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The Art of Adventure film image; person talking to someone leaning out of a dusty bus window

The Art of Adventure

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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

    

Director
Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2025

Language

English

Film Contact
Content Warning

Nudity

PG

Open to youth

90 min
Art, Music & Photography Documentary

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Anne Innis Dagg, Mary Dagg

Producer

Alison Reid

Cinematography

Dale Hildebrand

Editor

Dave Kazala

Original Music

Tom Third

Alison Reid headshot

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)

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