If one couldn’t buy into the harrowing one-man adventure at sea with All is Lost, perhaps a true tale will be up your alley. At the age of 14, after much struggle with the government, Laura Dekker, became the youngest person to trek around the globe in her sailboat. She thankfully brought a camera with her and the result is Maidentrip, a documentary which will be hitting theaters this weekend in limited release.
Tracking the lead-up to her August 21st, 2010 departure, and the end of her journey, on January 21st, 2012, the film picked up the Visions Audience Award at SXSW. Although Dekker shot the footage herself, the documentary is directed by Jillian Schlesinger, who was the leading creative force in the preparation for shooting, as well as post-production. Judging from this first trailer, it looks to effectively cull together this fascinating journey, and one can check it out below.
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out—camera in hand—on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to be the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone. In the wake of a year-long battle with Dutch authorities that sparked a global storm of media scrutiny, Laura now finds herself far from land, family and unwanted attention, exploring the world in search of freedom, adventure, and distant dreams of her early youth at sea. Jillian Schlesinger’s debut feature amplifies Laura’s brave, defiant voice through a mix of Laura’s own video and voice recordings at sea and intimate vérité footage from locations including the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, Australia, and South Africa.
Maidentrip opens this Friday.