The Belly of the Sea directed by Agustí Villaronga has been selected for the 34th European Film Awards.
After the wreck of a ship, 147 men try to survive, confined in a raft adrift in the middle of the sea. This shipwreck was immortalized by Théodore Géricault in the famous canvas The Raft of the Medusa, preserved in the Louvre Museum. The italian writer Alessandro Baricco narrates these events in the novel Oceano Mare, into the chapter titled El Vientre del Mar.
A conflict that recalls the wound of a man. June of 1816. The French frigate Alliance Navy runs aground in front of the Senegal coast. As there aren’t enough lifeboats to rescue all of the crew members, a precarious boat is built and 147 men are forced to get on board, leaving them to their fate. Hunger, the weather’s inclemency, madness and a violent fight is triggered on this drifting boat. A never-ending horror. Out of these 147 men, only nine survived. One of them was Savigny, a relentless medical officer, and Thomas a rebel naval private. Confronted, they live this situation showing different attitudes to survive. A scene where they show the biggest cruelty and the most tender commiseration.
European Film Awards
The European Film Awards annually honour the greatest achievements in European cinema. Voted for by the members of the European Film Academy, 4,000 filmmakers from across Europe, the awards are presented in a total of 25 categories.