World Premiere
Between 1957 and 1958, Robert Bateman and Bristol Foster undertook the adventure of a lifetime — driving a Land Rover dubbed “the Grizzly Torque” 30,000 kilometres across Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia. More than just an adrenaline-pumping adventure story of two young men crossing half the planet, The Art of Adventure maps out how Bateman and Foster’s trip inspired a love of nature that would last a lifetime. The film interweaves an account of their travels with a look their lives through the decades that followed: Bateman became a beloved Canadian wildlife painter and Foster a prominent biologist and the first director of BC’s Ecological Reserves program.
Through in-depth interviews with friends and family and the original 16mm film footage of their incredible journey, director Alison Reid shows how the trip expanded the pair’s knowledge of the physical world while deepening their spiritual and emotional connection to it. A heartwarming, inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.
The October 12 screening is a Relaxed Screening. Relaxed Screenings are open to anyone who could benefit from a more casual, supportive and laid-back experience. Learn More
Oct 5 & 7: Q&A
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Canada
2025
English
Nudity
Open to youth
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Anne Innis Dagg, Mary Dagg
Producer
Alison Reid
Cinematography
Dale Hildebrand
Editor
Dave Kazala
Original Music
Tom Third
Alison Reid
Alison Reid is an award-winning filmmaker with a passion for adventure. She began her career as a stunt performer and stunt coordinator, accumulating over 350 film and television stunt credits. Her zeal for storytelling led her to found Free Spirit Films, under which she directed and produced the award-winning LGBTQ2+ comedy The Baby Formula (2008) and the critically acclaimed documentary The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (2018), the latter of which screened worldwide, winning multiple Best Film awards and receiving widespread acclaim. Her episodic directing credits include Beyond Black Beauty, Hudson & Rex, and Murdoch Mysteries, among others.
Filmography: The Baby Formula (2008); The Woman Who Loves Giraffes (2018)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Montreal, ma belle
In this Valentine to discovering love later in life, the ever-elegant Joan Chen plays Feng Xia, a 53-year-old Chinese immigrant and mother in Montreal whose world is turned upside down when she meets and falls in love with a young Quebecoise.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly + Talkback with Special Guests
The third and the best of the so-called 'Dollars' trilogy amplifies Leone's baroque style: crane shots, shock cuts and Morricone music all vying for attention as three rogues hunt buried gold in a series of triangular variations. + Intro and Talkback
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Mixing documentary and reenactment, this film powerfully evokes the desperate attempts of the Red Crescent to rescue a six year old child trapped in a car under Israeli military fire. Oscar nominee: Best International Film
Turner & Constable
Filmed as a supplement to a blockbuster exhibition at Tate Britain happening right now, this doc in the popular Exhibition on Screen series allows us to view these competitive, complementary English landscape artists side by side.