Emotional evening at the Official Opening of the Lighthouse Swim 2023.

CEO Frank Bösenkötter led us through the evening and welcomed Dirk Lonnemann, initiator of the Lighthouse Swim and CINEMARE Marine Film Festival Director Till Dietsche as well as Kiel's new city president Bettina Aust on stage, who emphasized the importance of projects like this for strengthening the town twinning.

As the highlight of the evening, Till Dietsche, who also initiated CINEMARE's partnership with the International Ocean Film Festival, presented "Cold Refuge" by Judy Irving. The film took the audience into the fascinating world of open water swimming and told moving stories of courageous swimmers and their personal challenges. Marine mammals, birds, artworks and breathtaking scenes in open water took us on a visual meditation on the importance of escaping our abstract digital world and focusing on the essentials. 

The film's protagonists swim at the South End Rowing Club, which organizes the Lighthouse's sister event in San Francisco as an escape from Alcatraz.