“180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless”, a true story of exploration and adventure directed by former pro surfer Chris Malloy, follows nomadic wanderer Jeff Johnson and a few of his friends as they attempt to duplicate the 1968 journey undertaken by his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins from California to Chile’s Patagonia region.

The film, whose thesis might best be summed up by “It’s the journey that matters,” is being screened in Incline Village on Sept. 14th at Sierra Nevada College in the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences 139/141 at 6:30pm.

The film was chosen in part for the parallel themes it shares with the book “The Alchemist”, which was selected for SNC’s fall 2010 One Book, One Campus program. This free event is open to the public and will include door prizes donated by the Reno Patagonia store.

According to a review on Gear Junkie, Johnson “catches boat rides, surfs, mingles with locals and attempts to learn about the struggles of the area. … 180 Degrees South is not really a surf film, or a climbing film, or even an environmental film, yet it functions as all of these somehow. In a melancholy, yet beautiful and thoughful way, the film tells a story of true exploration and adventure.”

“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is described as the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way is a lesson about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Sierra Nevada College continues the One Book, One Campus program begun in fall 2009, with all incoming fall 2010 students being asked to read “The Alchemist”. Inspired by the popularity of book clubs, a growing number of college campuses are adopting common reading programs. The idea of a common reading selection rests on a simple idea: that reading the same book brings people together as a community by creating a common ground for discussion.

For more information on the film screening or on the Common Reading Program, contact Betts Markle at (775) 881.7511 or emarkle@sierranevada.edu.