IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO

• August 7, 2009

Thursday, August 13 at 9:30 p.m.

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Many people have big dreams, but only a few bold adventurers live them. Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell took a wild idea — retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000–mile, land–and–sea route from Venice to China and back — and spent two incredible years of their lives making their dream a reality. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO chronicles the journey of two ordinary guys — Belliveau, at the time a wedding photographer, and O’Donnell, an artist and former Marine — as they set out to follow Polo’s historic route.

Equal parts travelogue, adventure story, history trek and buddy movie, the 90–minute film weaves footage from the duo’s often perilous voyage with Marco Polo’s descriptions and experiences. Richly enhanced with Belliveau’s award–winning photographs, the documentary details their highs and lows as they retrace Polo’s path, trying to see what he saw and feel what he must have felt. Produced by Return to Venice LLC and WLIW21 in association with WNET.ORG. Presented nationally by WLIW21 and distributed nationally by American Public Television. Funding for IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO is provided by The Starr Foundation and the Center for Cultural Interchange.

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