Jean-Baptiste Bonnet
France | 2024 | 91 min
World premiere
Languages : English, Arabic
Subtitles : English, French
Perception Change Award
Since 2016, nearly 40,000 people have been rescued by the Ocean Viking, the ambulance ship chartered by SOS Méditerranée. Jean-Baptiste Bonnet spent weeks on board capturing the smallest nooks and crannies of this confined space, and deciphering the political and human issues at stake during this time of suspension at the gates of Europe, between rescue and disembarkation.
The Ocean Viking is the protagonist of Save Our Souls; it is at once a character, a world unto itself, an image and a metonymy: a single part that shines a light on the whole. On deck, an international crew is bustling, rehearsing vocabulary, gestures and rules, spending hours watching the sea through their binoculars, expecting the worst. The humanitarian ship often appears in the headlines, but Jean-Baptiste Bonnet has explored every nook and cranny of this microcosm to bring us its true essence. The danger of the vast, blue expanse, enemies who must be reminded of the rules of international waters and, finally, the human bonds forged on board. It is necessarily unique, intense, confined in both time and space. Hope, smiles, trauma, bodies and wounds are all brought to light. Living together simply, for a few hours or more, while waiting for permission to dock in a port, to disembark in Europe... Heroism plays no part here, either aboard the ship or in the film; a beautiful lesson in humility.
Anne Delseth
Anne Delseth
Save Our Souls, 2024
Here Were Roaring Lions, 2022
Zones, 2018
Here Were Roaring Lions, 2022
Zones, 2018
Trailer
Themed walks
Filmmakers or researchers from UNIL will take you on a walk through the streets of Nyon to delve into and deepen your appreciation of this film’s subject. Balade avec Elliot Guy (SOS Méditerranée) et Jean-Baptiste Bonnet (réalisateur de Save Our Souls)
Photography
Jean-Baptiste Bonnet
Sound
Jean-Baptiste BonnetNicolas JolyEmmanuel Soland
Editing
François Sculier
Production
Jean-Baptiste BonnetHabilis Productions
Sales contact
Stephan RiguetAndana Filmssriguet@andanafilms.com