SEABLINDNESS

Slovakia | 2025 | 29 min | col. | English

The term “seablindness” refers to the inability to perceive the dynamics, norms, and political and environmental impact of the maritime world. This film goes beyond the barriers that prevent us from seeing what happens in ports and on the seas all over the world. Filming liminal spaces such as the ports of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Rijeka, Koper, and Trieste, Tereza Smetanová places port operations in the background, casting the limelight on recreational activities – games and balls, beach life, and daily chores. While our daily lives go by, work in harbours never stops, though we are oblivious to this. Seablindness invites us to explore this constantly moving backdrop, to look beyond infrastructural barriers, and to wonder whether our ‘blindness’ is a defence mechanism. Why is it so hard to become aware of the social and environmental crisis affecting our ports? (C.C.)