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Short Film

At Sea

A small film about something big. The kind of big you only feel once you're far from land, alone with your thoughts. At Sea drifts between memory and moment, truth and fiction. Told through the fragmented voice of an unreliable narrator, it follows a group of sailors navigating the vast, unpredictable waters of Greece.

Salt on the lens and wind in the mic. A collage of light, sound, instinct, and sea spray. Post-produced in After Effects and Procreate.

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Project Photos

View on Frameset
Awards
WeAreDNFilm ShortageHoryzonty& 24 others
Credits
Year2025
CategoryShort Film
Format2.39:1
DirectorMartin Marko
Writer / DP / EditorMartin Marko
SoundMartin Marko
Sound MixBojan Bojic
FramesetView

"An ordinary story told in an extraordinary way."

Horyzonty Adventure Film Festival

"Proposes a sensory and immersive experience with detailed visual and sound effects. Its unreliable narrator and non-linear story give the film a unique format, engaging viewers directly."

Hollywood Shortsfest

Full Film

At Sea

Written · Directed · Edited by Martin Marko   2025  2.39:1 Anamorphic

An unreliable narrator. Howling wind. Swaying sea. Burning sand. And the calm after the storm. A fast-paced homage to the sea and the ever-curious human spirit.

Director’s Statement

I made At Sea because I had to. It started as notes on a phone, images I kept returning to: the particular way light breaks on water at midday, the sound of rope against the hull, the feeling of being very small in a very large place. I did not set out to make a documentary or a narrative. I just wanted to capture something true about what it feels like to be out there.

The unreliable narrator was not a structural choice, it was the only honest way to tell it. Memory does not work in a straight line. The sea does not either.

“Memory does not work in a straight line.
The sea does not either.”

I shot the film over years, across different journeys, mostly at sea in Greece, with fragments from earlier travels. I used whatever I had: a Blackmagic Pocket, a 7D, a GoPro strapped to the bow, an iPhone in a waterproof case. The imperfection was the point. I wanted the image to feel earned, not polished. Salt on the lens. Wind in the mic.

The footage came together like memory does, not as a clean narrative, but as something felt. A voyage, the sea, the human need to keep moving, even without knowing where it leads.

Post-production was done in After Effects, with Procreate used to build out certain moments, like the stretched corridor effect. It gave what I captured a slightly off edge and helped connect fragments that did not naturally belong together. It also gave me space to be playful. There are moments where the film bends to the narrator, where cause and effect feel questionable. When the girl drops her phone into the sea, it almost feels like the narrator takes it from her hand and throws it, just to match the rhythm of what is being said, just because it fits.

The film asks you to meet it halfway. I think the sea asks the same thing.

At Sea

Audio timeline of AT Sea with 82 layers

Awards & Recognition

Award laurel — WeAreDN Awards 2026 Nominee Laurel Black — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — fs badge daily White — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — HZ Laurel24 Slovak Film B — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — OFFICIAL SELECTION Toronto Independent Film Festival 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — hollywoodshorts black — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — DN laurel premiere RGB t — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — WINNER   Silicon Beach Film Festival   BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT DOCUMENTARY 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — WINNER ViennaInternationalFilmAwards 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — WINNER   Bridge Fest   BEST DIRECTOR IN SHORT FILM 2024 2 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — WINNER   Bridge Fest   BEST ADVENTURE SHORT FILM 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — PLATINUM AWARD   MegaFlix Film Awards   BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — PLATINUM AWARD   MegaFlix Film Awards   BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — PLATINUM AWARD   MegaFlix Film Awards   BEST MOCKUMENTARY 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — PLATINUM AWARD   MegaFlix Film Awards   BEST NARRATION 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — SDMS WinnersEXC GOLD — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — HONORABLE MENTION   Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival   BEST SHORT FILM 2025 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — DN official Selection black — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — HZ Laurel24 Official Selection black — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — CIFT black — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — OFFICIAL SELECTION Bridge Fest 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — OFFICIAL SELECTION MegaFlix Film Awards 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — OFFICIALSELECTION SanDiegoMovieAwards 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — OFFICIAL SELECTION Fortean Film Festival 2024 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — HNFF color — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — ROMA OFFICIAL SELECTION BLACK — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — OFFICIAL SELECTION   Maritime Films Festival JachtFilm   2025 — At Sea short film directed by Martin MarkoAward laurel — OFFICIAL SELECTION   Doc Only   2025 — At Sea short film directed by Martin Marko

Directors Notes | Official Selection | Online Premiere

Film Shortage | Selection for Daily Short Picks

HoryZonty Adventure Film Festival | WINNER Best Slovak Film | Official Selection

Toronto Independent Film Festival | Official Selection

Silicon Beach Film Festival® | WINNER Best International Short Documentary | Official Selection

HOLLYWOOD SHORTSFEST | Honorable Mention | Official Selection

HOLLYWOOD BLVD Film Festival | Official Selection

Toronto Independent Film Festival of CIFT | Official Selection

Vienna International Film Awards | WINNER Best Experimental Film

San Diego Movie Awards | Award of Excellence | Best Experimental Short

Bridge Fest | WINNER Best Director in Short Film | WINNER Best Adventure Film

MegaFlix Film Awards | WINNER Best Cinematography | WINNER Best Narration | WINNER Best Mockumentary | WINNER Best Experimental Short

Maritime Films Festival JachtFilm (2025) | Official Selection

Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival | Honorable Mention – Best Short Film

WeAreDN Awards 2026 | NOMINEE Best Documentary | Presented by Directors Notes

In loving memory of Majka Kubova.

May your beautiful soul rest in peace.