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Below The Cliff

At the bottom of the cliff of Belle Ile en mer, marine life has never been so rare. After decades of overfishing and human disruption, marine life has greatly decreased. At times, it has almost disappeared. And yet, despite the obstacles, some populations persist, clinging to rocks and the waves, and evolve secretly move at each step of this vertical world. This is the purpose of this film: to inhabit the cliffs, to reveal their strange beauty, their fragility, to see them again, once again.

  • Matthieu Thierry Marie HAENTJENS
    Director
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    La Falaise
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 14 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 16, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    4,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    France
  • Country of Filming:
    France
  • Language:
    French
  • Shooting Format:
    digital, 1080p 60fps
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Vimeo
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: Internet
Director Biography - Matthieu Thierry Marie HAENTJENS

Le 11 août 1999, en plein milieu de l'été, une eclypse solaire totale se produit. Pour son anniversaire, qui a lieu exactement le même jour, Mateo HAENTJENS reçoit alors deux cadeaux de ses parents : une paire de lunettes solaires en carton (pour observer l'eclypse), et un ensemble masque/tuba pour aller plonger. Pendant que tout le monde regarde l'eclypse, Mateo lui, a la tête sous l'eau. Ce qu'il verra ce jour là, en dessous de la surface, il ne s'en remettra jamais. Depuis, il plonge partout dans le monde avec son appareil photo avec comme mission de montrer au monde la beauté du milieu marin, et l'importance de le sauvegarder

On August 11, 1999, in the middle of summer, a total solar eclypse occurred in Western Europe. For his birthday, which took place on exactly the same day, Mateo Haentjens received two gifts from his parents: a pair of cardboard sunglasses (to observe the eclypse), and a mask/snorkel set to go diving. While all the other kids are watching the eclypse, Mateo's head is underwater.
And what he saw that day, below the surface, he never recovered from it. An entire new world, made of water, colors and interesting sounds. Since then, Mateo has been diving all over the world with his camera with the mission of showing people the beauty of the marine environment, and the importance of safeguarding it.

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Director Statement

J'espère que voir ces animaux de près, dans les yeux, vous émerveillera autant que cela m'a émerveillé au moment de filmer les plongées. Mais plus important encore, j'espère que cela vous inspirera à faire plus pour la protection des océans. C'est le but de ce film : la conservation.

I hope that seeing free, wild animals up close will amaze you just the way it amazed me. But most importantly, I hope it will inspire people to do more for marine life protection. This is the purpose of this work : conservation.