Yes Theory‘s longest feature-length documentary has arrived on YouTube. The adventurous group led by Thomas Brag, Ammar Kandil, and Matt Dahlia is behind Project Iceman, an acclaimed film set in Antarctica.
Project Iceman centers on extreme athlete Anders Hofman and his quest to complete a long-distance triathlon in Antarctica. Kandil, who directed the doc, met Hofman in 2019, four years after the launch of Yes Theory. A deal with Burning Boat Films helped bring Project Iceman to life, but the project still presented plenty of challenges for its crew. Kandil and co. endured frigid temperatures, 93-mile-per-hour winds, and encounters with predators like leopard seals.
Despite those hurdles, Kandil got the footage he needed to document Hofman’s journey. The triathlete finished his subzero feat in 72 hours and 54 minutes, burning more than 30,000 calories along the way.
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Yes Theory has shared two other feature-length documentaries. Those two videos have collectively pulled in more than 27 million views.
Compared to those projects, Project Iceman is a much bigger undertaking. Its runtime is one hour, 52 minutes, making it more than twice as long as Yes Theory’s previous doc features. Project Iceman also made an impression on the film festival circuit, claiming prizes at events in Los Angeles and Rome.
Project Iceman drew attention from traditional Hollywood firms, but Kandil’s distaste for “dry, insincere” negotiations led Yes Theory to turn down a $1.25 million offer. Instead, Kandil relied on the support of Yes Theory’s 8.6 million subscribers. 4,212 people from 72 different countries backed Project Iceman to fund the film’s post-production process. Premiere events in 12 cities on four different continents drew more than 6,500 attendees.
“As hard as it was to leave the money, it was also a pretty easy decision because we knew what we were working with,” Kandil said in an interview with YouTube. “We also knew that luckily we were in a position to have a beautiful community behind us.”
Despite the positive response Project Iceman has received so far, Yes Theory still has big ambitions for its latest project. The fearless group has never played it safe, and it’s now looking to bring its signature attitude to the Academy Awards. Project Iceman is eligible for the 2024 Oscars, and Yes Theory has submitted the film in the feature documentary category.
