It is from the meeting between Tip & Shaft - specialist in competitive sailing - and Pierre Marcel - film director and professional sailor, founder of the company PoPPop, that was born the Wind Sail Racing Film Festival The first edition of the competition sailing film festival will be held on February 4, 2020 at the Grand Rex in Paris.
Through this unique event in France, Pierre-Yves Lautrou, founder of Tip & Shaft, wishes to address above all amateurs and enthusiasts of ocean racing, regattas and speed. "We've been working a lot with the professional public and we've been looking for other ways to appeal to passionate amateurs than digital prisms. There are already many festivals about adventure and the sea, but none about racing." he explains.
Bring back the sea in winter, in the heart of Paris
His event was inspired by the "Nuits de la glisse" - also organized at the Grand Rex - which he eagerly awaited every year when he was a teenager. "For windsurfing enthusiasts, the content was rare. We'd read Wind and go to Sliding Nights. It allowed him to enjoy his passion in winter, in the middle of Paris, far from the sea. With the Wind Festival, we offer during the dark months (Editor's note: November, December, January, February) a little shot of images that do good while waiting for the season to start again."
Real movies
On the Internet, there are many clips or images of the sea, but only for very short periods of time. Rare are the films with authors' biases. The organizers' wish is to offer real cinematic images and documentaries, exclusive and unpublished films.
The first feature film broadcast will be Maiden The Whitbread, a documentary film retracing the participation of an all-female crew led by sailor Tracy Edwards on the mythical round-the-world race, now called The Ocean Race, the Whitbread.
"A time in the race for an Oscar nomination, this documentary echoes and was brilliantly directed. He certainly talks about boats, but also about the place of women in the sailing world 30 years ago. Through several stages of the Withbread, the author describes the Anglo-Saxon women's world view of sailing at the time. This film has inspired a lot of female sailors, like Sam Davies."
Three other films will be shown on the big screen of the Parisian cinema. The titles will be revealed in the next few days, but Pierre-Yves confides that he had films specially produced for the event.
The sailors on stage
To the public's delight, the sailors from the films being shown will be on stage to show the other side of the scene. Two former Maiden team members - Marie-Claude Heys and Michèle Paret - will be in Paris to share their memories.
The godmother of the event - Samantha Davies - will also be on stage on February 4, 2020.
Good plan
Don't panic to book, thanks to the discount code WINDBATEAUX , get a 20% discount on your entrance fee to be booked here .
Practical information
Timetable: 7:30 p.m., doors open at 7:00 p.m
Location: Grand Rex cinema in Paris
Number of films: 4
Price: 19 euros per seat instead of 24 euros
