Discussing Julia Jansch's latest project The Academy

Now Then, a story that is as moving as it is empowering. The Academy is a brand new documentary that follows azile A Rossi, a young woman from Kaileicha who finds healing and purpose and confidence through sailing thanks to a transformative program based at the Royal Cape Yacht Club. Once uncertain of her place in a traditionally exclusive and let's face it, white space, Azilee goes on to skipper a race around Robin, Ireland, reclaiming her story and redefining

But first of all, what drew you to the story? There's a number of.

News articles about Oziler that we can you know online it from the start of the year, and so I've got an overview of a story, but what particularly drew.

You to it? So before I met Azilie, I actually.

Was introduced to Lindani Spas and Tuno, who was pioneering this movement to transfer the Royal Cape Yacht Club through a sailing.

Academy called the Academy.

Where the idea was to empower and give an opportunity to young men and women from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to come and sell and do a sailing program and learn all the lessons and meta face of life out at sea.

So I thought that was very interesting and kind of my way into the story.

But one always needs to find a hero and a protagonist, I believe, even if you do a documentary, you want to follow someone's journey, and you know, if you study narrative theory, there's always a hero who has to overcome certain stacks. So it was about, well, who's within this institution and what stakes are.

They dealing with? And you know, a Zeale, even though.

She comes from you know, not not the easiest socio economic background, she was dealing with some internal challenges as well, and she was a great person to pig the story to and within our film, see if she could skip her around Robin Island, which which is what the obstacle of the challenge.

It's a it's a really personal story and a really personal journey. But but as you said, it also speaks to its broader, broader themes as well.

How does one go.

About telling a story of the personal but without kind of losing sight of that broader story and context.

Well it's a juggling act and that actually, you know, I'm still learning all the time, because if you're following an individual.

Story, you want to stick with the story.

You don't want to get too sidetracked with the world and.

The system and all the rest of it. So it's all about how does that world around said person in this case is Zele.

How is that either providing stakes in her journey?

How is it either helping her or challenging her?

And every decision that you know one would make is a filmmaker in terms of the story is only including that which pertains to her individual journey. And it's interesting with film because you know, the story kind of rang on two chords.

It was the very intimate story of.

A Zeelee finding herself and finding power and finding belonging and courage out at sea. But it's also the story of the academy me and how the Academy is empowering all these young sailors.

And in this particular story, like I say.

It's all around array, it's all around you know, which is pretty metaphorical a race around Robin Island. So it was about very carefully trying to thread those that intimate story, the internal and external together, but only so much as it pertains to Azila, because she's the person we're following.

You mentioned that the metaphor, but I mean the sea in and of itself is a metaphors. It's the setting obviously, but also the metaphor. What what does the ocean represent for you for Azilo for the audience as a story unfold, do you think I love this question?

And the person who speaks about it the best.

Who's very prolific in the documentary as well as Lynn Dining. You know, he's a real philosopher, and he says a line.

The revolution will be on the water. He says, I can feel it.

And he talks about how we're oversubscribed on land and how the water is this opportunity to reclaim space and to reclaim power. And that's exactly what the water is doing for these young sailors. I mean, I myself am very, very spiritually and emotionally drawn to water because I feel like it's a reset. You go underwater and it cleans the slate. And I think that's what Lindani was getting too, and he said the revolution will be on the water.

And it's funny.

It also talks about how when Nolson Mandela was locked up in prison, they always spoke about, you know, the land on the other side, and it wasn't about the water, but the water, and the story is what.

Is what's being reclaimed, not land. I'm fascinated to know.

You know, they say never work with children or animals, and I imagine that water could probably be added to that because it's incredibly powerful and quite unpredictable. From a production standpoint, What were some of the challenges that you faced.

It was very challenging because you're dealing with the elements.

And you're dealing with the schedule and actually on the day.

That Azila was supposed to do this race around.

Robin Island, a huge, huge wind I mean, you know the cake doctor that the southeaster it's unforgiving and it pitched up on the day and we actually got to film a whole discussion about whether the race should go on or shouldn't go on.

But you know, one then decides do we continue to shoot or do we not?

And we actually decided, I mean as Ela said that she was keen to go, and it was the feeling of the yacht club that, you know, each skipper, because Azilia was skippering for the fur first time, each skipper should decide whether they feel that they can you know, master the storm.

And she did.

We did have the help in terms of filming of the frog squad, which is an amazing you know, a hand when you're dealing with anything to do with water and production, which you know, I was able to track the race on a rabbit duck.

But I've spoken.

Before about our DP Ross Hellier very quickly finding his sea legs. He was on the boat with Azila and her crew and it was an adventure.

I mean, it was a.

Total adventure because you're out at sea and like I say, underwater casing for cameras and safety, and you know, it was a whole experience.

I would imagine that the the editing process is both fraught and exciting and rewarding.

How do you know when a project like this is done.

You've got all your raw footage and then the editing process begins.

But how do you know when it's a case of hands off and let and let it be?

It never is.

What's funny somebody I was actually a sound design at Skywalker Studios, obviously working on my next project, and we were laughing about with.

Film, you know, it's only done until someone else, you know.

Says to you, Okay, it's done now, and you have to finish it.

I mean, you can keep going and going and going, I believe, especially if you see your film as an art piece, you know you can keep going. So I think in this case, you know, it was about adhering to a certain schedule and you know, a delivery date. But I actually, you know, watched the film again recently and I was like, oh, okay, that's that. That could have been like that, and that could have been like that.

In the world.

What conversations are you hoping Julia will will come from from the film, because people, once it's out there, you have no control over I guess how people receive it.

What is your hope for the piece?

I mean, the primary hope is that girls out there who have had a similar experience to Aziel will be inspired by her and and will find an outlet that you know, helps them find their own power and their own you know, and overcome, just like Azelle has and Azila has sailed to Rear Degeneiro twice, which.

Is just I mean, I could never do that. It's incredible.

So I hope they'll be inspired by a Zeelan as much as I was. I hope institutions who need to transform and evolve get inspired by what the rold Cape yacht club is doing with the Academy, And I hope that Lindni's very philosophical messages just bring true to audiences because he's I mean, he's.

Wonderful to listen to. He's kind of like a.

Doctor of philosophy and a doctor of social social change. And yeah, I think it's a thesis project for transformation and I hope that's that.

Institutions and individuals experience in that way.

You said that you rewatched the documentary again recently. Is there a moment either that we can see on screen or a moment that you're aware of, maybe an in production that still gives you chills or sheep.

Yeah, it's at the very end of the documentary, once Azelee has kind of made her way around Robin Island. I don't want to give too much away about what happens.

And she's sitting wrapped her hand on the rudder the helm.

Of the boat, and she says, my name is Azilee, and she says a sentence afterwards which I won't give away. I've been told not to give away too much about the film because I want everybody to watch it, But it's just it makes me choke up every single time. Because it's this embodiment of presence and power and surety and herself and her place in the world, and it's it's it's so, it's so wonderful.

She's so wonderful. I was so looking forward to seeing it. Wonderful. Thank you so much.

That was my conversation with Juliet Yance, who is the director of the Academy, which you can stream now on Disney Plus. Beautiful tells the story of Azulee A Rossi from Kayleecha and her story on the water. It's a beautiful piece, so do go and check it out.