It was revealed at Sunny Side of the Doc that the freshly produced co-production between Japanese public broadcaster NHK, Bhutanese public broadcaster BBS, and French Production Company Gedeon Programmes, “Run Against Time: The Snowman Race in Bhutan” has been sold to French broadcaster Ushuaïa TV. The Snowman Race is known as the world’s toughest trail race, covering 186km of mountainous terrain in the Bhutanese Himalayas over four nights and five days, and this is the first time for an international broadcaster, in collaboration with BBS, to offer exclusive and complete coverage. The film’s world premiere screening was held on Monday in La Rochelle.
Run Against Time: The Snowman Race in Bhutan (1 x 49 min., 2025)
In October 2024, the Kingdom of Bhutan hosted a grueling very-high-altitude ultra-marathon in the Himalayas. The race was aimed at drawing the world’s attention to the crisis known as global boiling. Melting Himalayan glaciers are raising water levels in glacial lakes and, more than ever before, magnifying the risk of outburst floods that can destroy people’s homes and livelihoods. NHK and the Bhutan Broadcasting Service teamed up to show the entire foot race for the first time. Athletes battling hypoxia as they ran through the harsh terrain used compact cameras to record what they were seeing and feeling. This documentary shows the spectacular, gradually disappearing scenery and the grueling challenges of the race. And it uses the athletes’ powerful words to convey the largely unseen reality of global warming.
The distribution deal to Ushuaïa TV, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was made through Gédéon programmes and its’ distribution outlet Terranoa who also celebrates its 25th anniversary, whereas NHK celebrates the 100th year of broadcasting in Japan.
Ushuaïa TV’s CEO Christophe Sommet who plans to broadcast the doc as part of their special programming to celebrate their 20th year says, “As always, we strive to bring Ushuaïa TV viewers the highest-quality entertainment and information documentaries. Working with NHK through Gedeon Programmes and Terranoa on this exceptional quality film affords us a competitive advantage in a crowded French TV landscape. We are proud to share the same vision to raise awareness and inspire behavior change for a better world.”
NHK Producer, Shiro Kagawa expresses his delight that Ushuaïa TV has acquired the program and says, “Through our collaboration with BBS, we have long endeavored to convey to the world the realities faced by the people of Bhutan, using the lens of the runner as a medium. It is therefore a great honor to see our efforts bring us closer to that goal, and to have the opportunity for many people to watch the program and gain a deeper understanding of the situation our planet is facing.”
