It is the story of a 25-year-old turtle who aims to find the beaches of his younger years, but also that of a seahorse father who is about to give birth or that of a young monk seal, whose species almost disappeared, and who finds himself far from his family in Greece.
All these stories are based on real facts, real images, the expertise of 50 scientists and are found in “Mediterranean, the odyssey for life” by Frédéric Fougea. That documentary series, part of which will be screened in preview in Nice this Wednesday, “tells how the animals of this sea adapt to human activities”, explains the director to 20 minutes.
For ten years, he has been interested in nature and animals. “After traveling all over the world, I refocused on France, the Alps and naturally I slipped towards the Mediterranean where the boat was waiting for me”, he smiles. After four years of work, this “ambitious” project, originally in six 52-minute episodes but cut into a 90-minute for the screening, reveals “the beauty of the resilience of marine life”, at each stage of the life.
“We were very lucky because we started filming in full confinement. We could go everywhere in this sea [plus de quinze pays au total] without there being a boat! It is as if we were working with an 18th century Mediterranean. The animals were then easier to approach and we witnessed magnificent scenes. »
The Nice freediver Guillaume Néry in the role of “passer”
Among them, the discovery of monk seals, “who took refuge under underwater caves to survive the fishermen who hunted them in the 19th century”. It is Guillaume Néry, the freediver from Nice, who serves as the “passer”. “He was able to dive without making bubbles, meet them without disturbing them and allow the viewer to see sensitive worlds, never before seen in this way”, expresses the director, “impatient” to see the effect produced. on the audience.
For the freediver, “it was fascinating in several respects” to participate “in this adventure”. He entrusts to 20 minutes : “I had the impression of being in the shoes of an explorer and of transforming my know-how and my athletic skills for discovery. It was a huge technical challenge for the film crew. And even for the discipline of apnea, it shows that you can experience expeditions in this way, I am proud to be an ambassador. Finally, the message gets through in the image. »
The episodes to be found on France 2 from April 12
It is no coincidence that the first screening takes place on the Côte d’Azur. “The first scene is in Nice. And then, it will be very interesting to show Mediterranean people their sea in an unusual way. They’re going to be really surprised when they realize what’s going on underwater ten minutes from their town, assures Frédéric Fougea. They will become aware in the broad sense of this fragile environment and the need to pay attention to it. He concludes: “There is a proverb which says that we must listen to our old sea, I think it is time to do so. »
The six episodes of the documentary, narrated by the Toulonnaise and artist Camélia Jordana, will then be broadcast on France 2, over two evenings from Tuesday April 12.