Offshore Festival documentary 'Wakes' leads spectators to exciting waters

French film director Léa Rinaldi's latest documentary Sillage (Wakes in English) has just released in France. Rinaldi follows about twenty sailors who set off from France in a solo 4000 nautical-mile biennial transatlantic race.

Ian Lipinski winner of the 2015 and 2017 Transat 650 solo races sits in his boat in the mid Atlantic. He's the focal character in Léa Rinaldi's documentary, 'Wakes', 2019 Alea Productions

The characters are real-life sailors who take on an impressive life-threatening challenge. Léa Rinaldi's main character is two-time winner of the Transat 650, Ian Lipinski. He and his comrades fight the elements harder than they fight each other.

Her film is about their incredible journey, and conveys the degree of passion which keeps them going.

"They film themselves and the sea to be able to share the experience," says Rinaldi talking about her third documentary.

The film has been selected for the European Offshore Film Festival of surfing, sailing and diving films and which travels to UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Rinaldi also produced a 7-minute 360 immersive VR session with the valiant Lipinski.