Take the open sea | France TV & You

A series in CinemaScope
The intense, thrilling and captivating story of Shores takes on its full dimension thanks also to the use of the CinemaScope format.
Following the inexplicable sinking of a trawler and its fishermen who remain untraceable, Abigail, an oceanographer, is sent by Ifremer on a mission to Fécamp. Her hometown, which she left a few years earlier following a family tragedy. As his research progresses, new mysterious phenomena occur at sea, making the activity of fishermen, although essential to local life, impossible. Abigail will understand that these disasters could originate from an underwater presence capable of upsetting the fragile balance between man and nature… What if the cause of the disturbances does not correspond to anything known?

Jonathan Rio and Monica Rattazzi, creators of the series
“At the starting point of Shoresthere is a poignant story that shook the international community in 2018: that of the orca J35, called Tahlequah. After an absence of recorded births for three years off the coast of British Columbia, Tahlequah gave birth to a second calf. However, his life was taken away after about thirty minutes. As ocean scientists watched, Tahlequah carried his body for several days, struggling to keep it on the surface. She can't let him go. This is the first proven testimony of mourning in an orca, beyond any anthropomorphism. Exhausted, she finally lets her little one's body sink into the depths after seventeen days of effort. More than a maternal story of infinite sadness, what is striking are the ecological implications of this story. The alarming decline in food supplies and toxic pollution of the seas make procreation almost impossible. Every viable birth is a miracle. The preservation of natural environments is a major issue, a global responsibility. »

“Shore” aspires to explore our relationship with the sea.

Jonathan Rio and Monica Rattazzi, creators of the series

Jonathan Rio was born and raised in Dieppe and keeps the shores of this city, its people and its general atmosphere, the feeling of its textures, the world of fishermen and its history deeply rooted in him. Monica Rattazzi, for her part, was born and raised in a port on the Atlantic coast, a world of fishermen where the sea fascinates and worries at the same time. She saw the ocean empty of fish, the shells of her childhood disappearing from the beaches. A new reality is emerging that we will have to face…

“By situating our story in the world of fishermen that we both know, we wish to give an insight into the singularity of the world of those who get up early to find an increasingly rare treasure. Those who live to the rhythm of the sea and its anger. And give voice to their questions: how to preserve your work in a changing world? How to reinvent your way of fishing and consumption? Sailors' concerns shifted from survival at sea to survival on land. But our job is that of storytellers. And to embody the distress in the face of this changing world, we chose the metaphorical power offered by the fantasy film genre: in Shores, an anomaly in the sea reveals to us that something is wrong, that danger threatens us…”

– There is an anomaly zone in the sea. You are in danger on the water.

– What kind of anomaly?

– Powerful enough to tear the “Rose Davis” in two.

Abigail to Julien

David Hourrègue, director
“To date, more than 90% of the seabed remains unexplored. The oceans represent 70% of the earth's surface, so more than two thirds of our planet are still completely unknown to us. And where science stops, fiction often rushes in: 20,000 places under the sea by Jules Verne, Abyss by James Cameron… Examples of illustrious science fiction authors fascinated by the mysteries of the abyss are legion. Shores bathes in these waters and more. An ecological fable, a scientific thriller as much as a reflection on mourning, the story of the series captivates, makes you think and, ultimately, moves you. This story reminds us both of our fear of the unknown and of the absolute necessity of understanding our environment to better apprehend it: I see in it the promise of a different program, capable of winning over a large audience. So many reasons reinforced by a strong personal resonance which make this series a great challenge that I am delighted to have to take on. »

Published by Diane Ermel on January 2, 2025