Impact

Dec 28, 2014

1h 15m

★ 8.3

Overview

On Christmas Eve in 1986, an Icelandic cargo ship sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. Of the eleven men on board, five lived. This is the remarkable story of the heroic rescue mission that brought them home.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Elf Films

Impact Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Júlíus Víðir Guðnason

Þorsteinn Gunnar Bjarnason

Stefán Björgvinsson

Sigurður Ölvir Bragason

Ingólfur Arnar Björnsson

Sigurður L. Þorgeirsson

Hólmsteinn Brekkan

Anton Sigþórsson

Sigurður Guðmann Diðriksson

Gunnar Friðriksson

Arne Froge

Halldór Gunnarsson

Hafsteinn Böðvarsson

Magnús Guðfinnsson

Jón Snæbjörnsson

Bjartur Guðmundsson

Halldór Gunnarsson

Emil Freyr Freysson

Júlíus Víðir Guðnason

"1985: Heroes among Ruins" is a reflection of disaster. It is about the human solidarity, the search and rescue and the importance of civil protection, but above all, the triumph of the people over devastation during the earthquake of September 19, 1985 in Mexico City and the one ocurred in September 19, 2017.

7.5

Touching the Void

Sep 5, 2003

The true story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates' disastrous and nearly-fatal mountain climb of 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

6.8

Deep Blue

May 18, 2003

Deep Blue is a major documentary feature film shot by the BBC Natural History Unit. An epic cinematic rollercoaster ride for all ages, Deep Blue uses amazing footage to tell us the story of our oceans and the life they support.

7.3

Simone Moro, I-View

Jan 1, 2015

Thanks to his perseverance, the Italian Simone Moro has written pages in the history of mountaineering, especially winter mountaineering on peaks over 8,000 meters high. I-VIEW tells of his adventure as a helicopter pilot and his dream of bringing helicopter rescue to the Himalayas.

5.8

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea

Sep 14, 2003

12,000 feet down, life is erupting. Alvin, a deep-sea mechanized probe, makes a voyage some 12,000 feet underwater to explore the Azores, a constantly-erupting volcanic rift between Europe and North America.

0.0

Pike River

Nov 21, 2016

On the 19th of November 2010, the Pike River mine exploded with 31 men trapped inside. In the immediate confusion that followed no one knew what had happened. Within hours two men would manage a heroic escape but 29 remained unaccounted for. Over five days the men’s families and loved ones waited, hoping they would come out alive. Then two further explosions sealed the men’s fate. However, the fuse that would eventually snuff out so many lives was lit decades before. Set in the drama of the five days between the three explosions, Pike River reveals the tragic back story of the mine where pressure for profits would eventually contribute to the deaths of 29 men. Featuring interviews with the Pike River families and scripted drama to depict key events.

No Image Available

8.0

The Man Who Drank the Universe

Jan 1, 2005

It is late 2004, and 34-year-old Englishman Alistair Appleton is about to fly from London to the Brazilian coast, where he will drink ayahuasca for the first time. With wit, insight, and sensitivity, Alistair shares this experience with us, and chats with some fellow participants before and after the ayahuasca ceremonies. For the past few years, Alistair had been working as a television presenter. In 2000, he started making trips to the Centre for World Peace and Health in Scotland to learn how to meditate. When clinical psychologist Silvia Polivoy opened an ayahuasca healing center in Bahia in 2004, Alistair faced his fears and seized the opportunity to attend.

0.0

Comet: A Great British Air Disaster

Feb 24, 2013

The De Havilland Comet was the world's first passenger jet airliner. But less than two years into service, two aircraft blew up in mid-air, killing all aboard. PM Winston Churchill ordered an assemblage of experts to discover what went wrong - in the process, inventing many of the air crash investigation techniques still used today.

8.5

The Battle of Normandy: 85 Days in Hell

Jun 6, 2019

On the morning of June 6, 1944, thousands of ships reached the French coast of Normandy as part of an Allied operation to take back France from the Germans. For the next 85 days, U.S., British, and Canadian soldiers engaged in conflicts of unimaginable violence, conquering and liberating the region's cities, but at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. From the D-Day invasion to the final Nazi surrender in Argentan, this is the definitive story of the three-month Battle of Normandy as it's never been seen before.

9.0

Pythéas, l'astronome voyageur

Nov 13, 2013

No overview available.

0.0

But They Did: The Re-entry Of The Pike River Mine

Nov 19, 2025

Anna Osborn and Sonia Rockhouse were forever changed when the Pike River Mine Disaster stole their loved ones, but instead of sitting down, they stood up! But They Did tells Anna and Sonia's story, following them through the period of time before and during the re-entry of the mine.

6.2

Women & the Wind

Dec 18, 2025

Shot over the course of 30 days at sea, filmmaker Alizé Jireh documents the group’s voyage across the North Atlantic—from moments of stillness and calm to the chaos of storms and setbacks. With an observational approach and an eye for the emotional and physical rhythms of life at sea, Jireh captures not just the external landscape, but the internal shifts that come with navigating the vast unknown.

7.1

Nanking

Feb 10, 2007

The story of the rape of Nanking, one of the most tragic events in history. In 1937, the invading Japanese army murdered over 200,000 and raped tens of thousands of Chinese. In the midst of this horror, a small group of Western expatriates banded together to save 250,000. Nanking shows the tremendous impact individuals can make on the course of history.

6.0

The Hindenburg

Sep 24, 1996

The history of lighter than air transportation culminating in the Hindenburg explosion which gets thoroughly covered and analyzed.

7.2

Czech Dream

Jun 3, 2004

Two students from the Czech Film Academy commission a leading advertising agency to organize a huge campaign for the opening of a new supermarket named Czech Dream. The supermarket however does not exist and is not meant to. The advertising campaign includes radio and television ads, posters, flyers with photos of fake Czech Dream products, a promotional song, an internet site, and ads in newspapers and magazines. Will people believe in it and show up for the grand opening?

0.0

58 Hours: The Baby Jessica Story

Jul 31, 2021

No overview available.

6.0

Dams: The Lethal Water Bombs

Jun 25, 2011

Documentary short about the disastrous dangers of aging, ailing dams.

6.6

Titanic: The Complete Story

Jul 24, 1994

The "unsinkable" Titanic was a dream come true: four city blocks long and a passenger list worth 250 million dollars. But on her maiden voyage in April 1912, that dream became a nightmare when the giant ship struck an iceberg and sunk in the cold North Atlantic. More than 1,500 lives were lost in one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century. Now, using newsreels, stills, diaries, and exclusive interviews with survivors, Titanic: The Complete Story recounts the sensational history of the premier liner. In Part I: Death of a Dream, the largest ship ever built is christened in Ireland before a cheering crowd of 100,000. Witness the disaster this trek becomes as numerous iceberg warnings go unheeded and the ship sinks in the icy North Atlantic. In Part II: The Legend Lives On, over-packed lifeboats edge away from the crippled liner as a futile SOS signals flare into the night--leaving 1,500 passengers to a watery grave.

0.0

In Spite of Ourselves

May 18, 2021

An explosion in one of the largest chemical plants in Europe, the Petrochemical complex in Tarragona, triggers the labour struggle of a group of workers who demand what is fair for everyone.