The belly of the sea

Title: El ventre del mar

Duration: 75 min

Year: 2021

Genre: Fiction Feature Film

Language: Catalan and Spanish

Target: All audiences

Direction: Agustí Villaronga

Actors: Roger Casamajor, Oskar Kapoya, Muminu Diallo

A production of Testamento and La Perifèrica Produccions; in co-production with Turkana, Link-up and Bastera; with the participation of FILMIN, TVC, IB3; the support of ICEC and ICAA; and the collaboration of Fundació Mallorca Turisme, Mallorca Film Comission, Institut Ramon Llull, Ovide, Antaviana, Elastica Films.

Synopsis

Based on real events. June 1816. The frigate l’Alliance, of the French Navy, runs aground on a sand bank off the coast of Senegal. Attempts to free the hull being futile, there is no choice but to abandon ship. Since the available boats are not enough to accommodate all the crew, a 12 meter long and 6 meter wide boat is built. They forced 147 men to board that precarious boat: soldiers, sailors, some passengers and a few officers. The ship’s evacuation plan foresees that the available boats will tow them to the quayside. Nevertheless, panic and confusion take hold of the convoy trying to reach the coast. Through cowardice or ineptitude, the bots lose contact with the ray. The rope that tows him breaks, or someone cuts it. The bots continue to approach land, but abandon the ray to its fate. The current drags it, and it disappears on the horizon.

El ventre del mar
El ventre del mar

Awards

  • Moscow International Film Festival (2021)
    Winner of the Russian Film Critic’s Award
  • Malaga Film Festival in Spanish (2021)
    Biznaga d’Or for the best Spanish film
    Best address Agustí Villaronga
    Best Male Performance Roger Casamajor
    Best screenplay Agustí Villaronga and Alessandro Baricco
    Best music Marcús J.G.R.
    Best photography Josep Maria Civit and Blai Tòmas