Boatbuilders

A final pass of sandpaper over a tabletop, one last wipe of the glass, and the job is done: in the opening minutes of Boatbuilders, Brooklin Boat Yard’s latest showpiece is launched, and work on the next design is already beginning. Over the course of four vibrant seasons, director Luke Lorentzen draws you into the life in and around the harbor.

Brooklin Boat Yard’s wooden sailing yachts are painstakingly crafted down to the smallest detail by a team of 60 specialists. We watch components slot together like pieces of a puzzle. Just as easily, the observant camera follows a group of fishermen, visits a family with a newborn baby, and watches children working in an orchard. Lorentzen intertwines the rhythms of the boatyard and the natural world to explore the nature of attention itself.

This collection of portraits immerses you in the close-knit life of Brooklin, a town of 827 residents, with the camaraderie of the boatyard as its heart.