Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh until Mon 31 Dec 2012

Jeff Orlowski / USA / 2012 / 76 min

One suspects that many of the customers paying to see Chasing Ice are already concerned about the controversial issue of global warming, even so the screening is regularly punctuated by audible gasps of shock. It is a sobering film, but should be required viewing for any remaining skeptics.

National Geographic photographer James Balog was himself undecided about the phenomenon of global warming, claiming that he simply could not accept that human activity could have such a dramatic impact on the planet. But after spending some time researching glaciers, he was moved to form the Extreme Ice Survey in order to present the world with incontrovertible evidence of climate change through a time-lapse photographic project on an epic scale.

Jeff Orlowski’s award-winning documentary gives a behind-the-scenes view of the Extreme Ice Survey, as well as an engaging insight into James Balog and his personal motivations. But the star is of course Balog’s photography and the footage captured by his team. These visuals are haunting for their beauty as well as their environmental implications. Chasing Ice is not just recommended viewing, it is essential.