Project Link
https://f.io/_fl-n6QK

Four Days Buried

Four Days Buried is a gripping survival thriller rooted in family history, following two lifelong Alaskan Kilcher brothers and five friends as they set out to retrace the footsteps of their grandfather across the Harding Icefield, one of North America’s most unforgiving frozen landscapes.

What begins as a journey into ancestral memory becomes a harrowing fight for survival when a massive, unforecasted storm descends without warning, trapping the group miles from safety.

Surrounded by hurricane-force winds, blinding snow, and sub-zero temperatures, they are forced to do what generations of Alaskans have done before them: read the land, trust each other, and dig into the ice to stay alive.

As the days stretch on and supplies run thin, the expedition becomes more than a test of endurance. It becomes a confrontation with inheritance, myth, and the brutal reality of following family footsteps into a landscape that does not care who came before.

  • Gareth "Gaz" Leah
    Executive Producers
  • Galen Knowles
    Executive Producers
    Far From Home, World Debut
  • Gareth "Gaz" Leah
    Director
    Death of Villains, Jamrock, No dreams left behind, The Story of a Trout, Ao Ao
  • Gareth Leah
    Producer
  • Eivin Kilcher
    Key Cast
    Alaska the last frontier
  • Levi Culture
    Key Cast
    Alaska the last frontier
  • Otto Kilcher
    Key Cast
  • Josh Thomas
    Key Cast
    Deadliest Catch, Alaska the last frontier, Race to survive
  • Randy Lee
    Key Cast
    Deadliest Catch, Alaska the last frontier, Race to survive
  • Ara Howard
    Key Cast
  • Mike O'lair
    Key Cast
  • Gareth Leah
    Key Cast
  • Jim Pfeiffenberger
    Key Cast
  • Josh Thomas
    Camera
  • Randy Lee
    Camera
  • Gareth Leah
    Camera
  • Jack Hessler
    Edit
    Mouse,
  • Nick Leen
    Edit
  • Riley Hopperstad
    Edit
  • Jonathan Vasila
    Color
  • Eric Stapleton
    Sound
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 28 minutes 2 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 31, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Iphone15pr, Sony Fx6, Sony Fx3,
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:4:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Gareth "Gaz" Leah

Gareth “Gaz” Leah is an award-winning documentary director, cinematographer, photographer, and expedition leader working at the forefront of modern adventure filmmaking. His films don’t simply document extreme pursuits—they live inside them, blending physical immersion, cultural fluency, and deep human storytelling to redefine what adventure documentary can be.

With a background as a professional climber and expedition leader, Gareth specializes in stories that unfold in hard-to-reach places: big walls, icefields, jungles, and remote cultural frontiers. He is globally recognized for his ability to operate on ropes and in high-consequence terrain while simultaneously directing, shooting, and shaping character-driven narratives. This rare combination allows his teams to move smaller, deeper, and more authentically than traditional productions.

Gareth’s work sits at the intersection of adventure, identity, culture, and consequence. Films like Jamrock explore how climbing intersects with race, access, and community in Jamaica; Death of Villains interrogates ambition, vulnerability, and mental health at the highest level of sport; The Story of a Trout uses environmental storytelling to reflect on loss and stewardship; SISU: The Ben Mayforth Story examines grit, legacy, and resilience through the lens of para climbing; and No Dreams Left Behind centers on perseverance in the face of systemic barriers. Across genres, his films are unified by a commitment to honesty, intimacy, and cultural respect.

Rather than parachuting into locations, Gareth embeds himself fully—learning from local communities, collaborating with scientists, activists, and athletes, and allowing stories to emerge organically from lived experience. This approach has made his work resonate not just within the adventure world, but with broader audiences seeking meaning, nuance, and truth beyond spectacle.

His films have screened internationally at leading festivals and tours, earned major awards, and sparked conversation within and beyond the outdoor community. Whether working with global broadcasters, nonprofits, or independent teams, Gareth is known for delivering high-impact stories under extreme conditions, often wearing multiple hats as director, DP, producer, and field lead.

Today, Gareth is regarded as one of the leading global specialists in rope-access and expedition-based documentary filmmaking—someone trusted to lead ambitious adventure projects where story, safety, culture, and craft must all operate at the highest level. His work continues to push the boundaries of what adventure documentary can be: not just about where we go, but why we go, who we become, and what we leave behind.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

You don’t go into the mountains expecting to be buried alive.
If you did, you wouldn’t go.

We approached this expedition the way we always do—methodically, conservatively, with respect for the Harding Icefield and its history. We trained. We planned. We studied weather, terrain, and past crossings. We believed that good decisions, made early and often, would keep us moving.

But the mountains don’t care how prepared you are.

Four Days Buried is a mountain film about survival—about what’s left when plans fail and conditions dictate every move. It explores the human drive to keep going when the margin disappears, while acknowledging that respect for the mountains must always come first. No amount of preparation guarantees safety. Sometimes all you can do is respond, adapt, and endure.

When the weather shifted, everything changed. The plan unraveled. Time slowed. Movement became negotiation. The icefield stopped being a place we were traveling through and became something we were trying to survive inside.

In those moments, filming felt secondary—and yet impossible to abandon. The camera became a record not of achievement, but of uncertainty. Of small decisions made under pressure. Of how quickly confidence gives way to caution when the mountains say no.

What remained constant was the group. Stripped of comfort, visibility, and certainty, we had a choice: isolate and endure alone, or stay connected and move forward together. On the icefield, trust wasn’t abstract—it was physical. It was sharing weight, sharing fear, sharing responsibility.

This film isn’t about winning against the mountains. It’s about listening to them. About recognizing when progress means patience, humility, or retreat. About how weather doesn’t just shape landscapes—it shapes people.

We set out to document a historical crossing of the Harding Icefield.

Instead, we documented a moment when the mountains reminded us who was in charge.