Boris Herrmann – The Race

  • nordische filmtage

"The sea is my workplace and the place I love the most. But unfortunately, it is also the scene of climate change."

Year

2025

Length

28 min 

Director

Jan Zabeil

Share

Synopsis

In 80 days, Boris Herrmann circumnavigates the globe, nonstop and completely alone on his sailing boat in the toughest regatta of the world – the Vendée Globe. He struggles with extreme weather and lightning strikes, fear of heights and loneliness – and time and again something breaks on his boat, which could potentially mean the end for him. But for Boris Herrmann, this regatta is not just about rankings, it’s about much more: the race against climate change. To support science, he collects valuable data on CO2 on his route that brings him to the most remote regions of the oceans, where no commercial ship ever gets to. The data is so important, because, as hardly anyone knows, the oceans produce the oxygen for every second breath we take!

We follow the investigators Oliver Huth (Germany), Massimiliano D’Angelantonio (Italy), Maurizia Quattrone (Interpol) and others throughout their four years of meticulous preparation for the largest coordinated strike against the ’Ndrangheta. On May 3rd, 2023, more than 3,000 police officers executed arrests worldwide simultaneously.

After extensive research we gained access to the inside story of the former Mafia Boss Luigi Bonaventura. He shares insights into the successful expansion of the mafia organization, its methods and rites, and how he was trained from childhood on, even playing with real guns. His decision to turn his back on the ’Ndrangheta and become a mafia hunter was driven by his desire to protect his children and the woman he loves.

Written and directed by
Jan Zabeil

Director of Photography
Jan Zabeil
Boris Herrmann
Niclas Reed Middleton
Antoine Auriol
Guillaume Gatefait
Jimmy Horel
Ricardo Pinto
 
Sound
Thomas Funk
 
Sound-Mix
Mario Walter-Kugler
 

Editing
Martin Reimers

Music
Fabian Fenk
Philipp Koller
Uwe Bossenz
 
Light
Max Berg
Henning Gebhardt

Commissioning Editors
Marc Brasse (NDR)

Produced by
Kerstin Meyer-Beetz
 
Producer
Christian Beetz
 
Boris Herrmann – The Race
Trailer

Produced by

  • beetz

In co-production with

  • ard

Funded by

  • arte
  • gmpf
  • bund
  • mbb
  • fms nrw
  • iDM

Boris Herrmann – The Race

  • nordische filmtage

"The sea is my workplace and the place I love the most. But unfortunately, it is also the scene of climate change."

Year

2025

Length

28 min 

Director

Jan Zabeil

Share

Synopsis

In 80 days, Boris Herrmann circumnavigates the globe, nonstop and completely alone on his sailing boat in the toughest regatta of the world – the Vendée Globe. He struggles with extreme weather and lightning strikes, fear of heights and loneliness – and time and again something breaks on his boat, which could potentially mean the end for him. But for Boris Herrmann, this regatta is not just about rankings, it’s about much more: the race against climate change. To support science, he collects valuable data on CO2 on his route that brings him to the most remote regions of the oceans, where no commercial ship ever gets to. The data is so important, because, as hardly anyone knows, the oceans produce the oxygen for every second breath we take!

We follow the investigators Oliver Huth (Germany), Massimiliano D’Angelantonio (Italy), Maurizia Quattrone (Interpol) and others throughout their four years of meticulous preparation for the largest coordinated strike against the ’Ndrangheta. On May 3rd, 2023, more than 3,000 police officers executed arrests worldwide simultaneously.

After extensive research we gained access to the inside story of the former Mafia Boss Luigi Bonaventura. He shares insights into the successful expansion of the mafia organization, its methods and rites, and how he was trained from childhood on, even playing with real guns. His decision to turn his back on the ’Ndrangheta and become a mafia hunter was driven by his desire to protect his children and the woman he loves.

Written and directed by
Jan Zabeil

Director of Photography
Jan Zabeil
Boris Herrmann
Niclas Reed Middleton
Antoine Auriol
Guillaume Gatefait
Jimmy Horel
Ricardo Pinto
 
Sound
Thomas Funk
 
Sound-Mix
Mario Walter-Kugler
 

Editing
Martin Reimers

Music
Fabian Fenk
Philipp Koller
Uwe Bossenz
 
Light
Max Berg
Henning Gebhardt

Commissioning Editors
Marc Brasse (NDR)

Produced by
Kerstin Meyer-Beetz
 
Producer
Christian Beetz
 
Boris Herrmann – The Race
Trailer

Produced by

  • beetz

In co-production with

  • ard

Funded by

  • arte
  • gmpf
  • bund
  • mbb
  • fms nrw
  • iDM