South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic

An extraordinary story of Shackleton's survival in the wastes of Antarctica, now considered the world's first documentary feature.

Shackleton's death over 100 years ago in 1922 is seen to have marked the end of the ‘heroic age’ of Antarctic exploration. A record of one of the greatest survival stories in the history of exploration, South is the original film – exquisitely photographed by Frank Hurley – of Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance expedition to Antarctica, during which the ship was crushed by ice, stranding the crew.

Now considered the world’s first documentary feature, South was restored in pre-digital days by the BFI National Archive with its original tinting. The film was digitally remastered for its centenary release in 2019, with a newly commissioned score by Neil Brand.