Trailer

In 1973, twelve men gathered in Ecuador at the start of a seemingly impossible mission – to cross the South Pacific, non-stop, on rafts.

Equipped with a 16mm film camera to document their adventures and led by the hypnotically charming Vital Aslar, an eccentric Spanish explorer, they set out to cross the world’s largest ocean on the longest-ever-recorded raft journey, in order to prove that the South Pacific may have previously been colonised by South American mariners.

For the next six months, the widely inexperienced crew attempt the 9,000 mile crossing from Ecuador to Australia, with only the sun and stars to guide them.

In the unforgiving vastness of the Pacific, as food dwindles, weather worsens, and each day brings them closer to psychological breakdown, they are forced to confront their deepest selves.

Directed by award-winning documentarian Chadden Hunter (Planet Earth I & II, Frozen Planet), who discovered the story of the journey and the last surviving raft at the Ballina Maritime Museum, The Raftsmen weaves original 16mm footage with retellings from the surviving rafters, conjuring a breathtaking tale of pursuing impossible dreams.

Winner of Best Australian Documentary, Sydney Film Festival 2025

“This isn't a retelling. It's a remembering: raw, fragmented, and deeply human.” — Honi Soit

The Raftsmen will be presented in its director's cut 90 minutes version and will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Chadden Hunter.