This partly animated documentary short tells the story of seafarers stranded on cargo ships around the world. Abandoned by employers, ship owners and states alike, these ships are unable to berth or change crews, leaving workers trapped onboard what are effectively floating prisons months and sometimes years past their contracts. Rations grow scarcer and hope dissipates for these invisible workers, whose plight has only worsened since the border closures and travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Above Water explores why these seafarers are left in this position and recounts the stories of individuals desperate to return home.

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