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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO press kit available at
***DRAFT**NOT FOR RELEASE**DRAFT**NOT FOR RELEASE**DRAFT***
TWO MEN, TWO CAMELS,TWO MEN, TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND MILES, ONE MISSION ONE MISSION
New Documentary Follows On WLIW Captures Two Men Friends from Queens, New York As They
Re-trace Marco Polo’s Complete Journey
New York - - October X24, 2008 – Many people have big dreams, but only a few bold adventurers live them. Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell took a wild idea – retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000-mile, land-and-sea route from Venice to China and back – and spent two incredible years of their lives making their dream a reality.
At the end of the 13th century a book was written that would change the course of history, authored by Marco Polo and ultimately change the lives of two men from Queens, New York at the end of the 20th century. In a new documentary premiering on November 16th at 9:00 p.m. on WLIW, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO, premiering on public television beginning November 2008 (check local listings), In The Footsteps of Marco Polo documentschronicles the experiences journey of two ordinary guys – Belliveau, at the time a wedding photographer, and O’Donnell, an artist and former Marine – ardent explorers and adventurers Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell as they set out to follow Polo’s historic Marco Polo’s route from beginning to end. - starting in Venice and trekking through Central Asia, Afghanistan, and ultimately China – traveling 33,000 miles through 20 countries over two years in the same spirit of transportation used by Marco Polo.
Equal parts travelogue, adventure story, history trek and buddy movie, the 90-minute film weaves footage from the duo’s often perilous voyage with Marco Polo’s descriptions and experiences. Richly enhanced with Belliveau’s award-winning photographs, the program details their highs and lows as they retrace Polo’s path, trying to see what he saw and feel what he must have felt.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO captures the pair as they survive a deadly firefight and befriend a warlord in Afghanistan, cross the forbidding Taklamakan Desert in a Silk Road camel caravan, endure continuous interrogations from authorities, and live among cultures ranging from the expert horsemen of Mongolia to the tattooed tribes of Indonesia.
To definitively lay to rest the controversy over whether Marco Polo really reached China over 700 years ago, Belliveau and O’Connell re-traced Marco Polo’s epic journey using only the notes from Marco Polo. Without the assistance of air travel, the two Americans tried to be as true to the spirit of Marco Polo’s modes of transportation, traveling by boat, by foot and when jeeps, trains or rickshaws were not available, the two men from Queens, New York rode astride horses and camels. This compelling film documents two journeys of a lifetime, undertaken centuries apart, yet joined by unbreakable bonds of shared experience.
9/210/354/08 DRAFT PROGRAM RELEASE FOR “In the Footsteps of Marco Poloo”
Some people dream big dreams. Only a few bold adventurers live them. Two such adventurers are Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell, who took a wild idea – they wanted to retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000 mile land-and-sea route from Venice to China and back – and spent two incredible years of their lives trying to turn it into reality.
“We made a pact,” says O’Donnell, “ that, under any conditions, no matter what, we were only coming back to the United States two ways. – e Either dead or successful.”
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO, the 90-minute documentary chronicles the duo, Belliveau, a wedding photographer and O’Donnell, an artist and former U.S. Marine veteran.
Fortunately for PBSpublic television viewers, they were successful -- wildly so. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO brings public television viewers along forchronicles the extraordinary journey of two ordinary guys – Denis, at the time a wedding photographer, Francis an artist and U.S. Marine veteran -- as they venture on foot, on horseback, on camelback, in jeeps and trucks and boats and trains, through the adventure of a lifetime, across 25,00025,000 miles from Venice, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, several former republics of the Soviet Union, China, Indonesia and India. to China and back. Ttwo friends from Queens, New York– one Denis Belliveau, a photographer, the otherand Francis O’Donnell, a visual artist and ex-Marine, who set out on a remarkable two-year , journey25,000-mile[SRH1] adventure tracing Marco Polo’s entire path by land and sea to answer the controversial question of whether Polo really reached China. Equal parts travelogue, adventure story, history trek and buddy movie, the documentary artfully weaves the duo’s own adventures with Marco Polo’s descriptions and experiences. Richly enhanced with Belliveau’s award-winning color still photographs, ththe 90-minute program chronicles their highs and lows as they they retrace Polo’s path, trying to see what he must have seen, feel what he must have felt.
In the spirit of history’s great adventurers, the two make their way across the world’s largest land mass and back, securing – or, when necessary, forging – visas, surviving extreme temperatures, and talking their way out of jams brought on by Tajik soldiers, Chinese security officers, and an assortment of other bureaucrats, border guards and armed warriors.
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From surviving ofAlong the way, their quest to be the first to visit and document every region Marco Polo claimed to have been, using only transportation available to their hero. they survive a deadly firefight and capture in Afghanistan, to c, crossing the forbidding Taklamakan Desert in a Silk Road camel caravan to enduring continuous interrogations from authorities, O’Donnell and Belliveau were driven in the spirit of history’s great adventurer. an ancient passageway to China (the first Westerners in a generation to do so), encounter the stinging sands of the forbidding Taklamakan Desert in a Silk Road camel caravan, endure numerous severe interrogations from authorities threatening to derail their plans, and live among cultures ranging from the expert horsemen of Mongolia to the tattooed tribes of Indonesia.
Throughout the 90-minute documentary (APT Exchange release date November ?, 2008[SRH2]), No previous expedition had ever successfully retraced Marco Polo’s entire route.In a feat of uUndaunted courage, in the spirit of history’s great adventurers, Belliveau and O’Donnell make their way across the world’s largest land mass and back, securing – or, when necessary, forging climb its highest mountains, cross its most desolate deserts and seas…not to mention securing more than[SRH3]– 20 visas, and surviving eight extreme temperatures, and talking their way out of jams brought on by Tajik soldiers, Chinese security officers, and an assortment of other bureaucrats, border guards and armed warriors.
