Multi award-winning film Vanishing Sail launches online with Vimeo on Demand
by Vanishing Sail 4 Apr 2018 16:56 UTC
Award winning Caribbean sailing film premieres online © Vanishing Sail
Vanishing Sail is launching online just in time for the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta which features in the film. This critically acclaimed documentary follows the adventures of legendary Caribbean boat builder Alywn Enoe as he struggles to complete a traditional racing sloop in time for the Regatta. His is a dying art and his mission is to train his sons to keep these skills alive.
Having completed a successful film festival run winning seven awards, and 80 special screenings in 23 countries this mesmerizing piece of cinema is now available exclusively on Vimeo on Demand - the high quality streaming platform for independent film - in the run up to the Antigua Yacht Regatta 2018
Five years in the making, Vanishing Sail touches on many emotive themes: the importance of local culture and tradition; the challenges facing small islands; the struggle of young people finding their place in the world and the power of community to heal wounds, create beauty and ultimately overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. With a backdrop of Caribbean island life, rich in music, humour and the daring deeds of sailors and smugglers, the adventure is as entertaining as it is illuminating.
The timeless story continues to resonate with audiences at arthouse cinemas, unique venues and events, regattas, special historical and cultural institutions including Unesco World Heritage sites and coastal communities around the world. This online launch is the start of a voyage to connect with wider audiences beyond just lovers of the sea, islands and craft.
"Bringing the film to a wider audience has always been the main goal of the Vanishing Sail project, to preserve the legacy of traditional wooden boatbuilding in the Caribbean & inspire creativity wherever important skills are in danger of being lost" Alexis Andrews, Director
Vanishing Sail | The Story of a Caribbean Tradition from Indian Creek Films on Vimeo.
Synopsis
On the tiny island of Carriacou in the West Indies, the last wooden sailboat builder dreams of saving a great tradition passed down the generations from Scottish settlers that sailed there centuries ago.
"If this thing gone from here, everything gone, you know".
The film follows Alywn Enoe's journey of progress and despair over three years, from hauling trees with his sons, to a final traditional launching ceremony on the beach at Windward, Carriacou, Land of Reefs. Stories of the old Caribbean - trading by sail and smuggling contraband interweave a tribute to the independent spirit of a small island community.
Using simple tools and generations of accumulated knowledge, the Grenadines and particularly little known Carriacou has been the epicenter of wooden boatbuilding for centuries in this part of the world, a crucial craft that is in danger of vanishing, compromised on the altar of progress.
"In recent years it seems the romance of boatbuilding has acquired a more universal appeal. Perhaps people are finally waking up to the fact that our society desperately lacks manual skills and that building a boat is just about the most
creative thing you can do with wood" Jonny Nance, Cornwall, U.K.
"A haunting, captivating story that will pull heart-strings and etch in the mind of every viewer. " Jan Hein, Classic Boat
"An insightful and poignant documentary that is part social history and part Herzogian portrait of resilience and determination in a far-flung locale." Indiewire
Vanishing Sail is one of those films that is a collectors' item and can be looked at over and over. One thing about Alexis' movie is the way it covers a subject that is almost invisible and brings it into a consciousness that kindles faith and a feeling for the freedom that is inherent to sailing. H.E. Ross, Author
"Stunning Doc" American Film Institute
"Beautiful..." Derek Walcott
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