Thanks for visiting our Indiegogo page and taking the time to read and review our project! We really need your support to make this documentary possible, this will be a team effort!

The Project

“The Ultimate Swim” is a documentary that tells the story of Victor, a unique man with a clear dream of self-improvement. A man who wants to prove, mostly to himself, that he can achieve whatever he sets his mind to, even if to the point of risking his own life.

The film is about Victor, his personality, and his physical and mental challenges. However, it has the particularity of being told through two conflicting points of view. On one hand, we follow Victor’s perspective, while on the other, his wife Marina, injects or introduces controversy, adding depth and tension to the story. Marina strongly disagrees with some of Victor’s life choices, particulary the dangers of open water swimming.

This documentary will be made in three countries:

• Australia, where Victor currently resides,
• Northern Ireland, where the last stage of his training and swimming will take place,
• Argentina, where he was born and (where) much of his family lives.

The story

Victor, a 46-year-old man, a certified public accountant, father, and husband, leads an apparently conventional life as a father and a professional. However, he harbors an unrestrainable desire which is to swim for over a day in the cold waters of The North Channel, a swim thas has never been completed before.

Victor is the eldest of six siblings. When he was 18 years old, his parents separated after years of a complex relationship, leaving him responsible for his siblings in their family home. Being a teenager and having to raise his younger siblings forced him to grow up quickly, especially when they adopted one more brother a year into this journey. It wasn’t easy, it was not a functional family and a course correction was needed. It was during this time that he met Marina, who would later become his wife. In 2005 he decided to leave everything behind and start fresh in Australia. Marina wasn’t fully convinced, but she prioritized love above all else. It was a struggle to again start from nothing, and they endured years of hardship, experiencing the pain of being far from their loved ones. 
Today, almost 20 years later, they face another challenge. Marina doesn’t want Victor to risk his life on this swim adventure, yet she will accompany him once more, this time with their daughters by their side.

Victor is not a professional swimmer but he is ambitious, stubborn, determined, and follows his impulses regardless and nothing will stop him. He wants to be the first man to swim across from Ireland to the Isle of Man in the North Channel. He will swim non-stop and without a wetsuit for more than 24 hours, covering more than 70 km , 44 miles. He will face the standard dangers of open waters being sharks, jellyfish, muscle fatigue and hypothermia. But most importantly, he will have to battle against his own mind.

The Swimmer

Hello, I’m Victor Piñeiro. I’m Argentinean-Australian, and I’ve been married to Marina for 20 years. We have two teenage daughters: Catalina and Camila. I started swimming in open water about 10 years ago, at the age of 36, and gradually I dared to go further. I’ve completed quite a few iconic swimming challenges. I’m the only Argentinean to have swam 5 of the 7 seas of the Ocean’s Seven Challenge; I’ve crossed the English Channel (England to France), the Strait of Gibraltar (Spain to Morocco), the Catalina Channel in LA, Cook Strait (New Zealand South Island to North Island) and the North Channel (Ireland to Scotland).

I have also completed the Australian Triple Crown of swimming, being:

• Port to Pub (25kms in Perth),
• Palm Beach to Shelley Beach 25kms in Sydney; and
• The Derwent swim (24kms Northfolk to Tasman bridge in Tasmania).

However, I didn’t do it just for myself. Along the way, I’ve raised money for our oceans’ conservation with Greenpeace, Foundation Human Nature, and KickStart Project, among others.

The Swim

Londres y Southend-on-SeaSwim date: September 25–30, 2024 
Departure city: Ardglass, Northern Ireland
Destination city: Peel, Isle of Man
Distance: 70 kilometers / 44 miles
Estimated duration: 24 to 31 hours
Water temperature: 14ºC to 16°C / 55°F to 59ºF

Is the same distance between: 
Sydney and Wollongong
Dublín and Drogheda
Washington and Baltimore
Londres and Southend-on-Sea

The Film Team

We are Lahaye Media, an audiovisual production company in Argentina, we were presented with this unique opportunity to accompany Victor in this great challenge and we are not going to let it pass by! We are supported by Little Ease Films in Northern Ireland and Avenue Road Production in Australia. Your contribution will help us make this documentary a success and can be seen around the world.

• Gabriel Lahaye is a producer of audiovisual content and provider of post-production services, who founded Lahaye Media in 2003. He has produced 24 feature films. Gabriel has more than 20 years of experience in the audiovisual industry. Website:  https://lahaye.media

• Chris Kelly is a BAFTA nominated writer, director and producer who founded Little Ease Films in 2008. Chris has more than 15 years of experience in the film and television industry. Website:  https://www.little-ease.com

• Susan Schmidt founder of Avenue Road Production. She is a highly experienced executive across both the business and creative aspects of film and television production with over 15 years of experience overseeing productions across funding, production and distribution. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5918983

• Mara Raicevic and Gabriel Lahaye are the directors of the documentary. Mara has been working as a director, screenwriter, and audiovisual producer for over 25 years. She has directed 3 documentary films in Argentina. Gabriel has directed 1 documentary film, he produced 17 feature films and participated as an associate producer in another 7, assuming in many cases the role of executive producer.

