The Dyatlov Pass Incident has long been a mystery. Now, 1091 Pictures has acquired the highly-anticipated documentary An Unkown Compelling Force that will delve into the strange event in hopes of shedding light on the mystery.
Directed by Liam Le Guillou, An Unknown Compelling Force examines the controversial true story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, known as Russia’s greatest unsolved mystery, an unexplained event that led to the gruesome death of nine student hikers in Russia’s unforgiving Ural Mountains in 1959. For more than 60 years the story has been shrouded in mystery and conspiracy theories, suggesting everything from UFOs, murder to a Soviet Government cover-up. On a journey to separate fact from fiction, adventure filmmaker Liam Le Guillou travels under the radar to the very location of the incident to attempt to uncover the true story, interviewing Russian investigators, journalists, and friends of the hikers, among others. The most recent investigation was closed in February 2021 (The New York Times). Studied to this day, The New Yorker ran a story on the incident in their most recent issue. The deal was negotiated by Liam Le Guillou on behalf of the filmmakers and Danny Grant of 1091 Pictures.
Director Liam Le Guillou shares, “Having been obsessed with this story for years I found that most of the information online was either inaccurate or contradictory. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a detailed investigation on film, and that’s what set me off to find the truth for myself. I’ll admit I was expecting to find mundane answers pointing to natural events, but the reality is much more shocking.”
In 1959 a group of student hikers was attempting a difficult winter expedition in the remote Ural Mountains of Russia when an unknown event led to the mysterious deaths of all nine. When the team failed to report back, search parties led by the Soviet Government and fellow students uncovered the grizzly remains of the hikers. Found a mile from their shredded tent, they seemingly fled into the freezing temperatures without their winter clothes or boots. Adding to the mystery, many of the bodies had suffered brutal and inexplicable injuries including missing eyes and tounges, and some even showed traces of radiation. The case was closed by investigators at the time, stating that the hikers died from “An Unknown Compelling Force.”
I’m thrilled to have this one on the release slate. The Dyatlov Pass incident is one of the top 3 unsolved mysteries of all time. For over 60 years many theories have been put forth, but they lacked believable evidence. This documentary puts forth by far the most compelling evidence as to what happened on that fateful night. True-Crime fans will really enjoy this one,” said Danny Grant, SVP of Film and Strategic Partnerships for 1091 Pictures.
An Unknown Compelling Force will be available to purchase or rent on June 15, 2021.
