Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Alone Across the Arctic’s Francis Luta

Francis Luta is the genius behind the camera. He’s brought several short films to life, including Vivid, Among the Soil, Attention of Men, and The Hammer Band: Music Child, to name a few. These projects have played an instrumental role in Francis’ career and have prepared him for the “big one.”

Late last year, he made his full-length debut with Alone Across the Arctic, which is now available on streaming platforms like Apple TV, Super Channel and Amazon Prime.

The documentary follows explorer Adam Shoalts’s solo journey across the Canadian Arctic by canoe and by foot. Pop Culturalist spoke with Francis about Alone Across the Arctic.

PC: You’ve done a lot of work behind the camera. How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Francis: Maybe it’s a wives’ tale, but my mum used to tell me she would put a pencil behind my ear as a kid in order to summon the artistic spirit in me—or something to that effect.

I think it worked! My first directorial debut was at the age of three. My sister Dulcinea and I collected empty shampoo bottles. Sometimes we emptied brand new ones—sorry, mom—and we would play with them as miniature characters in a live-action world we created. We created plots and rivalries between the two best bottles. It was very real for us and instilled this creativity in me. It manifested into something greater than I ever thought possible.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Francis: I’ve often been blamed, accused, and labeled as a very sensitive person, so I would like to use that as my answer to this tough question. The biggest influence I draw from comes from whatever emotion I am feeling that day. It’s so palpable that I make it into something tangible.

In terms of people, I hold my family very close to me, obviously, and what they have to say, what they’re going through in life, and how they express themselves, which I’m sure has, on a subconscious level, a great influence on me as an adult.

I grew up in a house full of women, so I’d like to think I understand them and sometimes unconsciously use them as my muse for the tough decisions I face in my career.

PC: You have a new documentary out. Tell us about Alone Across the Arctic and how you initially met Adam Shoalts.
Francis: This is a four-year-in-the-making film, which is finally now available on Apple TV and beyond in the near future. I first met Adam via email when he wrote me to praise the trailer I had cut that featured him. That trailer was a sizzle reel that ended up going nowhere but Adam loved it so much I think he still uses it on his website.

I took that acknowledgment from him as an opportunity to pitch him on the idea of making a short film together from scratch. The short is where it all began and brings us to Alone Across the Arctic. This is a full-length adventure documentary about one man’s greatest feat.

He set a goal for himself to tackle in order to test what he has been preparing for all his life. He is a professional modern-day explorer in the truest sense of the word. When I think of explorers, I think of gruff old-timers from centuries ago battling it out in the wild for that acclaim, that respect, that stake on a piece of land that they can name after themselves.

Now I believe explorers are redefined by the digital age and their contribution to the last frontiers. I’m sure Adam can agree when I say there’s so much more to explore.

PC: You’ve filmed a few documentary shorts. How have those experiences prepared you for Alone Across the Arctic?
Francis: Short films are calling cards. I made them all to prepare myself for the big one. Those experiences came into play when it was time to tackle a feature-length project.

It prepared me to be confident in communicating my ideas and vision to people who would eventually be working with me, collaborating with me, out in the trenches with me in making this film come to fruition.

It prepared me to a level of tenacity for finishing what I start no matter the noise, the doubt, and the naysayers. I abide by that self-imposed rule: always finish what I start.

PC: What is that process like going from Explorer to Alone Across the Arctic? What did you learn about yourself in the process?
Francis: The transition from the short film I made with Adam Shoalts in 2015, Explorer, to Alone Across the Arctic was a huge step for both of us. I am grateful that Adam invited me to make the feature film, as I feel a sense of graduation.

Throughout the process—this goes for all the projects I’ve done that involved more than just myself—I learned how to manage my emotions that have been my creative driving force from the very beginning. I learned how to speak confidently and actually know what I’m talking about and admit the things I don’t know and feel no shame in that.

I learned how to stretch my patience at times of defeat and uncertainty. I learned that my instincts are always right, to listen to credible sources, and most of all, I learned that agreements should always be in place no matter what.

PC: Besides Alone Across the Arctic, what’s next for you?
Francis: I would love to explore more adventure-based projects. Given this pandemic, everything is on hold, but I am hoping to tackle a project that is about the first-ever team of women to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Francis: RuPaul’s Drag Race

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Francis: Anything B-horror

PC: Favorite book?
Francis: The Catcher in the Rye

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Francis: Kinky Boots

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Francis: The Goat Rodeo Sessions. Wait, fans?

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Francis: They’re not born yet.

To keep up with Francis, follow him on Instagram. Watch Alone Across the Arctic on digital today.