TO THE SEA Film

TO THE SEA - THE FILM

To the sea is a film without dialogues, set at a stormy ocean, that could be anywhere. There is just the rough landscape, wind, music, water, the camera and the actors. We are telling the story of Maria. She lost her husband to the sea years ago. Since then she secluded herself from the world. But one day after a storm she pulls her husband out of the ocean again, alive and exactly how he was when he disappeared years ago. And a night begins, in which Maria will have to decide, whether she can continue withdrawing herself from reality - or if she will manage to find a way out of her grief and seclusion.

WHY THIS STORY IS IMPORTANT

We believe it is crucial that we open up to the world instead of living the illusion that we can withdraw ourselves from it. In all this, the power of love - that can also be a destructive power - plays a big role. Maria’s psychological isolation in the film is mirrored by the isolation of the world in which she lives: A coast, where it has become normal that corpses and people are washed up and cleaned away. Society has isolated itself from the world just like Maria. But suddenly the furnace of this world breaks: Maria is forced to overcome her loneliness. Like under a magnifying glass she stumbles into the focus of fate and reminds us what a lost human live really means, especially for those, who are left behind. Suddenly she has the opportunity to break out and see the world with living eyes again.

OUR TEAM

HAGAR ADMONI -SCHIPPER plays Maria. She grew up in Haifa and has been living and working as actress in Switzerland for 14 years now. She worked with Julian in various projects, mostly for the stage. They are good friends, and Hagar has been the favourite cast for Maria in Julians head and heart, even before To the Sea has been brought to paper.

CARLOS LEAL lives in LA, but his family comes from Viveiro in Galicia where we shoot. One of the most amazing coincidences of this project. He is a internationally know actor (007-Casino Royal), and we are delighted he agreed to take on the role of Raphael, who is unhappily in love with Maria. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1332454/

DAVID WUWARA is an internationally working film- and theatre actor, based in Vienna, We are proud and happy to have him on board! Everything about David and his work you find here: http://www.davidwurawa.com

NIKOLAUS SCHMID is a Swiss actor. He also worked together with Julian several times, but not yet as film actor. Finally we can make this desired collaboration come real. You can find infos about Nik and his work here: www.nikolaus-schmid.ch

JULIAN M. GRÜNTHAL- Script and director, works from his base in Zurich as director, actor and author for film and theatre, as cinematographer and photographer. After two feature films he codirected, To the Sea ia a big intimate project of his heart. He’s been working to realize it together with Judith and Guillermo for more than two years now. Infos about Julian and his work: www.juliangruenthal.com

JUDITH LICHTNECKERT - Producer, studied Anglistics, Media science and sociology at the university Basel. Since 2001 she works as freelance producer, assistant director, documentary- and featurefilm producer. 2013 she founded Emilia Productions GmbH. 2016 her directing debut RESET-RESTART (Doc) hit the Swiss theatres. Also Judith and Julian have worked together repeatedly, in two feature film projects that Julian codirected with Samuel Schwarz: Almost 10 years ago they realized the feature MARY&JOHNNY. Also in the context of the international feature POLDER, they continued their collaboration. Now TO THE SEA.

GUILLERMO VASQUEZ DIAZ – DOP Guille grew up in Galicia, right where we will shoot To the Sea. He graduated in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Also graduated from Prague Film School with specialization in Cinematography - together with Julian. Currently he is in his Master studies as cinematographer at the film school in Madrid.

And many more! For example: LILIANE OTT – Production manager, FABIO FERNANDEZ – Unit Manager, BERNIE ROSENFELD - 1st Assistant Director, BORJA CONDE - Production Assistant, MILKY DIAMOND - Crowdfunding, URSINA SCHMID – Costume, ISABELLE SIMMEN – Set Design, CARMEN TRIMANES – Props, DAVID CATA - Sculpture, MARIO LEMA, HUMBERTO FORERO - Gaffer&Light, MICHAEL SAUTER Sound Design&Music, ADRIAN PFISTERER, On set Sound Recordist, JANN ANDEREGG - Editor, TINO VAL - Boat Captain

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FINANCING

The Swiss Federal Office of culture agreed to support TO THE SEA, the other public sposors unfortunately decided not to support us. But that doesn’t stop us. Our team and cast carry the production with enormous enthusiasm and by agreeing to work with great salary reductions. Whatever we can, we put into the film from our own pockets. Beginning of October we can start shooting in Galicia.