Icebound

In January 1925, Nome, Alaska, was gripped by a deadly outbreak of diphtheria. Five children had already died before the news broke, and several more fell ill. In a race against time, fearless dog mushers attempted to reach the tiny frontier town with lifesaving antitoxin. To accomplish this goal, more than 30 men and over 150 dogs braved terrible conditions as they crossed almost a thousand miles of Alaskan wilderness. is constructed like an adventurous thriller: a menacing narration, suspenseful flashbacks and heroes galore. Unexpected setbacks and counting the days make the deadly time constraint palpable. The past is reconstructed with the help of oral histories, old newspaper articles, archive footage and photos, more recent impressions of the desolate Alaskan landscape, and interviews with historians, mushers and the last surviving witnesses of the events. "The Serum Run to Nome" has become one of the great modern North American legends. In New York City's Central Park, there's even a bronze statue of Balto the sled dog.
shows the story behind the myth: how the 1920s tabloid media drove the story to the front pages of the world's newspapers, and how politics and racism have influenced the way this history has been remembered and retold.