[Watch the video interview on Youtube here]
Film Courage: When did you have the idea that you wanted to be a travel filmmaker?
Marlin Darrah, Filmmaker: Oh yeah, travel and filmmaking! It’s a combination of things that is eternally exciting, for some reason it’s been my fascination, dedication, obsession since I was 15. I first went to Europe with a band when I was in high school for three months and that got me hooked on travel forever. When you travel when you’re young especially, it’ll stay a part of your life for the entire run of your life. I knew that I wanted to see every country in the world if I could possibly do it and then I also fell in love with filmmaking. I wanted to combine those two, travel and filmmaking. Like many filmmakers that were in love with National Geographic shows, the BBC, I would collect all those National Geographics when I was young and dream about going to these places and making films in these great countries around the world. I started doing that right out of college. I was shooting, I got an assignment, I’ve worked with Runners World magazine when I was 20 or 21 and I convinced them to send me to Europe for a year on assignment to cover different marathons and running events. Of course while I was there I was filming cheese makers of Switzerland, tapestry makers of Spain, violin makers in England, so I was interested right away when I was 20 to combine this filmmaking with the international travel life. I’m not sure where the curiosity comes from because my mother’s never been on a plane, ever. My father traveled but only during World War II, so that’s not much in the sense of travel and culture, he was on a ship but my brothers and sister were never that interested at all in travel so I don’t know why people are…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
About:
Marlin Darrah is probably the world’s most traveled filmmaker. Darrah’s ‘s 44 years of award-winning production experience have taken him to more than 140 countries worldwide, yielding more than 100 documentary, travel-adventure programs and dramatic movies to date.
In 2023, Darrah completed his third feature film “An Egypt Affair,” an award-winning suspense-thriller that was entirely filmed in Egypt, along the Nile River between Luxor and Aswan.
One of his more recent feature films is “Amazon Queen” – an 85-minute adventure-thriller shot entirely in the Brazilian Amazon. The film was completed in September 2021 and is presently being distributed throughout N.America and worldwide, by Vision Films of LA. “Amazon Queen” has enjoyed millions of views on streaming platforms worldwide. That film won awards and nominations at more than 100 international film festivals.
Marlin also wrote, directed and produced the acclaimed 90-minute dramatic feature film, “Monsoon Wife,” in Cambodia – the first American movie shot entirely in that SE Asian country since “Lord Jim.” Universal Studios acquired Darrah’s movie and television rights were sold to more than a dozen countries.
In September 2014, Darrah was honored with a Knighthood in the Royal House of Portugal, presented by His Royal Highness Dom Pio. This was in recognition of Darrah’s extensive worldwide educational and charitable film productions Darrah’s international shots have been aired on programs appearing on all the major television networks, including PBS, History Channel and Discovery Channel.
His twenty 90-minute geo-travel lectures and features have been presented to audiences in more than 100 theaters and auditoriums across America, including venues such as the Harvard Club and the Philadelphia Geographical Society. Recently, a two-hour documentary Darrah shot and directed in Egypt was screened at the Cairo Opera House to an audience of 3000 guests. National Geographic represents and markets thousands of Darrah’s best worldwide shots.
WATCH ‘AN EGYPT AFFAIR’ TRAILER
WATCH ‘AMAZON QUEEN’
Tubitv.com/movies/678598/amazon-queen
WATCH ‘AROUND THE WORLD WITH MARLIN DARRAH’ Tubitv.com/series/300005580/around-the-world-with-marlin-darrah
SUBSCRIBE TO MARLIN DARRAH ON YOUTUBE
CONNECT WITH MARLIN DARRAH
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