Bilbao (ESP), 26 November 2019 – Summarising the sailing season and celebrating the best professional directors and cameramen from all over the world: this is the aim of the Mirabaud Sailing Video Award. An objective achieved for the third consecutive year, with no less than 34 videos illustrating both Olympic sailing and ocean racing, solo or crewed sailing, not to mention classic yachts: the DNA of our sport.
The Main Prize was awarded by an international Jury composed of Nathalie Quéré, Nic Douglas, Elena Otekina, Nicolas Mirabaud, Nico Martinez and Nacho Gomez-Zarzuela. The overall winner is Manuel Llario (ESP) and his video Feel Traditional Sailing. A beautiful tribute to classic yachts, filmed during the Puig Vela Clásica regatta in Barcelona (ESP). Manuel Llario worked with Vicente José Robles Ribalta (production), and both represent Tactic Audiovisual.
Yann Riou (FRA, polaRYSE) finishes second, very close from the winner, with his video Maxi Edmond de Rothschild taking off to Brest Atlantiques. Media man aboard the trimaran, he filmed Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier in action. Third of the contest, Ricardo Pinto (POR) filmed Greta Thunberg, Boris Herrmann and Pierre Casiraghi during their Atlantic crossing onboard Malizia and produced a video entitled: The Future is now!
“It is an honour to receive such a prestigious international award,” says Manuel Llario, winner of the Mirabaud Sailing Video Award 2019. “It is a great reward for the work we do with so much effort and affection all year round, in all the events we cover. I am proud to be working with a great team on a daily basis. They all contributed to this success, through filing, writing and producing this video, which I edited.
The Puig Vela Clásica Regatta is a very important event in the Spanish regatta calendar, attended by sailors from all over Europe. It is also a true audiovisual show, with magical images. It is precisely this enchantment of classic yachts that we wanted to convey in this video. For me, the classic sail is the very essence of every modern boat. The way they are being sailed and the sense of tradition that emanates from them are unique.”
Nicolas Mirabaud, Managing Partner of the Mirabaud Group and member of the international jury, said he was impressed by the video. “Congratulations to Manuel Llario on this very fine edit, which clearly makes the link, translated into images, between naval tradition and technical innovation. The author managed to capture the emotion of the sailors and show the commitment and precision needed to sail these demanding boats. I cannot help but see a parallel between the Mirabaud Group, which is now celebrating its 200th anniversary, and our daily desire to innovate and advance with talented men and women.”
The Public Award provides a high visibility to the contest, thanks to the viral circulation of the videos on the social networks. More than 20,000 people voted this year, and the victory goes to José Cigarrán (ESP) from Mundo Nautica. Homes e maquinas illustrates the Sail GP circuit, at the cutting edge of technology. Cherie Bridges (UK, 1080 MEDIA TV) – Clipper 2019-20 Race, finishes second, while Pierre Lallement (FR, JAGUANUM) – Morning Flying completes the podium.
Finally, the 2019 Special Award goes to Ricardo Pinto (POR) for his film The Future is now! “This video tells the story of Great Thunberg's Atlantic crossing onboard Malizia. It is clearly the subject that gave most visibility to the sport of sailing this year, which is paradoxical. Ricardo Pinto's “behind the scene” vision is, in our opinion, to be commended,” said Bernard Schopfer, the founder of the Mirabaud Sailing Video Award.
The winners were celebrated tonight in Bilbao (ESP), during an award ceremony held during the Yacht Racing Forum evening reception. The winning films were screened, in the presence of the winner Manuel Llario, several members of the Jury and the public. The winners received prize money thanks to the event partner, the Mirabaud Group.
From classic yachts to Sail GP at the other end of the technological spectrum, with a touch of ecology, the 2019 edition of the Mirabaud Sailing Video Award fulfilled all expectations.
