Lives Of The Artists: Follow Me Down delves deep into the psyche of James Lavelle of UNKLE fame, plus legendary backcountry snowboarders Jeremy Jones and Xavier De La Rue (star of the first Lives Of The Artists film), as they explore virgin territory and pioneer new routes within their respective inspired disciplines.

The film explores a theme that all those driven by immeasurable passion will recognise: there are no easy rides in life. Via breathtaking action from the frozen desert of Antarctica, to stunning live footage of Lavelle, who soundtracks the film, and in-depth, insightful interviews, the film documents the creative minds behind these high profile personalities. United by their vision, ambition, struggle, sacrifice, obsession and triumph – irrespective of domain, whether mountain or amphitheatre – these artists all share the uncompromising attitude: to push their art to its highest potential.

We embark on a three week expedition to Antarctica with our two riders, as they spurn the clichéd ‘heli-drop and ride’ big mountain approach for raw adventures. Instead, they search for more visceral rewards, as Jeremy and Xavier scale and ride near-vertical faces, with the permanent risk of avalanches, entire faces slipping away underneath them or drowning in the iceberg and seal littered seas below at the forefront of their minds – and while almost three days away from the nearest hospital. Captured via jaw dropping helmet camera footage, Lives Of The Artists: Follow Me Down allows you to experience this tension and life-threatening thrills first hand, as if you were climbing and navigating these cliff-faces yourself.

After months of planning and anticipation, Jones and de La Rue begin their adventure in November 2009, setting off from Ushuaia, Argentina’s most southerly point, to undertake a six day crossing via Drakes Passage – renowned as the roughest seas on the planet. Yet, this alien, hostile environment, full of unknown dangers and far from civilisation, belies a personal mission for the pair: a blank canvas for them to write history with the most pioneering expedition ever seen in snowboarding.

“When you’re dropped by a helicopter on a peak, you’re exposed to danger for a couple of minutes; when you’re hiking you’re exposed for hours,” explains Jones. “After hiking you’re already on a 4 hour buzz, then you add on top of that the endorphins from dropping in and adrenaline from riding – it’s a cocktail of chemicals: the best drug in the world.”

It may be a natural high, but it comes with immeasurable risk: the unpredictability of these most harsh mountains meant that several incidents during filming almost had fatal consequences:

“There were a few moments where I questioned whether we should turn back – sometimes you should listen to fate,” remembers de La Rue. “We’re in a very hostile environment and I want to feel welcome. I don’t want to feel like I’m coming here with my big feet and disrespecting the place. We’ve seen both sides of Antarctica – the beautiful and the nasty.”

The full film will be out early September 2010 in the meantime you can now view the film trailer and find out more at: https://www.relentlessenergy.com/films/view/lives-of-the-artists-follow-me-down-trailer or www.relentlessenergy.com