Relaunching the competitive sailing film festival
In 2020, the first competitive sailing film festival, the Wind Festival, was held, inaugurated on February 4th at the Grand Rex in Paris. A memorable premiere that gathered more than 2,000 people. In October of the same year, a second edition managed to be held in Lorient before a new confinement. The 2021 edition was logically cancelled.
"During this time, we thought about a new project and launched an on-demand competition sailing video platform Sailorz. We logically decided to relaunch the film festival renamed Sailorz Film Festival to meet the demand of enthusiasts while displaying new ambitions." explains Pierre-Yves Lautrou, co-founder of Tip&Shat, a media company specializing in competitive sailing, which initiated the Sailorz Film Festival.
In 2022, 11 performances will take place all over France, starting on March 3 in Lorient, and ending on April 1 in Nantes, with a Parisian performance at the Grand Rex on March 17. ( Buy your tickets on the Festival's box office )
"We're keeping that dual promise of offering never-before-seen and exclusive films, but also bringing sailors to the stage in all of these cities, whether they're by the sea or not." explains Pierre-Yves Lautrou.
A program of films and meetings detailed by the organization
On the evening program, the screening of 4 films, followed by an exchange with the sailors and the directors after each screening . The three short films will be shown first, followed by an intermission, after which the audience will be able to enjoy an unseen feature film that will be shown later in the cinema.
Sleepless Night in Ocean Fifty (15 min, 2022)
"This is an excerpt from the series made around the Pro Sailing Tour that took place in 2020. Each stage was the subject of a video story that will be broadcast on Canal +. This is a 15 minute excerpt from the first episode which recounts the night race that took place in Brest. Thanks to the microphones and mediamans on board, we can experience the skippers' feelings: excitement, congratulations, adrenaline, etc. We are close to them thanks to this immersive, contemporary and modern production. It's a very contemporary sailing and cinema film, very well directed and produced and very modern in the practice of sailing and cinematographic treatment."
Atlantic Express (10 min, 1980)
"It's a flashback. We go back to 1980 to follow Tabarly on Paul Ricard in his North Atlantic Record attempt. We found this nugget in the collection of Dominique Pipat, father of the mediamans, who sailed a lot and filmed Tabarly, at sea and on land. He made a film of this victory and created a short film that we are showing at the Festival. We find ourselves on an aluminum trimaran, at a time when spinnakers were still being rigged. You don't realize how much commitment it required. Jean-Louis Trintignant is incredible in voice-over. For many, we have forgotten how we used to sail."
Duel (26 min, 2022)
"It is about the confrontation between Pierre Quiroga and Xavier Macaire in the last Solitaire du Figaro. The film is co-produced by Tip&Shaft. It tells the story of the confrontation between two sailors who will quickly take the 1st and 2nd place in the fleet and will compete during 4 stages. We filmed the set, but also their common router Dominique Vittet, the race director Francis Le Goff. These are unprecedented images to experience the Solitaire from the inside. We have rarely filmed the race in this way. There is intensity, emotion. It's very strong, hardcore sailing for pure boat fans."
Alone around the world (1 h 20, 2022)
"It's a movie that will be released in September 2022. It's the story of the Vendée Globe, the abandonment of the race and the end of Sam Davies' circumnavigation. It is both shot with a smartphone for the onboard sessions and shot from land with the team manager who confides. We share the point of view of Sam and the team. It is an interesting ping-pong. We will also discover the never broadcasted images of the accident, during her collision with a UFO. She is committed, she does not let go. The team repaired the boat so that Sam could finish her round-the-world trip. It's a very nice film, more mainstream. It is quite strong. We discover images that have not been seen much, if at all. The film lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes and you don't see the time pass!
Guest stars present at each edition
As in the previous edition, the sailors and directors will be present on stage to reveal the backstage of the film.
"We'll have an Ocean Fifty rider on every screening and a mediaman on some. Guillaume Mazurage, a comic book author, will come and talk about the Tabarly film on 5 of the 11 dates. He is one of the best connoisseurs of the record, he is drawing a comic book about it. Fred Monsonnec, host of the Foilers website will also come to share his knowledge. A fan of Paul Ricard, he is an enlightened expert. Jean Le Cam will also come to share his experience of the trimaran.
Pierre Quiroga and Xavier Macaire will also be present, together or alone, on several dates. Sam Davies and his Team Manager David Sineau will be present on half of the dates."
