Austin-based filmmaker Randall Dark, founder of HD Vision in Dallas and New York, has been directing and shooting a documentary called Seadrift vs. the Big Guy, about the Texas Water Safari, dubbed "The World's Toughest Canoe Race." The Water Safari, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in June, comprises several events, but the central one is a four-day, 260-mile race from the headwaters of the San Marcos River to Seadrift on the Gulf Coast. (Here's a map of the course.)
Although the film features several participants, its central figure is Jeff McAdams, who is credited along with Dark as co-executive producer. "I smoke a bit," McAdams, 42, says in the teaser trailer below, "I drink, and it's been said that I'm a little overweight." Like a lot of people who are told that they can't do something, McAdams sets out to prove that he can complete the race.
Dark says the documentary was shot with 10 different cameras, from a 4K to an iPhone. The project was funded via Kickstarter (funding is complete, but click the link anyway, because it contains more info about the race and the film -- and it's pretty amusing, as well).
Dark released a preview trailer for the film this week. First of all, the photography looks terrific, especially the underwater shots. And the 2-minute, 17-second trailer gives you a good idea of how tough the race can be (just check out some of the critters in the water -- and that hallucination-inducing stretch). The film is due for release later this year.
