This summer, three filmmakers with strong ties to Húsavík journeyed to the North Pole to retrace a little-known 1985 expedition led by legendary explorers Neil Armstrong and Sir Edmund Hillary. Orly Orlyson, founder of The Exploration Museum in Húsavík, was joined by musician and filmmaker Rafnar Orri Gunnarsson and cinematographer Elvar Örn Egilsson. Together, they are producing a documentary to bring the story of that original polar adventure to life.
The inspiration for the film began a decade ago, when Orly was introduced to explorer Mike Dunn, who had accompanied Armstrong and Hillary in 1985. Dunn had long kept the story quiet at Armstrong’s request, but eventually entrusted the tale to Húsavík’s Exploration Museum. Earlier this year, long-lost reels of film from the original journey were rediscovered, providing hours of unseen footage.
In July, Orly, Rafnar and Elvar boarded the French icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot alongside descendants of Armstrong and Hillary. They interviewed family members on the voyage, weaving their memories into the rediscovered 1985 material. The journey offered unforgettable moments, from sightings of polar bears to stark reminders of climate change as thinner ice opened the route north faster than expected.
For the Húsavík trio, the experience was both a modern adventure and a chance to connect with history. “On the original expedition, Armstrong, Hillary, Steve Fossett and Patrick Morrow found themselves stranded in a storm, passing the time by telling stories of earlier explorers,” Orly recalled. “Now we are linking their words, their footage, and our own journey into one narrative.”
The upcoming documentary, directed by Orly and Rafnar with Elvar behind the camera, is set for release next year. It promises to blend archival treasures with modern perspectives, ensuring that a forgotten chapter of polar exploration and Húsavík’s role in preserving it reaches audiences worldwide.
