“Beyond the Raging Sea,” an extreme sea adventure documentary aimed at raising awareness of the global refugee crisis, is set for a wide theatrical release across the MENA region via Arab marketing and distribution company Mad Solutions and Middle East exhibitor Vox Cinemas.
The deal between the two companies and the International Emerging Film Talent Assn. (IEFTA), a not-for-profit organization that supported the doc, was announced at the EFM.
It marks a rare case of a specialty title getting major theatrical play in the region.
The doc, directed by Marco Orsini (“Dinner at the No-Gos”) and made under the patronage of the UN Refugee Agency, follows two Egyptians, Omar Samra and Omar Nour (affectionately known as O2), on their 3,000-mile journey from the Canary Islands to Antigua.
The doc premiered at Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival to positive reviews and will have its official market premiere at the EFM on Monday.
In “Beyond the Raging Sea” the 02 team, who have no previous nautical experience, set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a high-tech rowboat guaranteed not to capsize, even in the strongest storms. But five hundred miles out to sea, that’s exactly what happens.
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Its purpose was to draw attention to the global refugee crisis in which thousands lose their lives each year crossing the Mediterranean. The doc also highlights a Syrian man, who recounts how he crossed the sea with his pregnant wife and child, and a youth from Africa who describes how he saw fellow refugees drowning during their passage to Europe.
Orsini is IEFTA’s founder and president. “Beyond the Raging Sea” is produced by IEFTA in collaboration with DHL, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.