Tim Gray
3 Jul 2021
The documentary “Beyond the Raging Sea” will make its European premiere July 4 as the centerpiece presentation of the Monaco Streaming Film Festival. The screening will take place in Monte Carlo’s Grimaldi Forum prior to the Festival’s Gala Awards evening. The film’s writer-director, Marco Orsini, will attend.
The Streaming Festival debuts this year, running July 3-6. Organizers describe it as a hybrid “festival-meets-summit” experience, celebrating the streaming industry’s content, makers, creators and talent, providing industry inside know-how during the event which is described as technologically-driven.
Given the times, the fest has a live streaming platform, which will feature all of the virtual-only content, conferences, marketplace, premieres and panels. The event is being held in conjunction with the Reg Grundy Innovation Award, the Princess Grace Foundation, the White Feather Foundation and the GEMA Foundation.
“Beyond the Raging Sea” follows the true-life rescue story of Egyptian athletes Omar Samra and Omar Nour as they travel the perilous 3,000 nautical mile journey from the Canary Islands to Antigua. Their presence was part of an annual ocean-rowing race called the Atlantic Challenge. The two athletes found their lives in danger due to the rough seas, requiring rescue — basically the same experience as many refugees.
Samra and Nour dedicated their row to raising awareness of the global refugee crises. In 2021 so far, at least 500 people are known to have lost their lives trying to make the dangerous sea crossing along the Central Mediterranean route, a huge jump from the 150 in the same period in 2020. The goal of the Egyptian athletes (and, by extension, of the documentary) is to illustrate the importance of search-and-rescue operations and to increase alternative pathways, so that refugees do not resort to such dangerous journeys.