Media & Research Trips

Two of the founders of Untamed Borders began their careers by guiding journalists, photographers and researchers in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Ever since we’ve continued to provide access and support for film crews and other professional people to some of the world’s most interesting and inaccessible places. In addition to our logistical expertise we can also provide risk assessments, consultation and management of all sizes for productions and all types of projects.

Check out a short selection of the professional projects we have worked on.

The North Face – Adventure Not War

Adventure Not War is the story of three U.S. veterans traveling back into the mountains of Iraq on a mission to heal wounds and experience the country and its culture without the shadow of war.

National Geographic – Wild Edens

In 2017 the Untamed Borders team worked closely with a British documentary film production team to handle the logistics of their filming expedition to wilds of Siberia so they could capture the immense variety of wildlife native to the area.  You can watch the full length documentary, Wild Edens: Russia, below.

SBS Australia

The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio, online and television network. Untamed Borders worked with SBS Australia to produce a short piece about travel in offbeat locations covering travel tales from Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia.

Arc‘teryx – A Skier’s Journey

Canada based outdoor/culture photographer and filmmaker Jordan Manley approached us to help arrange the logistics for a ski film which would form the final episode in his extensive film series called “A Skier’s Journey”.  The series, which is produced in association with outdoor clothing company Arc’teryx,  covers a variety of other destinations such as Kashmir, Argentina, Baffin Island and Iceland. You can find out more about all the films at www.askiersjourney.com

Newsweek – Skiing in Afghanistan

The American magazine, Newsweek, which has a circulation of 1.5 million readers arranged for a story about skiing in Afghanistan in conjunction with a leading global video journalism network called Storyhunter.TV. The collaboration resulted in a short film observing the lives, hopes and dreams of some of the Afghani competitors in the annual Afghanistan Ski Challenge.

Australian Broadcasting Company – Skiing in Afghanistan

Australia’s state-owned and funded national public broadcaster, ABC Australia, requested us to arrange the logistics for a 25 minute presenter-led TV piece which explores Afghanistan’s current political situation and its impact on tourism/social development in the country told through the words and stories of local female skiers, Afghan policy makers and competitors in the international Afghanistan Ski Challenge.

Lonely Planer Traveller Magazine

Lonely Planet Traveller Magazine

British photographer Simon Urwin ventured to Afghanistan to shoot a story commissioned by Lonely Planet Traveller about a tile factory in the western city of Herat which is rumoured to be the oldest in the world at 1000 years old.

Sidetracked Magazine

Sidetracked MagazinePhotographers Simon Urwin and James Robertson headed to Afghanistan for Sidetracked Magazine to cover a piece about the burgeoning ski industry and community in Afghanistan. The end result of their shoot was a series of candid portraits of Afghani skiers interwoven with a revealing interview with Ali Shah who is leading figure in the Afghan ski community and training in St. Moritz, Switzerland to become the first ever ski competitor for his country in the next Winter Olympics.

NZZ am Sonntag – Mogadishu

NZZ am SonntagGerman journalist, Christoph Zürcher, ventured to Mogadishu to cover a story for NZZ am Sonntag which is a long-established newspaper founded in Zurich. Christoph’s aim was to create a long-form article for the publication’s 120,000 readership uncovering daily life in Somalia’s capital

ProSieben – Mogadishu

mogadishu prosiebenUncovered: Extreme Tourism in Somalia’, broadcast by ProSieben in Germany, features journalist Thilo Mischke travelling through the streets of Mogadishu with British traveller Andrew Drury.

From Souk to Souk by Robin Ratchford

From Souk to Souk Robin RatchfordTravel writer Robin Ratchford headed to Afghanistan with us to complete a chapter of his book “From Souk to Souk” which reflects on a series of unforgettable experiences across the Middle East and Central Asia.

White Silk Road – Feature Length Film

White Silk Road - feature length filmWhite Silk Road tells the story of three Australian snowboarders who travelled to Afghanistan to carry the sport across new frontiers. In one of the most dangerous parts of the world, they discovered incredible mountains, breathtaking landscapes, and heartwarming communities of hospitable people. The feature film was produced in conjunction with the leading surf/snowboard brands of Billabong, Burton, Oakley and Transfer and Untamed Borders arrange the logistics.

Research Trips

We have guided researchers in Iraq, Chechnya, Dagestan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia. The research has varied from anthropologists studying the relationship between people’s culture and environments to post conflict development studies. From documenting weapons of the Caucasus to a Brazilian brewery researching the links between Barley in the diet and the long life of people from Hunza in Pakistan.