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Belov: A Life at Sea

Award-winning and endorsed by UNESCO, "Belov: A Life at Sea" is the first biographical documentary on the greatest Brazilian sailor by distance traveled; the living legend who spent, in total, ten years at sea.

Setting sail from Salvador - Bahia - Brazil, Capital of the Blue Amazon, the Ukrainian Brazilian explorer Aleixo Belov has already circumnavigated the globe five times, three of them alone, aboard a little sailboat built in his own backyard.

  • Tiago Abubakir
    Director
  • Tiago Abubakir
    Producer
  • Tiago Abubakir
    Writer
  • Luiz Humberto Campos
    Writer
  • Leonardo Papini
    Images (all expedition records)
  • Aleixo Belov
    Images
  • Tiago Abubakir
    Images
  • Adson Almeida
    Images
  • Hélio Viana
    Images
  • Tiago Abubakir
    Editor
  • Aleixo Belov
    Key Cast
    "As himself"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Belov: Uma Vida no Mar
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Biography, Adventure, Ocean
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 18, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    8,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    HDCAM
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.33:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Ocean Films Húsavík
    Húsavík
    Iceland
    July 19, 2024
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Wild Oceans FilmFest
    Gijón
    Spain
    Spanish Premiere
    Finalist / Nominee: Best Young Director Award
  • ONA Short Film Festival
    Venice
    Italy
    September 7, 2024
    Italian Premiere
    Winner: "Best Adventure"
  • ONA Short Film Festival
    Venice
    Italy
    September 7, 2024
    Italian Premiere
    Winner: "CAI Award (Best Short Film)"
  • Friday Harbor Film Festival
    San Juan Islands
    United States
    October 24, 2024
    North American Premiere
    Winner: "Best Overall - Young Filmmakers Showcase Audience Choice Award (18-26 y.o)"
  • Big Blue Film Festival
    Newport
    United States
    January 25, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Festival de Cine del Mar
    Concepción
    Chile
    May 9, 2025
    Chilean Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Barcelona Indie Awards
    Barcelona
    Spain
    Nominee: Best Inspirational Film
  • Kuala Lumpur International Film Academy Awards
    Kuala Lumpur
    Malaysia
    Asian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Memorial Maria Luisa
    Oviedo
    Spain
    Official Selection
  • Sinédoque
    Rio de Janeiro
    Brazil
    September 27, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Mostra Brasileira de Filmes Polares
    São Paulo
    Brazil
    October 11, 2025
    Official Selection
  • Mata Atlântica EcoFestival
    Curitiba
    Brazil
    August 21, 2025
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Adventure Sports TV
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand, Pay Per View
  • Globoplay
    Distributor
    Country: Brazil
    Rights: Video on Demand
  • Canal OFF
    Distributor
    Country: Brazil
    Rights: Paid TV
Director Biography - Tiago Abubakir

Tiago Abubakir is an award-winning Brazilian filmmaker, with a restless drive to explore the edges of storytelling. Since 2017, he’s been creating work that spans narrative fiction, branded content, VFX, and immersive video mapping.

With a portfolio that crosses genres, formats, and continents, his clients include Globoplay, Canal OFF and Amazon Prime Video. Passionate about writing and editing, Tiago is driven by a single goal: to tell stories that resonate far beyond the screen.

"Belov: A Life at Sea" is his very first documentary project.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

From the Capital of the Blue Amazon to the World.

Internationally recognized, "Belov: A Life at Sea" is the very first biographical documentary film about one of the most emblematic figures in the Brazilian sea universe; the war immigrant that, in addition to having spent ten years at sea, being a living testimony to man's capabilities, is the builder of a powerful legacy that continuously amazes all generations.

This is the tribute to his life and career.

As a young film director who's always been passionate about the sea, I was more than determined and excited to generate an engaging experience to global audiences through sophisticated manipulation of the cinematographic language.

It took me about one year to get this film made. At the beginning of everything, it was just me, a friend of mine of the same age and the following desire: to tell Belov's rich story in a synthetic, poetic and epic way, for the first time.