''Kon-Tiki'' is a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
about the ''
Kon-Tiki
The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, fo ...
'' expedition led by Norwegian explorer and writer
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in zoology, botany and geography.
Heyerdahl is notable for his ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000& ...
in 1947, released in Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark in 1950, followed by the United States in 1951. The movie, which was directed by Thor Heyerdahl and edited by
Olle Nordemar
Olof Harry "Olle" Nordemar (25 July 1914 – 18 February 1999) was a Swedish film director, film editor, film producer, cinematographer and screenwriter. Nordemar is best known as the producer behind Olle Hellbom's films based on novels by Astrid ...
, received the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosoph ...
for 1951 at the
24th Academy Awards
The 24th Academy Awards were held on March 20, 1952, honoring the films of 1951. The ceremony was hosted by Danny Kaye.
''An American in Paris'' and '' A Place in the Sun'' each received six Oscars, splitting Best Picture and Best Director, r ...
. The Oscar officially went to Olle Nordemar.
The
Academy Film Archive
The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...
preserved ''Kon-Tiki'' in 2013.
Content
The movie has an introduction explaining Heyerdahl's theory, then shows diagrams and images explaining the building of the raft and its launch from Peru. Thereafter it is a film of the crew on board, shot by themselves, with commentary written by Heyerdahl and translated. The whole film is black and white, shot on a single 16mm camera.
A small amount of color footage of ''Kon-Tiki'' does exist.
The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition-color film
/ref>
See also
* ''Kon-Tiki'' (2012 film)
* List of Academy Award trophies on public display
References
External links
*
1950 films
1950 documentary films
Anthropology documentary films
Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners
Black-and-white documentary films
Documentary films about water transport
Films directed by Thor Heyerdahl
Films set in French Polynesia
Norwegian documentary films
1950s Norwegian-language films
Sailing films
Norwegian black-and-white films
Swedish black-and-white films
Swedish documentary films
1950s Swedish films
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