas, inspired by a lifetime of working and living in the outdoors.

Simon grew up in northern New Zealand, spending his summers exploring the Hauraki Gulf and nearby landscapes. This early love of the outdoors, led him to studying Zoology and Wildlife Management before setting off on a four year expedition to discover the world for himself.

During his travels, Simon sailed over 10,000 miles of open-ocean, stopping into the incredible Cocos and Galapagos islands, He cared for two Pumas on the fringes of the Bolivian Amazon and searched for gold in the vast Klondike Goldfields of Northern Canada. It was, here in the Yukon, where he found the unique combination of great outdoors, epic wildlife, and western and native cultures.

While in Canada, Gabriel Rivest (a longtime friend) approached Simon with an incredible opportunity, to explore the far reaches of North America with his closest friends. Together they formed Paddle for the North, and began a four year adventure of planning, filming and producing the documentary.

It has been memories and connections he made with the wilderness, local First Nations and adventure community that formed the heart of this documentary.
Paddle for the North is about getting out and enjoying the amazing areas we have left. Valuing the wild for what it is, not what it could be.

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