by Jola Wieczorek (Austria 2020)

The Mediterranean has always played a central role in our world. It is crossed, made use of, enjoyed, feared and loved every day, every night. Stories from the Sea portrays women aboard three vessels who experience the Mediterranean Sea as a place of longing, a place of work, or a scene of human encounters. The all-encompassing waters, unceasing waves and distant horizons are elements that link the protagonists, regardless of their motivation to go out to sea.

“We started working with RCS at a stage when we felt to be stuck in a dead end, going in circles. The conversations with the consulting editors and Anne Fabini and Niels Pagh Andersen gave us a new look on our material, the edit and many fresh ideas. The feedback also helped us to look at our film from an audience perspective and discover what is working and what not and why. We started to try out things with new confidence which led us to change the film structure and way of storytelling. In a very short time we reached a stage, in which we felt that we have a real film in between our hands. We are very grateful and thankful for this fruitful collaboration. I feel I have now the film that I have been always looking for, that is sincere and close to me and at the same time works with the audience.” Jola Wieczorek, director & producer.