The Raftsmen

Local title
Parvetajad
Director
Chadden Hunter
Country
Year
2025
Festival
Kumu Dokumentaal 2026
Programme
Subject

Twelve adventure-mad misfits set out to cross the world’s largest ocean... on three log rafts.

In 1973, 12 men gathered in Ecuador at the start of a seemingly impossible mission. At the helm was Captain Vital Aslar, a prophet-like leader with a Salvador Dali-inspired dream to cross the South Pacific: roughly 14,000 kilometres, non-stop. The largely inexperienced crew began by building their own vessels from trees they’d felled. Then they headed out into the blue: navigating by the sun and stars, they encountered myriad creatures, tempests and doldrums as they made their way from Ecuador towards Australia.
The award-winning documentarian Chadden Hunter blended original 16mm footage with stories from the surviving rafters, vividly conjuring a dreamlike adventure in which the voyagers were pushed to their limits.

The film will be introduced by adventurer Mart Kuusk.

Director
Chadden Hunter
Producer
Chadden Hunter, William Ward
Editing
Chris Bamford
Music
Finn Clarke
Production
Wildbear Entertainment
Runtime
Language
Other festivals
Warsaw

Screenings

Kumu auditoorium KUMU
ScreeningParvetajad
Trailer