The Great Alone

The Great Alone

I haven’t the slightest idea what would make someone participate in a 1,049 mile race through some of the coldest and roughest parts of the country, but I can’t wait to find out. Ever since seeing The Great Alone‘s grabbing poster, I’ve been curious of the story of the man behind those eyes. The documentary, directed by Greg Kohn, follows Lance Mackey‘s pursuit of his dad’s records in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

As we countdown to the opening of the festival, Urban Milwaukee will be running previews of the festival’s Spotlight presentations. The Spotlight films are designed to be widely accessible and crowd pleasing. If you’re only able to make one film throughout the festival (my condolences) a Spotlight showing is likely your best bet.

Milwaukee Film Says…

The Iditarod is a treacherous 1,200-mile sled dog race on Alaska’s icescapes—few complete the punishing endurance test, let alone win. Into this great alone steps Lance Mackey, a man with racing in his blood (his mother was mushing with him still in the womb, his father the 1978 champion), who is determined to equal his parents’ accomplishments with his ragtag crew of beloved rescue dogs. After a bout with throat cancer threatens to permanently sideline Lance’s aspirations, he begins his inspiring comeback—archival footage deftly blends with astonishing race footage to capture the ultimate underdog story in this inspiring documentary.

Trailer

Official Description

The Great Alone is a feature length documentary shot in the arctic wilderness of Alaska that captures the inspiring comeback story of champion sled dog racer, Lance Mackey. From his sunniest days as a boy by his famous father’s side to cancer’s attempt to unseat him, The Great Alone pulls viewers along every mile of Lance’s emotional journey to become one of the greatest sled dog racers of all time

Fun Fact

There might not be another race in the world where moose are cited as a danger, but that’s the case with the Iditarod. The large animals are known to charge sleds and have caused injuries to dogs. A special section of course near Willow is even known as “Moose Alley.”

Showtimes

• Saturday, September 26th – 7:00 p.m. – Oriental Theatre
• Sunday, September 27th – 1:00 p.m. – Oriental Theatre
• Runtime: 80 minutes

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