The Man Who Crossed the Sahara
A breathtaking journey into the mysterious life, death and afterlife of Frank Cole, a brilliant, enigmatic filmmaker obsessed with his art, the Sahara, life and, most compellingly, death. His formally inventive films explored his fascination with mortality, which was also his fuel for life. Director Korbett Matthews fluidly wraps Cole's haunting film footage around interviews with his family and friends to construct a fitting meta-narrative for a man whose art and life were indistinguishable. Dreaming of conquering his nemesis, the Sahara, and armed with only with his Bolex camera, Cole made the gruelling 7,300-kilometre, 11-month journey by camel across the cadaver-littered desert.
Awards and mentions
Mention, meilleur court et moyen métrage, Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma
Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québecois
Montréal
2009
Credits
Direction
Korbett Matthews
Assistant Director
Patrick Coutu
Participants
Ben Best
Charles Cole
Jean Cole
Dr. Banna Richard Taylor
Peter Wintonick
Jean-Yves Dion
Ian Kingham
Sonja Hersig
Ould El Salem
Screenplay
Korbett Matthews
Sound
Prem Sooriyakumar
Patrick Coutu
Geoffrey Jones
Cinematography
Korbett Matthews
Research
Peter Cole
Korbett Matthews
Sanjay Mohanta
Prem Sooriyakumar
Editing
Prem Sooriyakumar
Sound Design
Kyle Stanfield
Art Direction
Marie-Josée St-Pierre
Music
Richard Horowitz
Vocal
Sussan Deyhin
Translation
Marie-Josée St-Pierre
Graphic Design
Dan Popa
Online Editing
Prem Sooriyakumar
Production
Korbett Matthews
7Th Embassy Media
Technical information
Color
Black and white
Color
Image format
4:3
Sound
Stereo
Shooting format
16 mm
35 mm
MiniDV
Other languages
English
Documentation
Images
Keywords
Long Journey, Obsession, Desert, Sahara, Transcendence, Africa