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In Memory
Frank Cole
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Thursday October 10th, 2013 / 10 pm
Résidence Lucien Paye
Cité Universitaire de Paris
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Frank Cole (1954 – 2000) was an award-winning Canadian documentary filmmaker and avid surfer who became the first North American to cross the Sahara alone on camel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, in 1990. His documentary Life Without Death chronicled his experience and won him several prestigious awards as well as being released theatrically in Paris.
Born in Saskatchewan to a New Brunswick father from the diplomatic field, Cole grew up in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland and South Africa. A well-educated traveller, he studied languages at Carleton University and later 16mm film production at Algonquin College with the legendary documentarian Peter Wintonick. His films include A Documentary, The Mountenays, A Life and Life Without Death.
Obsessed by the death of his grandfather and fear of mortality itself, Cole earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records (French edition) for his 1990 solo crossing of the Sahara Desert from Mauritania to the Red Sea alone on camel. In 2000, Cole returned to cross the Sahara again; this time his plan was to cross and then return from the Red Sea back to the Atlantic Ocean. In October 2000, he left Timbuktu for Gao on the sand track known as Autoroute National. He arrived in Ber and departed eastwards after speaking with the Malian Gendarmerie under a date tree. Hours later, Cole met one or two bandits who murdered him. Cole fought back but could not overpower the attackers. Cole died at sunset and was tied to a small desert shrub tree for reasons unknown. His killing included the theft of most of his exposed film recordings and camera gear. The last images of his last trip were filmed in Mauritania and shipped back to his family in Ottawa where they now rest. His camels, bought and tattooed in Mauritania, have never been found.
His remains were cryogenically preserved at the Michigan Cryonics Institute in suburban Detroit's Clinton Township. Theories surrounding his life and unsolved death still circulate to this day.
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A Documentary |
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Frank Cole
Canada
1981 | 0:08:15
In his first film Frank Cole signs an intime portrait of of he relation between his grandparents, as his grandmother is already heavily attacked by Altsheimer. |
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Interview |
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Frank Cole
Canada
1989 | 0:05:30
...concerning his last film, his motivations, his intentions. |
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Life without Death |
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Frank Cole
Canada
2009 | 1:23:00
November the 29th 1889 start alone with a camel to cross the Sahare, from Mauritanio to the Red Sea, decided to film himself. He is dring all his travel he is facing his mortality, get over thirts and loneliness, his fear of death, by taking care of his camels, trying hard to get feed. He arrived at the Red Sea at November 3rd 1990. |
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October 10th - 20th 2013
In this this section we want to revoke outstandigung personnalités in cinematographique and audio--visual creation.
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