I am at the Explorer’s Club
Documentary Film Festival today watching some of the best adventure documentaries in the world. There are richly
produced Nat Geo-type films being shown, but also several smaller, indie films by solo producer/directors. All the
films have a conservationist theme and all are supposed to be great films as they were culled from several scores of
submissions.
The Explorer Club is up on 70th Street on the upper east side and the place looks is like a lodge somewhere on the
African savannah. The venue is perfect for watching adventure films. There is a stuffed polar bear standing
seven feet tall at the entrance to the auditorium. There are towering tusks of long-gone elephants near the
window. There are photos of and letters by some of the club’s esteemed members like Teddy Roosevelt and Lowell Thomas.
A sled from the world’s first North Pole expedition leans gainst the wall. If there is a better venue for a film
festival about adventure, right now I’m not sure where that would be. Maybe on the savannah itself.