During the darkest hours of the night, when most of the planet is asleep, photographer Paul Zizka ventures out alone into the night, in search of the purest starry skies. This quest for the absolute takes him from the heart of the Canadian Rockies, where he lives, to the wild dunes of the Namibian desert and the farthest reaches of Greenland, alone against the immensity of the ice. His adventurous life is divided between his passion for his job as an extreme photographer and his role as a young father. An intimate portrait of an outstanding photographer, In the Starlight highlights what his time spent under the stars has taught him about life, love, surpassing oneself and our place in the universe.
Camera Lucida, Mathieu Le Lay Productions & Ushuaïa TV
A film written & directed by Mathieu Le Lay
With Paul Zizka, Meghan J. Ward, Mistaya Zizka, Jesse Milner, Emma Freeman, Takeshi Tani
Cinematography : Mathieu Le Lay, Benjamin Dowie
Original soundtrack : Franck Zaragoza
Mixing : Laurent Mollard – Gainé Studio
Sponsors : Ball Watch, Mountain Hardwear, Canon France, Visit Greenland, Tasermiut South Greenland Expeditions, Aquatech, Syrp, Wilson Mountain Sports
52 minutes
Ushuaïa TV
Canal OFF (Brazil)
RSI (Switzerland)
Servus TV (Austria)
Curta TV (Brazil)
Planète+ (Germany)
Red Bull Media House (Germany)
TVP Dokument (Poland)
CCTV9 (China)
Air Canada
West jet
‣ The Adventure Film Series of Whistler 2018, Canada
‣ Gödöllő International Nature Film Festival 2018, Hungary
‣ 8th Sestriere Film Festival, Italy
‣ 16th Matsalu International Nature Film Festival, Estonia
‣ XXIII Festiwal Górski – Ladek Mountain Festival, Poland
‣ Milano Mountain Film Festival 2018, Italy
‣ 15th International Festival of Outdoor Films, Czech Republic
‣ Medzinárodný Festival Horských Filmov Poprad, Slovakia
‣ DocsMX Festival Internacional de Cine Documental de la Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
‣ 43rd Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, Canada
‣ 5th Athens Adventure Film Festival, Greece
‣ Winter Film Fest of Bourg St-Maurice, France
‣ Arctic Light Filmfestival, Sweden
‣ Mountainfilm International Filmfestival Graz, Austria
‣ 7th Mountain and Exploration Film Festival, France
‣ Festival de la Photo Animalière et de Nature de Montier-en-Der 2018, France
‣ 35th Torelló Mountain Film Festival, Spain
‣ Eho Mountain Film Festival 2018, Macedonia
‣ Bansko Mountain Film Festival 2018, Bulgaria
‣ Festival Quais du Départ 2018, France
‣ Autrans International Mountain Film Festival 2018, France
‣ 11th Bilbao Mendi Film Festival, Spain
‣ Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival [semi-finalist], China
‣ 4th Morocco Adventure Film Festival, Morocco
‣ Rabat International Animal and Environmental Film Festival, Morocco
‣ 12th Bovec Adventure Film Festival, Slovenia
‣ Naturae’19 Brescia Winter Film, Italy
‣ 13th Orobie Film Festival 2019, Italy
‣ 4th Objectif Aventure 2019, France
‣ Frozen River Film Festival 2019, United States
‣ International Festival of Winter Cinema, Canada
‣ 13th Gorniskega Filma Festival, Slovenia
‣ Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival 2019, Canada
‣ Alpin Film Festival 2019, Romania
‣ Verona Mountain Film Festival 2019, Italy
‣ Festival Week on Peak – Gorky Gorod, Russia
‣ Sustainability Film Series 2019, United States
‣ Lausanne Green Film Festival 2019, Switzerland
