MetFilm Sales has acquired worldwide sales rights to “Boatbuilders,” Luke Lorentzen’s portrait of a Maine boatbuilding community, which is set to receive its world premiere in the Open Section of the 83rd Venice Intl. Film Festival on Sept. 7.
MetFilm Sales will present the film to buyers at the upcoming Toronto Intl. Film Festival Market in mid-September. It will have its North America premiere as the opening night film of the Camden Intl. Film Festival on Sept. 17.
“Boatbuilders” is Lorentzen’s third feature documentary, following his Oscar-shortlisted films “Midnight Family” and “A Still Small Voice.”
At the head of a remote Maine harbor, the 60-some workers of the Brooklin Boat Yard coax wooden planks around a frame, make precise saw cuts, and sand edges for flawless joints, resulting in some of the most stunning and sought-after wooden vessels in the world. Over the course of four seasons, Lorentzen tracks the boatbuilders’ meticulous construction of a 56-foot sailboat while embedding us in the lives of these men and their close-knit community.
Mitch Clare, MetFilm Sales, said, “There’s something incredibly profound and timely about watching people come together to create these magnificent boats by hand, and Luke captures the craft, collaboration and beauty of that process in such a remarkable way.”
