Download hi-res imagesMany people have big dreams, but only a few bold adventurers live them. Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell took a wild idea — retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000–mile, land–and–sea route from Venice to China and back — and spent two incredible years of their lives making their dream a reality. IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO chronicles the journey of two ordinary guys — Belliveau, at the time a wedding photographer, and O’Donnell, an artist and former Marine — as they set out to follow Polo’s historic route. Equal parts travelogue, adventure story, history trek and buddy movie, the 90–minute film weaves footage from the duo’s often perilous voyage with Marco Polo’s descriptions and experiences. Richly enhanced with Belliveau’s award–winning photographs, the documentary details their highs and lows as they retrace Polo’s path, trying to see what he saw and feel what he must have felt. Produced by Return to Venice LLC and WLIW21 in association with WNET.ORG. Presented nationally by WLIW21 and distributed nationally by American Public Television. Funding for IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO is provided by The Starr Foundation and the Center for Cultural Interchange. The official site launches November 13 at www.wliw.org/marcopolo
To download Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell’s bios, click here.
| These images may be used editorially only for direct promotion of IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO. No other rights are granted. | |
 | CUTLINE: (left to right) Francis O’Donnell and Denis Belliveau holding Marco Polo’s original will, part of the Bibliotech Nazionale Marciana collection in Venice, Italy PHOTO: 932K (25.6M uncompressed) at 300 dpi JPEG at 8.3 X 12 CREDIT: Denis Belliveau |
 | CUTLINE: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO chronicles the journey of two ordinary guys — Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell — as they set out to retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000–mile, land–and–sea route from Venice to China and back. PHOTO: 17.6M (55M uncompressed) at 600 dpi JPEG at 6 X 9 CREDIT: Denis Belliveau |
 | CUTLINE: (left to right) Francis O’Donnell and Denis Belliveau, in the famed Oxus River as they begin their journey through Afghanistan’s Wakan Corridor PHOTO: 1.5M (24.9M uncompressed) at 300 dpi JPEG at 12 X 8.2 CREDIT: Denis Belliveau |
 | CUTLINE: (left to right) Francis O'Donnell and Denis Belliveau with their caravan on the “Roof of the World,” the Bam–i–Dunya in Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountain range PHOTO: 972K (24.9M uncompressed) at 300 dpi JPEG at 12 X 8.1 CREDIT: Denis Belliveau |
 | CUTLINE: (left to right) Francis O’Donnell and Denis Belliveau in front of the ruins of Rawak Vihara, a Buddhist Stupa in Central Asia’s Taklamakan Desert PHOTO: 1.1M (24.6M uncompressed) at 300 dpi JPEG at 12 X 8 CREDIT: Denis Belliveau |