‣ NatureTrack Film Festival 2019, United States
‣ Irish Adventure Film Festival 2019, Ireland
‣ 7th Regards d’Altitudes Mountain Film Festival 2019, France
‣ Docs Puebla 2019, Brazil
‣ Elements International Environmental Film Festival 2019, Canada
‣ 23rd Val d’Isère Adventure and Discovery Film Festival, France
‣ Rêves d’Aventure de Strasbourg 2019, France
‣ Ecozine Film Festival 2019, Spain
‣ 15th Festivalul Internațional de film documentar Cronograf, Moldova
‣ 29 Memorial Maria Luisa Photo and Video Contest, Spain
‣ T-Film International Film Festival 2019, Czech Republic
‣ Explos Film Festival, France
‣ Za horyzont domu – Dalekosiężni Tarnowie 2019, Poland
‣ SiciliAmbiente Film Festival 2019, Italy
‣ 13th Festival Internacional de Cine de Montana XIII edición Ushuaia SHH, Argentina
‣ Swiss Mountain Film Festival 2019, Switzerland
‣ Hors les Murs – Festival Atmosphères and La Recyclerie, France
‣ International Mountaineering Film Festival Teplice 2019, Czech Republic
‣ Festival The Alps 2019, Italy
‣ NightScapades Festival 2019, France
‣ What A Trip! de Montpellier 2019, France
‣ The Adventure Travel Film Festival 2019, Scotland & Australia
‣ 31st Globe-Trotters Festival, France
‣ Internationales Bergfilm Festival Tegernsee 2019, Germany
‣ HoryZonty Adventure Film Festival 2019, Slovakia
‣ Explorimages Nature and Adventure Film Festival 2019, France
‣ Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival 2019, Nepal
‣ 11th Cluses Mountain Film Festival, France
‣ La Ciotat Globe-Trotters Festival 2019, France
‣ 4th Festival des Randonnées de Mende 2021, France
‣ Festival Salamandre 2021, Switzerland
‣ Nanshan International Mountain Film Festival 2021, China
‣ First Prize at the 8th Sestriere Film Festival 2018, Italy
‣ First Prize at the 2018 Milan Mountain Film Festival, Italy
‣ Silver Cairn at the 7th Mountain and Exploration Film Festival 2018, France
‣ Jury’s Favourite at the 3rd Morocco Adventure Film Festival 2018, Morocco
‣ Best Film in the ‘Highlands of the World’ category at the 13th Orobie Film Festival 2019, Italy
‣ Director’s Award at the 4th Objectif Aventure Festival 2019, France
‣ Nominated at the 29th Maria Luisa Memorial 2019, Spain
‣ Best Biography at the NatureTrack Film Festival 2019, United States
‣ Audience Award at the 7th Regards d’Altitudes Mountain Film Festival 2019, France
‣ Honorable Mention at the T-Film International Film Festival 2019, Czech Republic
‣ Best Photography at the 13th Festival Internacional de Cine de Montaña Ushuaia Shh… 2019, Argentina
"Set against the backdrop of his magnificent photographs and the landscapes that inspired him, this is a generous and captivating portrait of the photographer. "
CAMERA LUCIDA, MATHIEU LE LAY PRODUCTIONS & USHUAIA TV present
a film by MATHIEU LE LAY with the support of CNC, FODACIM
BALL WATCH, MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR, CANON FRANCE, VISIT GREENLAND, TASERMIUT SOUTH GREENLAND EXPEDITIONS, AQUATECH, SYRP, WILSON MOUNTAIN SPORTS
written, directed & edited by MATHIEU LE LAY produced by VALÉRIE GRENON cinematography by MATHIEU LE LAY, BENJAMIN DOWIE
photography by PAUL ZIZKA original music by FRANCK ZARAGOZA sound editing & mixing by LAURENT MOLLARD
with PAUL ZIZKA, MEGHAN J. WARD, MISTAYA ZIZKA, JESSE MILNER, EMMA FREEMAN, TAKESHI TANI narration by PAUL ZIZKA
distribution CPB FILMS