Two gritty teams of hobbyist cavers are poised to break records for the longest and deepest caves in Canada. With few places on Earth left to discover, caving may be the last remaining activity of true exploration. After discovering a flooded underground chamber kilometres underground, Katie, a daytime office-worker, becomes obsessed with returning to the Bisaro Anima cave in the Rockies to push the caving depth record. At the same time, a passionate Vancouver Island team is attempting to link two tunnel systems to create the longest known cave in the country. From abyssal, muddy crawls to heart-pounding, vertical pits and underwater squeezes, “Subterranean” digs into the oddly fascinating world of cavers to uncover a gripping story of adventure and (if they’re lucky) record-setting discovery.
This film was part of VIMFF 2024 and is no longer available for viewing.
Can you imagine a more hardcore adventure than exploring the deepest and longest caves of Canada? And can you think of a more demanding and unforgiving environment for a filmmaker than completely dark, often squeezy, wet or muddy underground passages? This film has it all: the real challenges, great characters, visually stunning shots, gripping story and sense of humour.
– Kasia Biernacka, VIMFF 2024 Jury
