Northbound at 90: One Woman's Lifetime of Adventure
Toronto, Canada | Film Feature
Adventure, Documentary
What does it mean to keep going when the world expects you to stop? At 90 years old, Joyce Perrin is sailing the Northwest Passage, driven by the same curiosity that has carried her across 187 countries and territories. Help us tell that story, for everyone who still has dreams to follow.
Northbound at 90: One Woman's Lifetime of Adventure
Toronto, Canada | Film Feature
Adventure, Documentary
1 Campaigns |
15 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
C$4,100
Goal: C$40,325 for development
What does it mean to keep going when the world expects you to stop? At 90 years old, Joyce Perrin is sailing the Northwest Passage, driven by the same curiosity that has carried her across 187 countries and territories. Help us tell that story, for everyone who still has dreams to follow.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Joyce Perrin set out to see the world at 57 years old. Her exploration of the world carried her further than many would expect.
7 Continents. 187 countries and territories. A journey driven not by the desire to collect stamps on a passport, but by curiosity about meeting people along the way.
Finally, she returns her focus to the one expedition that still calls her name: the Northwest Passage. Drawing on decades of travel, from tracking gorillas in Uganda to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, coral reef diving, and turning strangers into lasting friends, she commits to completing a journey she never let go of.
At 90 years old, Joyce looks back on a lifetime of daring to go further, and prepares for one more journey northbound.
Northbound at 90 is set to be a feature-length documentary following Joyce as she prepares for and embarks on her long-awaited Arctic expedition through the Northwest Passage. The film weaves three decades of extraordinary travel into the present-day reality of daring to take on one more journey, at 90 years old, against every expectation.
Behind the vision for Northbound at 90 are two creatives who care deeply about this story and why it needs to exist.
Pedro Vargas is a Brazilian director and the creator of this project. A published author and video game developer, Pedro has spent his career finding stories that make people feel something, and has built audiences on YouTube as large as 3 million subscribers. He directed the independent short film Frogs (2023), and on Northbound at 90 he leads the creative vision, storytelling, and editing.
Deniz Haciyusufoglu is a Toronto-based Turkish producer with a background in media production and communication design. She has led pre-production pipelines, secured grants, managed budgets and schedules, and coordinated multidisciplinary teams across documentary, interactive film, and digital media. On Northbound at 90, Deniz oversees budgeting, planning, and production logistics.
Together, they are making this film because Joyce's story is part of a larger and necessary conversation about aging, ambition, and what we allow ourselves to want at every stage of life.
Born in Edmonton in 1936, Joyce Perrin opened the door to a life of global adventure at 57, while continuing her professional work with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. Over 23 years she traveled the seven continents, tracking gorillas in Uganda, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, scuba diving coral reefs, and eating at the dinner tables of strangers who became friends.
Here is one of her favorite quotes:
Joyce started traveling solo when few women did, carrying nothing but curiosity and determination through countries shaped by conflict, instability, and vastly different ways of life.
Her story matters to anyone who has ever been told it's too late, too old, too risky, too much! At its core, this is a film about choosing curiosity over caution and societal expectations. When you dare to show up and follow your dreams, the world has a way of opening up to meet you.
Stories like Joyce's don't make it to the screen without an audience backing them first. Before a documentary gets made, it has to be believed in, and that belief starts here, with the people who care enough to support the project through this funding campaign.
Every contribution feeds directly into the work that gets this film made:
- The legal and administrative foundation that protects the project.
- The digital content and outreach that grows the community around it.
- The industry relationships that get Northbound at 90 in front of the right broadcasters and partners.
As you scroll through this page, you will find a range of ways to get involved, from joining our private community and receiving exclusive updates from Joyce, to meeting her in person at book signings and chapter readings. Each “tier” is an opportunity to be alongside this story as it gets made.
Pledge
Choose the tier that feels right for you and become part of this project from day one.
