Official Trailer for ‘The Raftsmen’ 4K Doc About 3 Rafts Out at Sea
by Alex Billington
January 5, 2026
Source: YouTube
“You give your life to the raft…” Dogwoof has debuted the official trailer for a film titled The Raftsmen, a documentary exploring a remarkable true story from the 1970s that most probably don’t know. This reminds me of the Kon-Tiki guys and their voyage across the Pacific in a wooden raft – nearly 3 decades before this crew. Twelve misfits, three handmade rafts, six months at sea. 50 years later after embarking on the most dangerous ocean crossing ever attempted, survivors of one of history’s most astonishing adventures finally tell their story. With never-before-seen footage beautifully remastered in 4K, discover an epic tale of man’s profound journey into the wild heart of the natural world. A group of 12 men on three rafts attempt the 9,000 mile crossing from Ecuador to Australia, with only the sun and stars to guide them. In the unforgiving vastness of the Pacific, as food dwindles and each day brings them closer to psychological breakdown, they are forced to confront their deepest selves. This is always so harrowing! But I’m amazed there’s so much real footage – originally shot on 16mm film and re-scanned to look even better than ever now. It’s worth a watch.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Chadden Hunter’s doc The Raftsmen, direct from YouTube:
In 1973, a dozen misfits from 7 countries – including a French restaurant owner with a handful of seafood recipes, and a Chilean geologist running from Pinochet’s dictatorship – embark on a seemingly impossible mission. Equipped with a 16mm film camera to document their adventures and led by the hypnotically charming Vital Aslar, an eccentric Spanish explorer who tells his crew to anticipate UFO encounters, they set out to cross the world’s largest ocean on the longest-ever-recorded raft journey, in order to prove that the South Pacific may have previously been colonized by South American mariners. Featuring never-before-seen footage beautifully remastered in 4K, discover an epic tale of man’s profound journey into the wild heart of the natural world. The Raftsmen is directed by acclaimed Australian nature doc producer / filmmaker Chadden Hunter, making his first feature film after many doc series including “Wild Arabia”, “Planet Earth II”, “Seven Worlds One Earth”, “Nature”, and “The Platypus Garden” previously. Produced by William Ward & Chadden Hunter. This first premiered at the 2025 Sydney Film Festival last year. Dogwoof debuted Hunter’s The Raftsmen film direct-to-VOD – it’s ready to watch now. For info visit their official site.
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