The Journey is the Destination

Fiercely creative artist, restless wanderer, courageous photojournalist, and compassionate humanitarian aid worker, Dan Eldon is a tremendous inspiration to all who aspire to better themselves by doing good in the world. This stirring biopic from director Bronwen Hughes (whose Stander screened at the Festival in 2003) chronicles Eldon's tragically abbreviated, yet robustly lived life in vivid detail.

Born in London to a British father and an American mother, Dan (Ben Schnetzer) is raised in Nairobi. By the time he's a teenager, he's already organizing a daredevil supply run to Mozambican refugees, an experience that merely whets his appetite for adventure and for meaningful human connections that transcend class, culture, and creed. Dan skips post-secondary study in favour of leaping into the fray, becoming a self-taught photojournalist and covering events such as the end of apartheid in South Africa and burgeoning violence and famine in Somalia. It is in the latter country that Dan will forge his greatest professional triumphs — and where his life will be woefully snuffed out far too soon.

Eldon accumulated an astonishing wealth of experience in his 22 years and The Journey is the Destination, written by Jan Sardi (Shine, The Notebook), is an homage to his valiant spirit. Featuring charismatic, heartfelt performances from Schnetzer and co-stars Maria Bello, Kelly Macdonald, and Ella Purnell, this is a film that makes you want to re-examine all you hold dear in your life — and live every day to the fullest.