(Darren Mann, 2017, Norway/USA, 86 min.)

This Cold Life takes an intimate look at the colorful characters who choose to live in the isolation of the world's northernmost town, Longyearbyen, which is situated high above Norway, 300 miles from the North Pole. Living with three months of total darkness and three months of 24-hour sun, residents face the persistent threat of depression, a problem compounded by the fact that Longyearbyen is a town in crisis. Its longtime job base, the coal industry, is going bankrupt, and global climate change is a very real threat to the region. Yet roughly 2,200 people from more than 30 different countries choose to live in this isolated community, where polar bears outnumber humans. “This Cold Life” tells the stories of a fascinating cross section of these hardy individuals.