Siberian adventure to feature at Film Fleadh

A Irish-made documentary about six daredevil motorbike riders and one fearless driver of a 4X4 off-road vehicle will have its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh on Saturday, July 9, at 4pm in the Pálás Cinema.

One Mile Down: Siberian Scramble! follows this group as they embark on an epic journey to drive 800km on treacherous ice over Lake Baikal in Siberia. They are seeking not one but two Guinness World records as they traverse this lake, the deepest in the world.

More than 1,642 metres deep and 800km long, it contains twenty per cent of the world’s fresh water. In winter, its surface freezes over to create 800km of treacherously thin ice. One crack or wrong move could result in a chilly and deadly descent.

The instigators of this trip are Irish motorbike adventurers Declan McEvoy and Gary O’Keeffe, the latter described by the producers as a “one-eyed thrill seeker”.

The two assembled an international team who, in February 2020, drove for seven days across the ice of Lake Baikal during a minus 40-degree Siberian winter. They succeeded in setting two Guinness World Records: The Longest Motorcycle Journey on Ice and The Longest 4×4 Journey on Ice.

The trip wasn’t without setbacks and discontent, but the group had to rely on friendship and willpower to navigate the elements as they travelled from the bottom to the top of Lake Baikal.

This film is the story of two determined Irishmen realising their dream, as it shows how a shared passion for life and adventure can create lifelong bonds.

Its executive producer is world-renowned cinematographer Claudio von Planta whose work includes the cinematography on Long Way Round with Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor and who directed Race To Dakar and Chasing the Jet Stream.

Tickets for the screening of One Mile Down: Siberian Scramble! (followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew) are available on the Fleadh website: www.galwayfilmfleadh.com.