“ANTOINE ALBEAU – THE LEGEND” CANAL+ documentary film

Antoine is a champion and an extraordinary man, a legend in French sport with 26 world titles to his name!

With this 90-minute documentary, which will also be shown at festivals, he has reached a new level of public recognition.

TRAILER HERE

Beyond his exploits on the world’s seas, we discover Antoine in the intimacy of his family, under the gaze of the 2 other greatest windsurfing legends: Robby Naish and Bjørn Dunkerbeck.

After 30 years on the slalom World Cup, Antoine turned the page at the end of 2022.

He now turns his attention to the future of the sport, which he wants to pass on to young people through his Zephir Project.

The legend continues to be written!

“Discover “Antoine Albeau, the legend”, the doc about the most successful French sportsman of all time.

Holder of 26 world titles, the French windsurfing champion has always remained unjustly unknown to the general public, despite his record-breaking achievements. Now that he’s retired, Antoine Albeau is the subject of a long documentary that looks back on his exceptionally long career.

The sport of getting by

One year ago, Antoine Albeau officially bid farewell to the world windsurfing circuit, after thirty years at the highest level. You read that right: the French windsurfer’s career spanned three decades. And he waited until the age of 50 to call it a day, even though he still had the level to compete with the best, often twice his age.

Alexandra Montfort and Guillaume Couret’s three-year film documents the twilight of this extraordinary career. We follow Antoine Albeau in his daily life, that of an exceptional sportsman. But one who lives in relative anonymity, far from the stars of French sport.

As windsurfing has always suffered from a huge lack of public and media awareness. Scheduling a TV broadcast is impossible due to the unpredictability of the wind. Antoine Albeau has always had to take care of everything with his partner and parents (interviewed in the documentary), from training to equipment to finding sponsors to make ends meet.

Addictive adrenalin

In summer, he even runs the family sailing school he inherited from his parents on the Ile de Ré. Of course, Antoine Albeau was introduced to windsurfing at an early age by his father, who pushed him hard. At a time when the sport was still in its infancy. From the age of 14, he began to win titles, but his size did not allow him to compete in the Olympic categories.

So he turned to funboarding, an ultra-spectacular discipline showcased in the film with breathtaking images of his world speed records. He flirts with 100 km/h as he literally flies over the water.

We quickly realize that this adrenalin is addictive, but also a little dangerous. And that Antoine Albeau must now think of his partner and two children, who accompany him as far as possible on his competitions. But the constraints of training and the calendar are hardly compatible with a fulfilling family life. And this of course explains his choice to retire, a difficult decision about which he speaks at length in the documentary.

Antoine Albeau, a champion from another time

But the film also follows his latest challenges, including becoming world champion for the last time. Or breaking the world sailing speed record, obviously held by a boat, a much more suitable craft than a windsurfer for achieving this. But as one of the many windsurfers interviewed in the documentary puts it: nothing is impossible for Antoine Albeau.

A true workaholic, his low-key personality has undoubtedly been a handicap in gaining greater recognition from the general public. And although he would have loved to have benefited from social networking in the 1990s and 2000s, he has no regrets. He never liked to play up his image. So not only is he a legend of French sport, he’s also a champion from another era.

Film “Antoine Albeau, la légende”, a CANAL+ Docs Documentary Creation, available with CANAL+.

Find out here our talk keynote about Zephir Project with Antoine Albeau

Thanks to Marc Rousseau Alexandra Montfort Guillaume Couret CANAL+ Group for this tribute to our most successful French athlete.

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Film documentaire 90min “Antoine Albeau – La Légende” 11-2023 Canal+