23,000 Lives

23 000 Lives is a German film drama directed by Markus Goller, released worldwide on Netflix on 17 July 2026. The film tells the story of the search-and-rescue ship Iuventa, which operated in the central Mediterranean Sea in 2016 and 2017 before being seized by Italian authorities. According to Jugend Rettet, the Iuventa crew took part in the rescue of more than 23,000 people over 16 missions. This is the origin of the film's title.