One of the best documentaries that hit the fall film festival circuit last year, “Maiden,” is about to make an impact at this year’s Sundance before being unleashed in theaters. And in honor of the kick off of Sundance, Sony Pictures Classics has released a trailer for the documentary about the persistence of a female sailor, Tracy Edwards, and her mission to sail around the world.
As mentioned, “Maiden” tells the story of Edwards, a 24-year-old cook that decided to put together the first-ever all-female crew to enter the Whitebread Round the World sailing race in 1989. When Edwards was turned down by every other crew competing, she took it upon herself to show the male-dominated sport that women would be able to do just as well as the men. Along the way, there are trials and tribulations, but as the trailer shows, the women also gained notoriety and a growing fan base.
“Maiden” comes from director Alex Holmes, who is probably best known for his documentary “Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story,” as well as the series “House of Saddam,” in which he also was writer.
“Maiden” will hit theaters, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics, on June 29.
Here’s the synopsis:
MAIDEN is the story of how Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook in charter boats, became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World in 1989. Tracy’s inspirational dream was opposed on all sides: her male competitors thought an all-women crew would never make it, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on her failure, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing they would die at sea and generate bad publicity. But Tracy refused to give up: she remortgaged her home and bought a secondhand boat, putting everything on the line to ensure the team made it to the start line. Although blessed with tremendous self-belief, Tracy was also beset by crippling doubts and was only able to make it through with the support of her remarkable crew. With their help she went on to shock the sport world and prove that women are very much the equal of men.