MetFilm Sales Acquires Luke Lorentzen's 'Boatbuilders,' Headed to Venice Premiere

MetFilm Sales has acquired worldwide sales rights to Luke Lorentzen's documentary "Boatbuilders," ahead of its world premiere at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on 7 September, according to Variety.

The film follows the construction of a 56-foot sailboat across four seasons by roughly 60 workers at the Brooklin Boat Yard, a remote harbour in Maine. It is Lorentzen's third feature documentary, after "Midnight Family" (2019) and "A Still Small Voice" (2023), both of which were shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. "A Still Small Voice" won the U.S. Documentary Best Director Award at Sundance in 2023; "Midnight Family" collected over 35 awards on the festival circuit. Lorentzen serves as director, cinematographer and editor on "Boatbuilders," producing alongside Kellen Quinn through their label Hedgehog Films.

The festival circuit for "Boatbuilders" takes shape quickly. Venice's Open Section — a non-competitive strand — hosts the world premiere on 7 September, with an additional public screening listed on the festival's programme for 8 September at 14:00, per the Venice Biennale. From the Lido, MetFilm Sales will present the title to international buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival Market in mid-September. The film then crosses the Atlantic for its North American premiere as the opening night selection of the Camden International Film Festival on 17 September.

Mitch Clare of MetFilm Sales, listed as the film's sales contact on the Venice Biennale page, praised Lorentzen's capture of the craft, collaboration and beauty of hand-building boats. MetFilm Sales' non-scripted slate also includes "To Hold a Mountain," winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and the Tribeca title "The Siege of Paradise," directed by Gar O'Rourke.

The executive producer roster on "Boatbuilders" runs deep: Zach Zuckerman, Robina Riccitiello, Josh Peters, Jonathan Weiner, Meredith Crowley, Chuck Royce, Deborah Royce, Peter Richards, Naia Cucukov, Sabrina Merage, Andrea van Beuren, Dan Janvey and Ben Fowlie. Barker Carlock serves as co-executive producer; Oscar Saint Bris is associate producer.

For a filmmaker whose previous work has twice landed on the Academy's documentary shortlist, a Venice premiere followed by a market pitch in Toronto puts "Boatbuilders" squarely in the corridor that festival-to-awards documentaries travel each autumn — the same route that turned "A Still Small Voice" into a widely acquired title after its Sundance debut.