What does it take to build infrastructure in the most challenging environments on earth? That’s the question posed by the History Channel’s new show Project Impossible.
The Northwest Territories (NWT), which was previously featured on the channel’s popular shows Ice Pilots and Ice Road Truckers, will once again find itself on the small screen in Project Impossible’s “Conquering the Arctic” episode.
The episode airs in Canada Saturday, July 28 on the History Channel.
The Project Impossible team journeyed to the Northwest Territories (NWT) last year to film on the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway, with logistical support from Industry, Tourism and Investment’s (ITI) NWT Film Commission, the Department of Infrastructure and the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk.
Kevin McLeod, Assistant Deputy Minister, Infrastructure noted, “The Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway project was an accomplishment that effectively changed this country, officially linking Canada sea to sea to sea, and contributing to Arctic sovereignty ”. McLeod added, “The highway was a joint effort between Federal, Territorial and Indigenous governments, and in addition to connecting people and communities it also became a focal point for global scientific research in the areas of permafrost and climate change”.
The project has also led to opportunities in tourism and film.
“Getting more eyes on the Northwest Territories through the History Channel is a great way to reach tourists from around the world,” says Don Craik, ITI Regional Superintendent of the Beaufort Delta Region. “A lot of people are curious about northern Canada and this show will help them to better understand the realities and resilience of the people that live here.”
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The show filmed 34 stories across 14 countries for the series, spanning from the Arctic Circle to the equator. Between 2018 and 2019, it will be aired on primetime in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, India, Japan, South Africa, Latin America and the United States.
Identifying and building opportunities between tourism and film is a theme of Take One: Northwest Territories Film Strategy and Action Plan. Providing logistical support to film crews such as the History Channel to highlight tourism attractions such as the Inuvik Tuktoyaktuk Highway is one of the ways the Film Commission is working to build those linkages.