Special Film Screening: The Raftsmen

Twelve adventure-mad misfits set out to cross the world’s largest ocean... on three log rafts. Fifty years on, revisit this perilous and historic journey, beset by storms, sharks, and frayed nerves.

In 1973, 12 men gathered in Ecuador at the start of a seemingly impossible mission. At the helm was Captain Vital Aslar, a prophet-like leader with a Salvador Dali-inspired dream to cross the South Pacific – roughly 14,500 kilometres, non-stop. The largely inexperienced crew began by building their own vessels from trees they’d felled. Then they headed out into the blue: navigating by the sun and stars, they encounter myriad creatures, tempests and doldrums as they make their way from Ecuador towards Australia. Award-winning documentarian Chadden Hunter blends original 16mm footage with stories from the surviving rafters, vividly conjuring a dreamlike adventure in which each voyager is pushed to their limits.

Join us at the Maritime Museum for a special screening of The Raftsmen, followed by a Q&A with the fdirector Chadden Hunter.

Chadden Hunter is an award-winning documentary film director who has spent much of his career working alongside Sir David Attenborough on the world’s most seminal and loved nature documentaries. Working for the BBC, National Geographic and PBS, Chadden has filmed everything from tribal ceremonies in Africa to snow leopards in Pakistan. His television series’, Planet Earth 1 and 2, Wild Arabia, Frozen Planet, Life and Seven Worlds One Planet have won over 20 Emmy and Bafta awards.

$10 for Museum Members / $15 Non Members

Not a Member ? Sign up here

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Australian National Maritime Museum - Events