“We made it the Thirteenth13th century in our heads,” said Belliveau. “What was this like for Marco? How would it have been for him?Throughout it all, they attempt to, as Belliveau says, “…make it the Thirteenth Century in our heads. What was this like for Marco? How would it have been for him?” Despite their series of desperate dilemmas, they vowed to view the world always through Polo-colored glasses. Continues Belliveau, “If there was a telephone wire there, it was cropped out of the scene. If the car went by, we didn't notice. We were going to try to make this whole journey like we were living in Marco Polo'’s world.” Without the assistance of air travel, they made their way on foot, horseback, camelback, in jeeps, trucks, boats and trains.
But as fascinating as the world looked through Marco Polo’s eyes, is the world and the people Belliveau and O’Donnell saw through their own. “Travel is the enemy of bigotry,” says O’Donnell. “There’s a lot more good people on the planet than bad…,” says Belliveau. “Get out there,. M meet [people],. tThey’re good.,” adds Belliveau. As O'Donnell says, “Travel is the enemy of bigotry.”
Visit scheduled to launch Thursday, November 13, 2008, for more information.
But as fascinating as the world looked through Marco Polo’s eyes, is the world and the people Belliveau and O’Donnell saw through their own: “there’s a lot more good people on the planet than bad…Travel is the enemy of bigotry…Get out there. Meet [people]. They’re good.”
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In the Footsteps of Marco Polo
Casciato 9/29/08v4
Interweaving Belliveau and O’Donnell’s own tales with the original 13th century descriptions of Marco Polo, brimming with adventure, history, art, and no small amount of humor, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO is a unique cinematic experience that public televisionPBS audiences will not soon forget.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO will re-air November 27th at 9:00 p.m. on WLIW and on December 10th at 8:00 p.m. on Thirteen/WNET New York. Visit for more information. ………….
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO is produced by Return to Venice LLC and WLIW21 in association with WNET.ORG. Executive Producers: Tom Casciato, Josh Nathan and Stephen Segaller; Producer: Emir Lewis; Writer: Tom Casciato; Senior Producer: Eva Anisko. For Return to Venice LLC: Producer/Directors: Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell; Executive Producer: Lisa Taylor. The program is presented nationally by WLIW21 and distributed nationally by American Public Television.
Funding for IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO is provided by The Starr Foundation and the Center for Cultural Interchange.
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war zones. Although it’s the early 1990s, t They feel they can really assume a 13th century mindset once traveling from Georgia through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, where they seem to be the only foreigners. Then things really get interesting as they survive deadly skirmishes and capture in Afghanistan and, inspired by Marco Polo’s experience, devise a creative plan to help them cross the war-torn country so they can enter the Wakhan Corridor, a forgotten passageway to China. Denis Belliveau and[SRH4] Francis O’Donnell relate not just their own feats,IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO interweaves these experiences but interweave them with the original descriptions of their hero, Marco Polo, taken from the 13th century trader and explorer’s account of his own travels along the famed Silk Road.
Equal parts travelogue, adventure story, history trek and buddy movie, the program chronicles the highs and lows of Belliveau and O’Donnell’s 1993-95[SRH5] quest to visit and document every region Marco Polo claimed to have been. While researching and charting the route of their ambitious journey, they agree to travel only by land or sea, flying was forbidden. The two also decide that no matter what, they would not turn back.
“No previous expedition has ever successfully retraced Marco Polo’s entire route,” says O’Donnell. “We’re going to be the first…to do the whole 25,000-mile journey no matter how long it takes us.” And as Belliveau cites, a few challenges lay ahead as they’d “need to traverse the world’s largest land mass and back, climb its highest mountains, cross its most desolate deserts and seas…not to mention securing over 20 visas and somehow surviving eight war zones.”
Undaunted, the two adventurers set out from Venice to the Holy Land and then Turkey where they see old ports and roadside hotels from Polo’s era and are befriended by the locals. They feel they can really assume a 13th century mindset once traveling from Georgia through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as they seem to be the only foreigners. Then things really get interesting as they survive deadly skirmishes and capture in Afghanistan and, inspired by Marco Polo’s experience, devise a creative plan to help them cross the war-torn country so they can enter the Wakhan Corridor, a forgotten passageway to China.
Whether battling embassy bureaucrats, the shifting sands of the Taklamakan desert on camelback, or border guards and police on the take, the modern-day explorers never stray from their mission. They are energized by their treks into remote areas like Mongolia or an Indonesian island where they feel transported back to Marco Polo’s time as they live among cultures little changed since their hero wrote about them.
But one challenging obstacle remains before they can return to Venice: needing two visas to cross Iran[SRH6].
IN In The Footsteps Ofof Marco PPolo is produced by (Return to Venice LLC and WLIW21 New York . & WLIW New York in association with WNET.ORGorg). Producer: Emir Lewis; Writer: Tom Casciato; Executive Producer X, PProducers/Directors for Return to Venice LLC(s): Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell; X, Director X OR production credit names?Executive Producers for Return to Venice LLC: Lisa Taylor, Robert Zincone; Senior Producer: Eva Anisko; Executive Producers: Tom Casciato, ; Executives in Charge: Josh Nathan and , Stephen Segaller. . The programIt is presented nationally by WLIW New York and distributed nationally by American Public Television.
FundingTelevision. Funding for In The Footsteps Ofthe Footsteps of Marco Polo is provided by The Starr Foundation.
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