Comedy / Film / Horror

In search of Mongo, the Alaskan ice monster

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Juneau, the beautiful capital city of Alaska, is home to a monster (and I’m not talking about any former governors).

At least, it is home to a monster in a forthcoming “sort of” documentary, Mongo: The Ice Monster of Juneau. Or, more accurately, it isn’t.

You see, this “sort of” documentary follows the crew from a new TV spin-off of Big Adventure magazine (previously featuring ‘The Hairless Dogs of Idaho’, ‘Cincinatti’s Cut-throat Yarn Industry’, and ‘Women Over 60 with Tattoos of Pirates’) on a monster hunt.

These intrepid investigators head to Juneau to explore the local legend of Mongo, the ice monster. But when they get there, they find nobody has heard of it.

Rather than waste the trip, they do the only thing they can – they try to fake it.

Mongo is the brainchild of Kendall Weaver, a radio broadcaster for 30 years, and a local celebrity in the city, which incidentally can’t be reached by road – only by ship (it’s a popular cruise stop – that’s how I saw it a few years ago) and seaplane.

“I have produced video for a long time,” he told me. “But making a movie is something I’ve always wanted to do, and the technology has come to a point where a person with the right skills and gear can really produce quality product.
“Juneau, especially, is just so beautiful, this movie will have amazing scenic vistas, and they’re all natural, so there’s no building of sets or special effects.”
Kendall himself plays the director of the documentary, and his crew – Jerry James and Angel Montgomery – are also radio personalities in Juneau.
As they chase around town trying to find Mongo, the film will show off the local sights and tourist attractions from the ocean to the mountains and glaciers. As Kendall puts it: “It’s really a promo film for Juneau, disguised in a clever little comedy”.
Kendall has set up a Kickstarter page to help cover the costs of equipment, filming permits and insurance. While the project may appeal especially to local businesses, who stand to benefit from more tourism, there are also potential perks on offer to those of us further afield.

Juneau is a lovely little city, as you’ll see when the movie is released (projected to be ahead of the 2017 tourist season). Combine that stunning scenery with the comedy of film-makers on a wild goose (wild monster?) chase, and it sounds like a film worth seeing (and backing).

You might also like these previous posts on crowdfunded films and series: Cops and Monsters, and Help Me First.

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