Participant Media presents the World Premiere of Aquarela, directed by Russian filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky, at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.

In this groundbreaking cinematic experience, Aquarela takes audiences on a deeply cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water. Captured at a rare 96 frames-per-second, the film is a visceral wake-up call that humans are no match for the sheer force and capricious will of Earth’s most precious element. From the precarious frozen waters of Russia’s Lake Baikal to Miami, Florida, in the throes of Hurricane Irma to Venezuela’s mighty Angel Falls, water is Aquarela’s main character, with director Victor Kossakovsky capturing her many personalities in startling cinematic clarity.

The film is presented together with Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Creative Scotland, BFI, Deutscher Filmförderfonds – DFFF, Medienboard Berlin – Brandenburg and Danish Film Institute, in association with Cactus World Films, a Ma.ja.de Film, Aconite and Danish Documentary production, in co-production with Louverture Films and produced in co- production with Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg in association with ARTE and in association with Rio Negro Producciones and Ánorâk Film.

The film is a UK, German and Danish production, produced by Aimara Reques (Aconite Productions), Heino Deckert (ma.ja.de), Sigrid Dyekjær (Danish Documentary); co-produced by Joslyn Barnes (Louverture Films), Susan Rockefellar, Emile Hertling Péronard; executive produced by Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann, along with Mark Thomas, Isabel Davis, Sawsan Asfari, Maya Sanbar, Madge Bray, Matthias Ehrenberg, and Frank Lehmann.

Aquarela has also received additional financial support from Sundance Film Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, The Government of Greenland and RBB TV.

Director Victor Kossakosvky says: “Through the natural lens of water you can see, experience and feel the ebb and flow of all known human emotions...I want our audience to feel every possible emotion when watching AQUARELA: beautiful emotions along with horrible ones. Ecstasy and inspiration, destruction and human devastation.”

Producer Aimara Reques says: “The making of Aquarela has been a life-changing experience for all involved. For me, it has been a great privilege to be working alongside director Kossakovsky, our crew and international partners to produce this special cinematographic journey. We are absolutely thrilled about the World Premiere being at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.”

Executive Producer Mark Thomas says: "We are extremely proud to have supported Aconite's latest feature documentary Aquarela, from master filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky. The film is a truly international production, born in Scotland with partnerships around the globe. An awe-inspiring piece of filmmaking depicting the brute force and beauty of our most precious resource, water. We can think of no more fitting festival launch than Venice, this year celebrating its 75th anniversary. We wish everyone involved with the film the very best for the premiere."