What We Need

We launched the campaign “The Ultimate Swim” to raise the funds to film a documentary that captures everything that Victor experiences. We want to show everything that such an adventure demands from its protagonist and those around him who willingly or reluctantly chose to support him, even through their fears and contradictions.

The documentary will show the entire and real process of the journey: the training, the feelings of everyone involved in the project, the swim itself, and his returns to everyday life alongside his family.

We are in the preproduction stage of the documentary.

This film is being made completely independently! We are counting on this community to help us raise the funds needed for:

• Production expenses over three countries.
• Interview shootings for Victor, his family, the coach, specialist and friends.
• Covering the swim expenses and the shooting: 2 boats, one with the specialized crew for the swim and another with technical support and filming equipment.
• Technical equipment: cameras, grip, underwater cameras, drones and lights.

Objectives

Your contribution will help us achieve our goals and complete this documentary in its entirety. Thanks to your support, we will be able to create a high-quality film and distribute it through platforms with international reach. Every bit helps! We invite you to be part of this challenge!

Our first goal is the journey itself, the swim. For this, we need to cover the costs of two boats the first boat will carry the team members and specialists accompanying Victor in his swim, being his coach, a doctor, an observer and his family. Additionally, a second boat will carry the film crew, including cameramen, sound technicians, the director of photography, the producers and the film directors. This includes costs for equipment, food, and general logistics.

We will also film a series of interviews in Ireland, documenting the final and most challenging part of Victor’s training, the preparations for the swim, and the daily life and interactions between Victor’s family and his coach.

For this stage, we have estimated a cost of 46.000 AUD (30.000 USD) . Help us with your contribution! Be a part of the swim!

The second goal will occur after the swim when Victor returns to his life in Australia. We will conduct interviews with family and friends and document his return to work. In addition, we will capture artistic underwater footage to enhance the film’s aesthetic value. In this stage, we will also record interviews in Argentina. There, we will talk to his closest relatives, who will share stories of Victor’s childhood and challenging adolescence. We will also capture his loved ones’ reactions to the swim and its outcomes as they experience it in real-time.

We estimate that covering this stage will require 31.000 AUD (20.000 USD). It would be fantastic if you could help us with this! Help us finish this film and bring it to audiences around the world!

There is one stage we are not seeking help for in this campaign: post-production. We plan to handle the editing, music, and image post-production with other funding sources.

The impact

Your contribution will help to fulfill a great dream, perhaps the most important and dangerous of Victor´s life. We trust Victor and believe that he will be the first to complete this challenge. We want everyone to know how this journey was accomplished and everything it entails, mentally, physically and financially, to help others fight to achieve their dreams.

Rewards

We have a variety of rewards available for you to choose from, so you can be part of our dream. There are many ways your contribution can make a difference, and many opportunities for you to play an important role in this story. Your name could appear in the final credits as a thank you, or even as a special thanks; you could be added to a WhatsApp community where you’ll receive real-time updates about the swim. We’ll be sharing live updates on training sessions, weather forecasts, the swim date, and the exact starting point. What’s the best part? During the swim, you’ll be at the heart of the action, watching Victor through exclusive videos we’ll share within the community.

We will invite you to a talk with the directors, where they will explain how they plan to structure the film and their production strategies. You’ll also hear from Marina, his wife, who knows Victor better than anyone and has always been by his side, and from Victor himself, who will be the first man to swim across the North Channel from Ireland to the Isle of Man. You’ll have the chance to witness a training session and engage in a live chat with the team.

You can even be part of the film by participating in one of the photo opportunities we’ve made available, and if you join us for the crew’s final dinner, not only will you be in the movie, but you’ll also get the chance to learn some behind-the-scenes secrets.

The grand prize… Be part of the swim! This is very exclusive, with only a few spots available for those brave enough to join the boat and be part of the film crew, spending 30 hours at sea and experiencing the adventure like no one else.

Don’t miss out! Be part of this dream, be part of our film, and your contribution will help us make it a reality in the best possible way! We want you close!!!

It all adds up

If you cannot contribute financially to the campaign, please help us by sharing it on Instagram, Twitter or other social networks. Our challenge is your challenge, that of a common dad who had a dream and the only thing he needs is for you to support him. If it is not possible for you to support him financially then we ask for your contribution to share his story, tell those you know that Victor Piñeiro will be the first man to swim from Ireland to the isle of man, a section of the North Channel and a swim that nobody has been able to complete to date.

We believe Victor will be going to be making history and we hope you will join us on this unique adventure. We will make this journey against any odds and want you to be part of this story.

Thank you very much!