The Story Behind the Vessels and the Men Featured on Disney+
If you just watched Will Smith navigate the Papua New Guinea coastline in the new series Pole to Pole, you’ve already seen the stars of our film, Justin and Sanakoli John. The traditional Sailau canoe Will sails – and the master navigators who taught him how to handle it – are the talents of our award-winning documentary, SAILAU.
From Hollywood Stunts to a 6,300km World Record
The canoe featured in the series is a replica of the Tawali Pasana, the vessel we used to complete the first-ever circumnavigation of New Guinea. While the National Geographic episode provides a beautiful glimpse of this craft, our film documents the actual 13-month odyssey that proved these traditional designs could handle the dreaded Northwest Monsoon and open sea crossings.
- The Crew: Sanakoli John and Justin John, who led Will Smith’s voyage, are the co-stars of our film.
- The Mission: Our 6,300km journey wasn’t just for a world’s first; it was a mission to promote PNG through positive storytelling.
- The voyage of the Tawali Pasana also inspired the youth of PNG to honour their cultural heritage.
Why You Should Watch the Full Documentary
While the Pole to Pole episode is a fantastic introduction to PNG, SAILAU is the deep-dive “Director’s Cut.” It captures the grit, the danger, and the real-world sailing culture of the men who are now being celebrated on the global stage.
We have spent years documenting this world’s first voyage, and we are thrilled to see the story continue in a great mainstream production. If you want to learn more about the unedited, raw, and award-winning journey of these master sailors, you are in the right place.
Award-Winning Film
- Grand Prize – International Maritime Film Festival (USA)
- Nordic Adventure Film of the Year (Denmark)
- Best Sailing Film – Travel Beyond Film Festival (Canada)
You can watch the Pole to Pole show (Pacific Islands episode) here
