DOCUMENTARY   TV VERSION   B&W   DIGI BETA/SUPER 16   DOLBY SR

(Nautilus)
"Nautilus" tells the story of Sir Hubert Wilkins' attempt to reach the North Pole in an obsolete submarine in 1931. He allied himself with the Norwegian oceanographer Sverdrup who became scientific director of the expedition. Sabotage kept them from reaching their goal, but most likely saved the lives of the men on board. The expedition was a pioneer project which failed and which was subsequently forgotten. Wilkins' journey paved the way for later submarine expeditions to the polar regions. He was ahead of his time and had poor equipment; it would take close to another 30 years before a submarine succeded in reaching the North Pole. The Nautilus still lies where it was sunk in 1931, 340 meters down in a fiord outside Bergen. In 1959 the nuclear sub USS Skate broke through the ice at the North Pole. Wilkins' ashes were brought along and spread across the Pole.

This film reveals a large amount of previously unpublished material from the expedition. This unique photo material makes it possible to tell the story of one of the last discoverers, a dreamer who risked the lives of his crew and was soon forgotten.

SIMON NASHT is highly experienced factual producer and director who has created hundreds of hours for the international television market in 15 years as an independent filmmaker. Returning to direction with this film, he is backed up by ten countries, and television channels such as ABC, NRK, Channel 4 and National Geographic. TROND ELIASSEN is a freelance journalist and film maker. He began the research which led to this film back in 1996. He has over ten years' experience as a TV and radio journalist in Northern Norway. KJELL ERIKSEN has worked as a documentary film producer for 16 years. He founded AS Videomaker in 1985. Eriksen is a highly respected producer in Norway. He is now directing his attention beyond the borders of Norway.