The Big Thaw

Could microscopic particles from melting permafrost entering into the atmosphere be the tipping point that will soon alter our weather forever? Four atmospheric scientists from Colorado State University travel to the Arctic Coast of Alaska in search of answers. 

THE BIG THAW follows them over the course of five weeks as they brave polar bears, the muddy tundra, rain, snow, and howling winds to take air, water and permafrost core samples to support their hypothesis.

With breathtaking imagery of the Arctic coastline and tundra, THE BIG THAW offers an intimate portrait of research scientists at work, and probes what motivates them in their quest to understand how our planet is changing.

  • Rick Minnich
    Director
    Forgetting Dad, The Strait Guys, The Bomb Hunters, Homemade Hillbilly Jam, Heaven on Earth
  • Rick Minnich
    Writer
    Forgetting Dad, The Strait Guys, The Bomb Hunters, Homemade Hillbilly Jam, Heaven on Earth
  • Rick Minnich
    Producer
    Forgetting Dad, The Strait Guys, The Bomb Hunters, Homemade Hillbilly Jam, Heaven on Earth
  • Jessie Marie Creamean
    Key Cast
    "Jessie"
  • Thomas Hill
    Key Cast
    "Tom"
  • Kevin Barry
    Key Cast
    "Kevin"
  • Marina Nieto-Caballero
    Key Cast
    "Marina"
  • Eben W. Hopson
    Key Cast
    "Eben"
  • Rick Minnich
    Director of Photography
    Forgetting Dad, The Strait Guys, The Bomb Hunters, Homemade Hillbilly Jam, Heaven on Earth
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    environmental, science, climate change
  • Runtime:
    56 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 17, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Rick Minnich

Rick Minnich is an American independent filmmaker based in Berlin, Germany. His award-winning films include: HEAVEN ON EARTH (IDFA 2001), HOMEMADE HILLBILLY JAM (Hot Docs 2005), FORGETTING DAD (IDFA - Special Jury Award 2008, short-listed for the German Oscar ‘Lola’), THE BOMB HUNTERS (2015), THE STRAIT GUYS (2022). Rick owns and operates his own production company Our Man in Berlin. Visit him at www.ourmaninberlin.com.

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Director Statement

Director’s Statement (1733 characters)

After spending over a decade traveling thousands of kilometers across permafrost in Alaska and Russia for my most recent film “The Strait Guys”, I wanted to learn more about this mysterious frozen earth whose thawing has been causing buildings to sink and roads to collapse all across the Arctic.

So when I heard about Jessie Creamean and Tom Hill’s research into the possible impact of thawing permafrost on weather patterns and their expedition to the northernmost point of the United States – Utqiagvik, Alaska – in August-September 2021, I leapt at the opportunity to join them. I spent 35 days shadowing their every move as they took air, water, and soil samples to prove their hypothesis that microscopic particles from thawing permafrost are getting into the air and impacting the weather in hitherto unknown ways.

While I was interested in the science and what Jessie, Tom and their junior colleagues Kevin and Marina were trying to discover, I became increasingly intrigued by their methodology, their quirkiness, their contradictions, and their inner relationships.

I wanted to discover: Who were they? What were they doing in this godforsaken place? What drove them? What were they looking for? How did they see the world? What did they make of Utqiagvik and the local people?

The ARCSPIN team are a colorful bunch, led by the ambitious 37-year-old Jessie, who was part of the renowned international MOSAiC expedition to the Arctic Ocean in 2019, her senior colleague Tom from Australia – a mentor and father figure to the 27-year-old graduate student Kevin – and Marina, a post-doc student from Spain and the DNA expert in the group. The result is an intimate portrait of scientists at work and play like rarely seen before.