Home of the Blizzard (1998)

The AAP Mawson’s Hut Expedition sailed to the Antarctic in the summer of 1998 to restore and conserve the original scientific huts constructed by explorer Douglas Mawson in 1911. The team is made up of archaeologists, architects, scientists and carpenters. They must complete the task in the short eight weeks of summer in the Antarctic. The film captures the efforts of the team against extreme odds of freezing temperatures and high winds. The documentary records the restoration and includes interviews with team members.

With excellent camera work, this documentary is enormously engaging in its portrayal of the adverse conditions. For a camera crew, it is difficult enough to make a good film in favourable conditions but with freezing temperatures and high winds it is almost impossible. It is a credit to the team involved that they achieved not only a useful scientific record of the expedition but an artistically sound one as well. The director, sound recordist, co-writer Mike Piper is one of Australia’s most prolific documentary makers. His credits include Opal Fever, Seeking Asylum, Year of the Locust, Red Crab Crazy Ants.