Exhilarating SAIL

The documentary follows the competition through the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series and into the America’s Cup Match between Defender Emirates Team New Zealand and INEOS Britannia.

Filmed over two years, SAIL combines behind-the-scenes footage with spectacular imagery captured on board the AC75s and among the racing fleet.

IMAX-certified digital cameras were used to put viewers close to the action aboard the foiling yachts, which can reach speeds exceeding 100 km/h.

But the film looks beyond the technology and high-speed racing to explore the human side of an America’s Cup campaign – the pressure, ambition, rivalries and personal sacrifices involved in competing for one of sport’s most coveted trophies.

Among the central figures is Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton, whose team entered Barcelona as Defender. The documentary also follows the challenge mounted by Sir Ben Ainslie and INEOS Britannia, backed by INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli CEO Max Sirena features prominently following the Italian team’s defeat by INEOS Britannia in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, while American Magic CEO Terry Hutchinson provides another perspective on the personal and professional demands of mounting a Cup campaign.

Two-time America’s Cup winner Ernesto Bertarelli, who won the trophy with Alinghi in 2003 and 2007, also appears throughout the film, reflecting on what it takes to win – and lose – the America’s Cup.

The documentary draws heavily on footage captured by the America’s Cup broadcast operation, including previously unseen material from aboard the yachts and behind the scenes with the teams.

The result promises an unusually intimate view of the personalities and rivalries behind a competition where design, technology, money and sporting ambition converge.

Following its Venice Film Festival premiere, SAIL is expected to screen at further film festivals ahead of wider distribution.

americascup.com