06 Jan Mountainfilm: “Maidentrip” to screen in New York 1/17
The story of a girl’s dream to be the youngest person ever to sail around the world – alone!
“Maidentrip” won the hearts and minds of the Mountain in Telluride audience when the film screened in town over festival weekend last May. Among its many fans was Mountainfilm director David Holbrooke, who singled out the documentary for his coveted Director’s Award.
In the new year, “Maidentrip” gets a leg up when it opens on the big screen Friday, January 17, at IFC Center, 323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street.
The opening screening will be followed by a filmmaker Q & A. Other screenings over opening weekends will also include a Q & A, so check the schedule.
Telluride Inside… and Out’s Emily Shoff interviewed the director for the run up to Mountainfilm 2013. Below is her story.
Emily’s spin on “Maidentrip”:
When the Dutch fourteen year old Laura Dekker set out to sail around the world solo, she embraced the following motto: “Do not be afraid.” It was this fearlessness and determination that inspired filmmaker Jillian Schlesinger to capture Laura’s story in her film Maidentrip.
- “Maidentrip” tells of an epic journey—from Laura’s legal battles with the Dutch government to her eventual approval for the trip, and her time aboard the boat sailing around the world. Throughout the film, we are reminded to challenge our assumptions about what the sea is like and what teenagers can do. Everything, we learn, is possible.
Because “Maidentrip” was Jillian’s first film, Laura’s motto about fear not only informed the story, but also the filmmaking process.
“Anytime you set out to do something, there are a thousand voices telling you that you’re wrong,” Jillian said, explaining how she would often think about Laura when she was struggling with the film. “At times, I felt as if Laura and I were on parallel journeys, both striving for lifelong goals, both learning along the way.”
The film was not without its challenges.
“Most of the story takes place while Laura is alone at sea,” Jillian explained, “so it was up to her to capture the bulk of the action.”
Laura shot video diaries with a camcorder and Jillian gave Laura lists of topics to talk about into a Zoom sound recorder while alone on the boat. She also met and filmed with Laura several times during her journey– in Holland, the Panama Canal, the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, Australia, and South Africa.
“It was always exciting to collect the material Laura shot on the latest leg of the trip and see how the story was unfolding.”
At one point, Jillian sailed across the Pacific Ocean on another sailboat with friends, but “Laura was too fast for us,” Jillian said, chuckling. “She thought it was fun to race us, and in the end, we never saw her.”
But even though Jillian didn’t get to film Laura in the Pacific, the experience of crossing the ocean was invaluable.
“Being out there gave me a sense of rhythm and monotony that can often characterize long ocean crossings. Of course there are also moments of challenge and adventure—when you encounter a squall or see wildlife or need to fix something. But compared to life on land, things move at a difference pace,” Jillian said to clarify how time feels so different when you’re on the water for weeks on end.
For a preview of “Maidentrip”, watch the trailer:
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.