Julie
700 Sharks
When Laurent Ballesta was a little kid, he didn’t play cowboys and Indians – he dreamed of an adventurous life like his big role model: Jacques Cousteau, pioneer of oceanic exploration and marine filmmaker of the first hour. A dream come true: Today Ballesta is not only a marine biologist but one of the most renowned wild life photographers worldwide. In 700 SHARKS the Frenchman takes us along to the Pacific atoll Fakarava, where he has been studying the hunting behavior of great reef sharks for four years. English & French (English & French Subtitles)
Chasing the Thunder – Ocean Warriors
The illegal fishing trawler “Thunder” was making dirty millions for ten years – right until the ocean activists of Sea Shepherd caught sight of it. For more than 10,000 miles the Sea Shepherd vessels, the Bob Barker and the Sam Simon, chase the poachers across international waters to put a stop to the killing of protected wild life. CHASING THE THUNDER is a real-life thriller in rough seas - an epic 110-day sea chase across three oceans and two seas, where an international crew and two fearless captains proof that conviction and resilience will make a difference where governments fail. English (French Subtitles)Andy Irons - Kissed by God
The life of Andy Irons reads like the surfer’s version of the American dream. Growing up in a struggling working class family in Hawaii, his talent for riding waves was discovered early on, and it catapulted him into an unprecedented career in surfing. In KISSED BY GOD, we meet one of surfing’s all-time greats, a man who would change the sport forever but never managed to escape his own worst enemy in life and on the board—himself.
In the 1990s, Andy Irons and his brother Bruce quickly gained a reputation as young guns in the sport, firing up Hawaii’s scene and surfing as hard as they partied. While his contemporary and rival Kelly Slater is known for his composed focus, Andy Irons made a name for himself as the enfant terrible on and off the board. Both his talent and his temper remained unchecked, but what appeared to be a surfing star’s eccentricities was actually bipolar disorder, so severe that it sent Irons on a roller coaster of soaring athletic feats to the darkest depths of depression. KISSED BY GOD is not just a riveting surf portrait; it's also the heartrending story of a beloved athlete, one who pushed the limits of his sport and transcended the boundaries of his condition against all odds up and until his untimely death. English (French Subtitles)
Surfer Dan
Blown Away – Sailing Conductors
Two music aficionados sail the world and start to listen: After graduating with a degree, the sound engineers Hannes and Ben want to see the world – and they find their perfect travel companion in Marianne: With this 9 meter sailing boat and no experience to speak of, the “Sailing Conductors” embark on a life-changing journey from Sydney to Berlin – with plenty of detours and stopovers on the way. In four and a half years Hannes and Ben call at ports in 31 countries. Their goal is to record as many local musicians as they can and connect all of them through music. On tape, the Sailing Conductors introduce people from across the globe, who have never met one another in real life. This sailing adventure has not only a unique soundtrack, it will also kindle everyone’s wanderlust. German (French Subtitles)