Watch the trailer here
Working on an icebreaker is an unusual and almost exotic profession. For Linda Svenson and her colleagues on the Swedish icebreaker Atle however, it is everyday life. Their mission is to keep shipping routes open in the Gulf of Bothnia during the winter and to guide cargo ships through the thick ice to and from the ports of northernmost Europe.
Linda on the firedrill
The crew work, eat and live together weeks at a time – a way of life that can be hard to imagine for those who work on land. But to Linda, a traditional nine-to-five job would feel alien – and leaving her life at sea because of becoming a mother was never an option. For her, it’s a matter of finding solutions that make it possible to have both a family life and a career at sea.
Communicating with the following vessel
Linda Svenson has worked as a second mate on icebreakers for many years. When she first trained to become a master mariner, women were still a rarity in the shipping industry. Today female crew members are not as uncommon, but Linda is still often met with surprise when she explains what she does for a living.
A bit more walking space than on deck
She keeps hearing the same question: What’s it like being the only woman on board? It’s a question Linda has grown tired of. For her, gender isn’t the issue – she is first and foremost a mate and part of the crew.
She encounters even more preconceptions when the conversation turns to balancing life at sea with parenthood. “Surely you’ll have to give up your career when you have children?” is a comment she has heard many times.
Probing the thickness of the ice
But why would she do that? If all seafarers with children left the sea, the profession would look completely different. Nor is missing one’s family during the weeks spent on board something that only applies to mums. For Linda, it’s the same as for many others who work far from home: finding a way to make work and family life fit together.
BREAKING THE ICE follows Linda’s everyday life on board – from her work on the bridge and her interactions with the crew to her life between shifts and her contact with family and friends on shore. The film offers an insight into a world that few people get to experience, whilst challenging preconceptions about who belongs in the shipping industry.
Sharing spare time with a good friend.
It is a story about icebreaking and seafaring, but also about community, professional pride and the opportunity to choose both family and a life at sea.
BREAKING THE ICE, documentary, 55 minutes
Written and directed by: Simone Pusch
Cinematography: Katarzyna Baranowska
Editor & Sound Design: Fredrik Ydhag
Sound Mix: Tony Österholm
Color: Daniel Spitzenberg
Produced by: Simone Pusch in co-production with Filmpool Nord AB / Katja Härkönen
Associate Producers: Fredrik Ydhag & Göran Hedemalm
Financed and supported by: Stiftelsen Sveriges Sjömanshus, Film i Västerbotten, Längmanska Kulturfonden, Konstnärsnämnden