JAMES M LEVELLE
JAMES M LEVELLE
Filmmaker - Adventurer
"He's a nice bloke... however he is mad."
The Times
James Levelle is a filmmaker and adventurer whose work in the world’s wildest places, together with his extraordinary ‘impossible’ expeditions, has earned him uncommon understanding of both the beauty and power of Nature...
As well as an unshakeable faith in humankind.
He hitchhiked his way 6000 miles across South America with no mobile phone, no credit card, and no cash for Discovery Channel’s 6-part series, ‘Free Ride’. He trekked through the frozen wilds of Alaska for Discovery’s hit series ‘Gold Rush Trail’ and risked life and limb chasing hurricanes for UKTV & BBC's ‘Hurricane Man’.
James's story very nearly ended when the third most intense hurricane to ever hit the USA struck before he could make it to a shelter.
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He survived by the skin of his teeth by climbing into the cab of a fire truck whilst 160mph winds collapsed the building around him.
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This terrifying near death experience forced James to not only reevaluate his whole life but also to face up to the how deadly climate chaos can be. But what to do about it?
Understanding that doom and gloom news gets us nowhere, and that jetting around the world to make a climate film kind of defeats the whole point...
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James had a crazy idea.
‘Race for the Future’ saw James speed 9000 miles from the UK to Chile… fossil fuel free… on a mission to document youth climate voices and deliver their messages of hope in a film to the United Nations Climate conference.
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An ambassador for all things 'wild', James remains dedicated to telling stories that inspire us all to explore and experience better relationships with ourselves, each other and and the Natural World.
Whilst the Guardian credits his indomitable spirit, "With his refusal to be beaten down...
If he had to take a cat to be put down, he would still sound like Lord Flashheart geeing up the troops for battle."
Times journalist, Hilary Rose, concluded, "He's a nice bloke... however he is mad.
LATEST NEWS
Picturehouse Cinema screenings for The Great Big Green Week
Green Screen celebrates Great Big Green Week 10-17 June (and beyond) with Race for the Future.
Adventurer and filmmaker James Levelle crosses the globe 'almost' fossil fuel free to get to the ill-fated UN Climate Conference in Chile and deliver messages from the world's youth he has collected on the way. Undaunted by any of the myriad obstacles put in his way, including the cancellation of the conference, our intrepid hero never wavers from his thrilling, life-affirming (and threatening) mission. Unmissable, enormous fun with an incredible message for the world.
This Green Screening will be accompanied by a live panel of local experts, including director, James Levelle.​
The Royal Geographical Society
Regional theatre tour racing to inspire climate action
This month, award-winning filmmaker James Levelle will be touring the UK as part of the Society’s Regional Theatres Programme, sharing stories from his 9,000-mile emission-free odyssey from the UK to Chile to champion young voices in the climate crisis.
RACE FOR THE FUTURE
James's greatest adventure yet...?
A 9000 mile odyssey across Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and South America.
The challenge?
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Travel across two continents and one ocean... fossil fuel free.
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The purpose?
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Discover from the next generation how they feel about the climate crisis, what we can do about it, and present what he finds in a film to the UN Climate Conference in Chile.
HURRICANE MAN
The first ever documentary series to take us inside the worlds biggest storms as they are happening.
Josh Morgerman aka Hurricane Man is the worlds leading Hurricane Chaser on a mission to collect scientific data from inside the eye of the storm.
As Josh risks it all to get into the eye, James joins the local people stuck in the storm's path and tells first hand the human stories of survival inside these epic natural disasters.
Be prepared to experience these real life disasters across the Americas, Caribbean, East Asia and the South Pacific like never before…
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