Presented with the Eurimages New Lab Innovation Award at CineMart (1-4 February) during International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR, 29 January-7 February – see the news), Daughters of the Sea follows three lives intertwined like kindred beings from the same soil. Lucia, a curious tour guide who unknowingly meets her father for the first time, lives vicariously through two people – a pet-shop owner who tries to keep a dying mermaid alive and a child whose long-missing mother reappears from the ocean.

The project, budgeted at €1,239,000 and based on an original script by director Martika Ramirez Escobar and Helen Beltrame-Linn, is being produced by Filipino firms This Side Up and Arkeofilms together with Spain’s Alba Sotorra Cinema Productions.

We caught up with the young director and educator, known for her playful, offbeat style. Her debut feature, Leonor Will Never Die (2022), scooped Sundance’s Special Jury Prize and earned major international recognition. Daughters of the Sea is her second feature, now in pre-production after being developed through labs such as La Fabrique and Oxbelly.

Cineuropa: How would you describe Daughters of the Sea and its main themes for our readers?
Martika Ramirez Escobar: It’s a film about learning how to stay afloat in troubled waters, guided by the people who teach you how to swim. I see it as a coming-of-age story – about learning from our past and future selves, alongside the women in our lives. In my case, it’s my mother and grandmother. It is also about maps, making connections and finding calm in the circumstances of life.

Why do you think it is important to tell this story today?
In a world that is so divided – literally by borders, continents, races and more besides – where does the desire to own come from? From post-colonial reflection to issues of identity, and even wars and disparity, I would like to imagine a place where people can learn to co-exist: somewhat like being in water, contained but not bounded. Free to float, to speak and to be – qualities I have learned from the women around me, and ideas I hope more people will embrace, especially in a world that is still led by men.

Who are the key creatives involved?
Most of them are collaborators I worked with on my previous film. The project is led by two producers – Monster Jimenez and Rajiv Idnani. I have a co-writer, Helen Beltrame-Linné from Brazil, who was my mentor in a script lab, and I am taking on three key roles for this film: writer, director and DoP. We also have a co-production with Spain, led by Alba Sotorra.

How are you planning to use the Eurimages prize?
We want to use it as production money.

How would you evaluate, overall, your participation in CineMart and IFFR?
With our strange and ambitious project, which also employs such a specific and unconventional approach, we finally felt understood.

What type of partners are you looking for, and what about your next steps?
We’re seeking financial, sales and distribution partners, and we’re aiming to enter principal photography.