Join us as we continue the 10th Season of the Overland Expo Film Festival at Overland Expo East in Arrington, Virginia, October 4-6. The film festival brings a curated selection of films documenting vehicle-based travel adventures to the Toyo Tires Oasis Bar and Food Court on Friday evening.
Van by a River – The Abby Holcombe Story
Ten years ago, Peter and Kathy Holcombe bought a Winnebago RV and set out for a lifetime of adventure on the road with their nine-year-old daughter, Abby. They raised and educated Abby as they pursued their travel photography business and inspired her to embrace a love of the outdoors and kayaking – a passion that would lead her to chase a Freestyle Kayak World Championship and embark on her own journey as a Winnebago + Adventure Wagon ambassador. Growing up in an RV isn’t what most people would think is normal. But to Abby Holcombe, living your life in one place and only traveling once or twice a year for vacation doesn’t seem normal at all. Raised on the road since she was nine years old, Abby’s life experience is built around adventures rather than routines and possessions. The more she travels, the more she realizes that “home isn’t a place—it’s a feeling you get when you discover something new with the people you love.”
Film Maker Bios: Mark Nevils and Joe Sir
Mark Nevils – Raised in the heart of the Midwest and educated at the University of Missouri’s renowned School of Journalism followed by Drake University’s Executive Master’s Business program, Mark’s career has been defined by chasing the nexus of creative and strategy. He has spent decades in the advertising and corporate world progressing brand marketing, creative direction and interactive content production for classic American companies like Maytag/Whirlpool, Polaris, Indian Motorcycle, and Winnebago while also founding a successful LA-based film production company at a time when production companies adept in commercial business applications combined with connective storytelling and emotive adventure cinematography were difficult to find.
Joe Sir – Currently the VP/Creative Director for a full-scale marketing and creative agency called Chessfight, Joe has a long history of immersive filmmaking and cinematography in the outdoors industry including hunting, camping, fishing, and anything else that takes you beyond your comfort zone.
FEATURE FILM: Latitude 70
Latitude 70 is a documentary that takes us on the fascinating journey of the couple Roy and Michelle, who traveled the world for over three years and four months, traveling 141 thousand kilometers in a total of 51 countries. In this, which was the couple’s second trip around the world by car, the main objective was to reach, by driving, three Latitudes 70°N – one in Alaska, one in Norway, and one in Siberia. In their constant search for great challenges, the couple faces remote regions that few dare to visit, arriving where, literally, the roads end.
The film draws parallels to the three attempts on Latitude 70, involving the viewer in a story of perseverance, ranging from encounters with bears in Alaska to the monotony of good roads in breathtaking landscapes in Norway. Siberia’s Latitude 70, the most challenging of the three, is a stunning portrait of extremes: as there are no roads that reach this far north, the only way to reach their goal is to drive over frozen rivers. Determined, they face the Siberian winter in the coldest inhabited location in the world. Roy and Michelle endure extreme conditions, with temperatures reaching –55⁰ C, forcing them to ensure their survival and keep the car running for 40 consecutive days.
The documentary allows us to closely follow their struggles, achievements, and moments of connection with the people they meet along the way. Latitude 70 is a moving and inspiring story of courage, determination, and passion for exploration. The film takes us beyond known limits and shows us how, to achieve a simple ideal, we subject ourselves to experiences and learning never before imagined.
Get ready to embark on this journey of challenges and discoveries, which will awaken in you the desire to go in search of your own Latitude 70.
Film Maker Bios: Michelle Francine Weiss and Roy Rudnick
Roy is a businessman; Michelle is an architect. At a certain moment in their lives, when work inside four walls no longer provided them so much satisfaction, they took courage and dropped out of normal life. They decided to search in the world for their true passions and left for their first round-the-world expedition by truck (2007-2009). Contaminated with a real sense of freedom, they rapidly hit the road again in the second round-the-world expedition named “World by Land—70º Latitude”, which objective was to reach by car three points on the globe above the 70th north parallel (2014-2017).
The wealth of information provided by the more then six years away from home led them to the decision to share their experiences in the most diverse ways. And so, they became photographers, writers, speakers and directors—disseminating the cultural diversity of our planet.
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Join Us at Overland Expo East
The Overland Expo Film Festival is included in your ticket to Overland Expo East, October 4-6, at the Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington, Virginia.
