THE SEA THAT THINKS (incl. trailer!)
Feauture Film / Documentary
2002
THE SEA THAT THINKS is a surprising film about itself. A film brimming with twists and turns and new angles. It focuses on Bart, a scriptwriter who is writing the script for this film. In the film, Bart himself plays the scriptwriter writing the script of The Sea That Thinks. He types what he does and does what he types.
In his film, he finds the answer to the urgent question: How do we become happy? He uses stunning examples to show us that our world is only to be found in our consciousness. What is real and what is illusion? Do we believe in our dream world while we dream? Do we believe in the reality of film while we see it? And why? His combination of pictures and text has a hypnotic effect on the viewer. It provides an exciting, dislocating and humorous adventure.
Then it becomes apparent that the film is not about this tormented scriptwriter at all. In a game filled with optical illusions and continually changing points of view, the surprised viewers gradually find out they are looking at themselves: how do I observe? What do I assume to be true? What do I think I see? What do I think I am? The viewer turns out to bear a striking similarity to the Sea that thinks it's a Tree.
In his film, he finds the answer to the urgent question: How do we become happy? He uses stunning examples to show us that our world is only to be found in our consciousness. What is real and what is illusion? Do we believe in our dream world while we dream? Do we believe in the reality of film while we see it? And why? His combination of pictures and text has a hypnotic effect on the viewer. It provides an exciting, dislocating and humorous adventure.
Then it becomes apparent that the film is not about this tormented scriptwriter at all. In a game filled with optical illusions and continually changing points of view, the surprised viewers gradually find out they are looking at themselves: how do I observe? What do I assume to be true? What do I think I see? What do I think I am? The viewer turns out to bear a striking similarity to the Sea that thinks it's a Tree.
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director
Gert de Graaf
author
Gert De Graaff
co-production
NPS, Rene Scholten: Studio Nieuwe Gronden
length
100 min
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cast
Bart Klever
Rick de Leeuw
Don Duyns
Rick de Leeuw
Don Duyns
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website
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awards & nominations
Joris Ivens Award: IDFA Amsterdam
Grand Prix best feature film Rhode Island International Film Festival
Best First Feature Film Award Wine Country Film Festival
Experimental Feature DIFF Award Dahlonega International Film Festival
Golden Key Award for Best Camera: Art Film Festival, Teplice, Slovak Republic
Special Jury Award: Art Film Festival, Teplice, Slovak Republic
Grand Prix best feature film Rhode Island International Film Festival
Best First Feature Film Award Wine Country Film Festival
Experimental Feature DIFF Award Dahlonega International Film Festival
Golden Key Award for Best Camera: Art Film Festival, Teplice, Slovak Republic
Special Jury Award: Art Film Festival, Teplice, Slovak Republic
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festivals
Panorama Section Official Selection Berlinale, Berlin
IDFA Amsterdam (awarded)
Berlinale - Panorama
Rotterdam Int. filmfest
Sao Paolo-It's all true
Minneapolis/St.Pauls filmfest
Philadelphia filmfest
Pärnu int. filmfest
St. Peterusburg Message to Man.
Moscow Int Film Fest.
Teplice Art Fiction (awarded)
Dahlonega filmfest (awarded)
Karlovy Vary, Winecountry filmfest
Rhode Island, Zakynthos
Umea, Figuera da Foz, Serpa, Haifa
Warschau, Pusan, Gent, Festival di Popoli
IDFA Amsterdam (awarded)
Berlinale - Panorama
Rotterdam Int. filmfest
Sao Paolo-It's all true
Minneapolis/St.Pauls filmfest
Philadelphia filmfest
Pärnu int. filmfest
St. Peterusburg Message to Man.
Moscow Int Film Fest.
Teplice Art Fiction (awarded)
Dahlonega filmfest (awarded)
Karlovy Vary, Winecountry filmfest
Rhode Island, Zakynthos
Umea, Figuera da Foz, Serpa, Haifa
Warschau, Pusan, Gent, Festival di Popoli
trailer
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poster
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stills