Follow
Every follower builds momentum and tells the industry this story matters.
Share
If Joyce's story speaks to you, pass it on. The world is full of people who have quietly set aside something they still wanted, and this might be exactly what they need to hear.
Save the image below and post it, or copy the text and send it to someone who needs to hear it:
"187 countries. 7 continents. One expedition still unfinished. At 90, Joyce Perrin is heading to the Northwest Passage. Help us make the documentary: www.maestriamedia.com/northbound"
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Content Creation & Marketing
Costs C$18,525
Growing our audience through reels, exclusive footage, and a podcast with Joyce to bring people into her world before the film is made.
Building the Foundation
Costs C$15,800
Covering the legal, administrative, and professional groundwork that keeps the project on track as we move toward production.
Getting in the Room
Costs C$6,000
Bringing Northbound at 90 into the right rooms by attending industry events, meeting with funders, and preparing pitch materials.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Pedro Vargas - Director
Pedro Vargas is a Brazilian director and the creator of this project. A published author and video game developer, Pedro has spent his career finding stories that make people feel something, and has built audiences on YouTube as large as 3 million subscribers. He directed the independent short film Frogs (2023), and on Northbound at 90 he leads the creative vision, storytelling, and editing.
What struck Pedro wasn't the 187 countries Joyce had visited, but that she was planning the 188th.
Deniz Haciyusufoglu - Producer
Deniz Haciyusufoglu is a Toronto-based Turkish producer with a background in media production and communication design. She has led pre-production pipelines, secured grants, managed budgets and schedules, and coordinated multidisciplinary teams across documentary, interactive film, and digital media. On Northbound at 90, Deniz oversees budgeting, planning, and production logistics.
Keenly interested in women-led stories with global resonance, Deniz found in Joyce a story she needed to help tell: one woman's globe-spanning life of adventure, still being written at 90.
Aidan Nickelo - Executive Producer
Aidan Nickelo is a Toronto-based executive producer and the founder of Maestria Media, the production company developing Northbound at 90. Aidan oversees the film's financing, rights, and business affairs, and leads the crowdfunding campaign for its development.
Aidan saw in Joyce's story, a perspective on life that shouldn't be unique to a woman as extraordinary as her. In bringing this documentary to the big screen, Aidan hopes to support Joyce as she continues to inspire in others the same courage, passion and sense of adventure that carried her through her journeys around the world.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Joyce Perrin set out to see the world at 57 years old. Her exploration of the world carried her further than many would expect.
7 Continents. 187 countries and territories. A journey driven not by the desire to collect stamps on a passport, but by curiosity about meeting people along the way.
Finally, she returns her focus to the one expedition that still calls her name: the Northwest Passage. Drawing on decades of travel, from tracking gorillas in Uganda to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, coral reef diving, and turning strangers into lasting friends, she commits to completing a journey she never let go of.
At 90 years old, Joyce looks back on a lifetime of daring to go further, and prepares for one more journey northbound.
Northbound at 90 is set to be a feature-length documentary following Joyce as she prepares for and embarks on her long-awaited Arctic expedition through the Northwest Passage. The film weaves three decades of extraordinary travel into the present-day reality of daring to take on one more journey, at 90 years old, against every expectation.
Behind the vision for Northbound at 90 are two creatives who care deeply about this story and why it needs to exist.
Pedro Vargas is a Brazilian director and the creator of this project. A published author and video game developer, Pedro has spent his career finding stories that make people feel something, and has built audiences on YouTube as large as 3 million subscribers. He directed the independent short film Frogs (2023), and on Northbound at 90 he leads the creative vision, storytelling, and editing.
Deniz Haciyusufoglu is a Toronto-based Turkish producer with a background in media production and communication design. She has led pre-production pipelines, secured grants, managed budgets and schedules, and coordinated multidisciplinary teams across documentary, interactive film, and digital media. On Northbound at 90, Deniz oversees budgeting, planning, and production logistics.
