Intrepid Australian directors have long headed to deserts, jungles, oceans and war zones to make films, but Robert Connolly is going somewhere even more extreme – Antarctica. The filmmaker behind The Dry, Blueback and Paper Planes will take two actors and a small crew to the icy continent for a romantic drama based on Nikki Gemmell’s bestselling novel Shiver. “Part of the joy of cinema is a journey”: Filmmaker Robert Connolly with novelist Nikki Gemmell. Credit: Edwina PicklesAfter a recce trip earlier this year and confirmation of Screen Australia funding, Connolly plans to spend a month shooting the film on a ship and in the Antarctic near the Ross Sea early next year. “It takes me back a little bit to the spirit of making Balibo,” he said.