Chasing Time is a 2024 American documentary short film directed by the first time filmmaker Sarah Keo and Jeff Orlowski. The film offers a reflective examination of time and mortality as it follows nature photographer James Balog and his team during the final phase of a multi‑decade project that has produced more than one million images. The short documentary reunites Balog with the Emmy Award-winning team behind Chasing Ice.
It was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards.
Synopsis The film follows nature photographer James Balog as he concludes the Extreme Ice Survey, a project he launched in 2006 to record the effects of global warming using dozens of time‑lapse cameras placed at glacier sites around the world. Over the years, the survey captured more than 1.5 million images showing significant ice loss and glacier collapse. The documentary also highlights Balog's ongoing research into the connections between melting ice, wildfires, and atmospheric change, while reflecting on the personal meaning of his decades‑long work.
Cast James Balog Kieran Baxter Hrafnhildur Hannesdóttir Svavar Jónatansson Jeff Orlowski
Release Chasing Time had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on April 27, 2024.
It was screened on 11 May 2024, at the 2024 Seattle International Film Festival, and on May 25, at the Mountainfilm.
On 14 November 2024, it was screened in the Shorts: Climate Countdown at Doc NYC along with other two films.
It was presented as Part of SHORTS: The Blue Between Us at the Woods Hole Film Festival on July 13, 2025.
It premiered on 18 November 2025, on PBS and is available for streaming. The film also launched the Season 8 of the POV Shorts.
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Woods Hole Film Festival July 31, 2025 Audience Award for Short Documentary Chasing Time
See also Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film Submissions for Best Documentary Short Academy Award
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