Kaspar Keller

En silence du grand large, l'enfer des enfers t'attend: A Breton lighthouse keeper experiences the worst possible scenario. The Iroise Sea he loves becomes the hell of hells. MARE CRISIUM is a silent movie with a contemporary soundtrack.

MARE CRISIUM is aimed at anyone who loves the maritime world: Lighthouses, the sea, but also lakes and rivers - as well as to all lovers of arthouse cinema and silent films who would like to give their imagination a little freer rein within this genre and who enjoy new narrative forms. Due to the dangers of the sea, death is an integral part of Breton maritime culture, which can also give rise to a certain melancholy. The film also aims to forge a new way of capturing this sometimes sombre outlook on life in fresh imagery, in order to understand it. After giving it a great deal of thought, I find it difficult to name a recent film that takes a similar approach in terms of both content and form.

With MARE CRISIUM, I created a very personal tribute to all lighthouse keepers and to my friends Michelle and Grégoire Malgorn on the Breton Ouessant island. And I tell a completely fictional story, in the tradition of classic sailor's tales, that incorporates traditional elements of Breton maritime culture, such as the figure of death known as L'Ankou. What is true, what is made up, and what is imagined? The film fits well with the times we live in, in which images and their meanings are changing and blurring at an ever-faster pace.

The project is now fully complete. I am looking for an opportunity to screen it publicly for the first time and to find a distributor.