Steering North

Norwegian-born Superintendent Henry Larsen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was the first man to navigate the Northwest Passage in both directions. In this film he relates anecdotes of his voyages in the tiny schooner, the St. Roch.

Suitable for schools but of interest to all audiences, this film recounts the epic story of Canada's Arctic explorer, Superintendent Henry Larsen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He was the first man in history to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east, and the first to complete the hazardous voyage both ways. Seen in the film is the little Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol ship the St. Roch, in which he made the crossings.

This 30-minute short takes you on adventures of discovery in the company of outstanding scientists and humanists, each of whom discuss and explain their particular field of research. Directed by David Bairstow in 1959.

This feature-length documentary offers a glimpse at the unknown world that lies beneath the Arctic ice. Arctic IV follows Dr. Joseph MacInnis, a specialist in underwater medicine, as he probes and explores the polar depths. Filmed at Resolute Bay, Dr. MacInnis and his team must chip through over 2 metres of ice and dive into the frigid, watery depths at the North Pole - all in the name of science.

An ecological study of plant and animal life on the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the Canadian Arctic. The film includes profiles of animals such as musk-oxen, lemmings, arctic hares and various forms of plant life.

This short documentary recounts a 2000-km expedition undertaken by 7 rangers (both Inuit and non-Native) and a female filmmaker to raise a flag on the northernmost tip of Canadian soil, 412 km from the North Pole. With a mesmerizing soundtrack by Nunavut-born singer Tanya Tagaq and spectacular footage of the Arctic landscape, This Land captures the epic adventure with raw immediacy.

Film report from a Canadian scientific expedition that put a plastic bubble on the floor of the Arctic Ocean to serve as workshop and rest station for scientists working below the Arctic ice. What it took, in both planning and on-the-spot improvisation, to chop through the heavy ice, and to lower and anchor the huge dome in place in the dark and cold of Resolute Bay, is fully illustrated by film and commentary.

For almost a century and a half, Her Majesty's Ship Breadalbane lay wrecked and forgotten under the Arctic ice. In the spring of 1983, noted undersea explorer Dr. Joseph MacInnis led a team of twenty men on one of the most difficult, dangerous and unforgettable undersea adventures of the century--to put a diver on board the sunken vessel and recover some artifacts. This film, introduced by H.R.H. Prince Charles, provides a stunning visual account of this historic expedition.

This short documentary studies the geological evolution that has gone on for millions of years in the High Arctic. Following the evidence of glaciers that have advanced and receded, the film also traces life forms that have changed with the climate.

This documentary follows four scientists and their Native guides into the unmapped wilderness of the Ungava Peninsula, in northern Quebec. Crossing this territory in large canoes, they collect samples of Arctic flora and rocks, take readings of soil temperature and record the correct bearings for rivers and lakes en route. The keen excitement of opening a new chapter in Canadian exploration is evident throughout the film.

A vignette with Dr. Joe MacInnis and his diving team assembling a "Bubble" in the Arctic Ocean.