The merchant ship “Repubblica del Brasile” is sailing between Italy, the Mediterranean, and West Africa.
There were 27 people on board, including Italians, Filipinos, and Romanians.
The film delves into the unique life experiences of seafarers and reflects on human innate needs through unique images and intimate interviews, in a surprising and engaging journey through nature, iron, wisdom, and fragility.
Director's notes
This is an independent film in the strict sense.
After a personal experience traveling on a merchant ship a few years ago, without any filmmaking plans, I reflected on what kind of unique and unprecedented context that was, and what kind of unique existence seafarers lead.
From there on, the development of a subject, the creation of a pre-production trailer, contacting the shipping company for the possibility of boarding, and the practical organization.
The three of us (director and cinematographer, second camera and editor, sound and story editor) set off on a forty-day journey from Genoa to Nigeria and back, with several stops in European and African countries and several days of sailing.
Once I got the boarding passes, I produced the rest of the film myself, which is why I said above that it is an independent film in the strict sense.
- Alessandro Cattaneo
