Early Doors - Thursday x ShAFF 25: The Great White Whale U

The Great White Whale 105 minutes

Deep in the wild Southern Ocean, halfway between Australia and South Africa, a snowy volcano, nine thousand feet high, rears up from the sea like a great white whale.

Five times that great white whale of a mountain, tried to kill the first team that sort to reach its summit. Yet in 1963, back they sailed, through the worst seas in the world, to try again, this time with legendary explorer, Bill Tilman as their skipper.

This is the extraordinary tale those first attempts to climb Big Ben, the smoking glacier ringed volcano on Heard Island, Australia’s loneliest, most remote outpost, told by those who were there. At times, expeditioner John Crick sings the story too, as befits such an epic saga.

The beautifully shot original footage of the expedition, the brilliant music score, the quirky humour of the expeditioners, the utter boldness of the quest, adds spice to one of the least known yet most audacious Australian adventure tales of the 20th century.

Early Doors: Sit back and enjoy coffee, cake and the big screen at Showroom Cinema for just £8 with a special all-in-one ticket for over 55s.

Note that this session will screen in accessible formats for d/Deaf and blind/partially sighted audiences. Films will have Audio Description (with film audio) available through headsets and open captions on screen.