Together, they are making this film because Joyce's story is part of a larger and necessary conversation about aging, ambition, and what we allow ourselves to want at every stage of life.
Born in Edmonton in 1936, Joyce Perrin opened the door to a life of global adventure at 57, while continuing her professional work with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. Over 23 years she traveled the seven continents, tracking gorillas in Uganda, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, scuba diving coral reefs, and eating at the dinner tables of strangers who became friends.
Here is one of her favorite quotes:
Joyce started traveling solo when few women did, carrying nothing but curiosity and determination through countries shaped by conflict, instability, and vastly different ways of life.
Her story matters to anyone who has ever been told it's too late, too old, too risky, too much! At its core, this is a film about choosing curiosity over caution and societal expectations. When you dare to show up and follow your dreams, the world has a way of opening up to meet you.
Stories like Joyce's don't make it to the screen without an audience backing them first. Before a documentary gets made, it has to be believed in, and that belief starts here, with the people who care enough to support the project through this funding campaign.
Every contribution feeds directly into the work that gets this film made:
- The legal and administrative foundation that protects the project.
- The digital content and outreach that grows the community around it.
- The industry relationships that get Northbound at 90 in front of the right broadcasters and partners.
As you scroll through this page, you will find a range of ways to get involved, from joining our private community and receiving exclusive updates from Joyce, to meeting her in person at book signings and chapter readings. Each “tier” is an opportunity to be alongside this story as it gets made.
Pledge
Choose the tier that feels right for you and become part of this project from day one.
Follow
Every follower builds momentum and tells the industry this story matters.
Share
If Joyce's story speaks to you, pass it on. The world is full of people who have quietly set aside something they still wanted, and this might be exactly what they need to hear.
Save the image below and post it, or copy the text and send it to someone who needs to hear it:
"187 countries. 7 continents. One expedition still unfinished. At 90, Joyce Perrin is heading to the Northwest Passage. Help us make the documentary: www.maestriamedia.com/northbound"
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Content Creation & Marketing
Costs C$18,525
Growing our audience through reels, exclusive footage, and a podcast with Joyce to bring people into her world before the film is made.
Building the Foundation
Costs C$15,800
Covering the legal, administrative, and professional groundwork that keeps the project on track as we move toward production.
Getting in the Room
Costs C$6,000
Bringing Northbound at 90 into the right rooms by attending industry events, meeting with funders, and preparing pitch materials.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Pedro Vargas - Director
Pedro Vargas is a Brazilian director and the creator of this project. A published author and video game developer, Pedro has spent his career finding stories that make people feel something, and has built audiences on YouTube as large as 3 million subscribers. He directed the independent short film Frogs (2023), and on Northbound at 90 he leads the creative vision, storytelling, and editing.
What struck Pedro wasn't the 187 countries Joyce had visited, but that she was planning the 188th.
Deniz Haciyusufoglu - Producer
Deniz Haciyusufoglu is a Toronto-based Turkish producer with a background in media production and communication design. She has led pre-production pipelines, secured grants, managed budgets and schedules, and coordinated multidisciplinary teams across documentary, interactive film, and digital media. On Northbound at 90, Deniz oversees budgeting, planning, and production logistics.
Keenly interested in women-led stories with global resonance, Deniz found in Joyce a story she needed to help tell: one woman's globe-spanning life of adventure, still being written at 90.
Aidan Nickelo - Executive Producer
Aidan Nickelo is a Toronto-based executive producer and the founder of Maestria Media, the production company developing Northbound at 90. Aidan oversees the film's financing, rights, and business affairs, and leads the crowdfunding campaign for its development.
Aidan saw in Joyce's story, a perspective on life that shouldn't be unique to a woman as extraordinary as her. In bringing this documentary to the big screen, Aidan hopes to support Joyce as she continues to inspire in others the same courage, passion and sense of adventure that carried her through her journeys around the world.