A Drop in the Ocean | The film (2025)
Last week, I (finally) finished editing A Drop in the Ocean, my first mid-length film chronicling a sailing voyage across the Atlantic that took place more than two and a half years ago! A 38-minute audiovisual logbook exploring slowness, contemplation, and a generation’s concern about the impact of travel on the planet.
After many projects combining photography and writing, this film truly took me out of my comfort zone. Months of writing and editing are now coming to an end. I’m happy to be wrapping up the process, and thrilled to have discovered a new way of telling stories.
I also composed the original soundtrack for the film; you can already listen to the EP Murmures du large on Bandcamp and YouTube!
I can’t wait to share the result with you, but I’ll first try my luck with a few adventure film festivals. The full video won’t be publicly available during the submission period. In the meantime, you can already watch the trailer for a first glimpse! The film is in French but English subtitles are available.
Synopsis
At the end of 2022, I set myself the goal of reaching South America by sailboat to explore a new cultural area and continue working on my documentary projects. After travelling without flying from France to China and then to Senegal, I once again chose to embrace slowness and contemplation. Reducing my carbon footprint felt essential, and I dreamed of experiencing an ocean crossing.
Thanks to a post I shared on a Facebook sailing group, the owners of a 10-metre monohull planning a voyage from Marseille to Martinique reached out to me. Things started to take shape. A test crossing in the Mediterranean served as both a trial run and a job interview, and it went well! I was chosen as crew member, cook, and photographer for the expedition.
A poetic logbook, the film retraces two and a half months and over 5,000 nautical miles (9,200 km) of saltwater adventures across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean; through Europe, Africa, and all the way to the gateway of the Americas.
Credits:
- Directed by: Yann Lenzen
- Cinematography, soundscapes, voice-over, editing: Yann Lenzen
- Sound mixing and mastering: Elias Menebhi-Bernard
- Original soundtrack: Yann Lenzen & Baal – Murmures du large (EP)
- Teaser and intro music: Gabriel Wilde – Echoes
Special thanks to Damien, Charlotte, and Pierre (the crew of Mélibokus), to everyone who crossed our path, and to all who contributed, directly or indirectly, to the making of this travel diary!
