23,000 Lives: Are Soren and Viola Based on Real People?

Netflix’s ‘23,000 Lives‘ follows the story of a young man named Lukas and his friends, who are motivated to provide aid and rescue refugees in the Mediterranean Sea. When they discover that hundreds of people are dying because the government has withdrawn its support and help, they buy a ship through crowdfunding and put it to good use. While their organization, Jugend Rettet, has many young people volunteering to help, they still need some people with more experience in this area. This is where people like Soren and Viola come into the picture. They help the young activists understand how rescue works and become an important part of their ship, the Iuventa’s many rescues. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Viola and Soren are Inspired by the Real Crew Members of Iuventa

In telling the story of Jugend Rettet and the Iuventa crew, ‘23000 Lives’ takes some creative liberties in its portrayal of certain people and characters. The names of the characters don’t reflect real-life people because they are either fictionalized or composites of several people who worked with the NGO and the ship’s crew. Viola and Soren seem to be along the same lines. However, it is likely that they are inspired by Iuventa crew members, Kathrin Schmidt and Sascha Girke. Kathrin used to be an occupational therapist before she decided to get into rescue and humanitarian work. She had worked with other NGOs helping migrants from Lesbos and the Aegean Sea.

In 2016, she joined the Iuventa crew as the Head of Operations. Girke, on the other hand, was the Head of Mission. As Schmidt and Girke took command of the boat, they and the rest of the crew trained in several aspects of the rescue work. Schmidt said that on the water, her mind would be entirely focused on keeping the ship stable and ensuring the crew’s safety during the rescue, among other things. They were part of the rotating crew that saved thousands of people over 16 missions. Things changed when Iuventa was seized by the Italian authorities in August 2017 in the port of Lampedusa.

Prior to this, Schmidt allegedly received a distress call and was directed by the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) to board two Syrian men and take them to Lampedusa. They were also allegedly asked to check out another distress call, even though there hadn’t been one on the official channels. And then, the boat was taken, and Schmidt, Girke, and two other crew members found themselves facing charges for facilitating illegal entry into the country. If found guilty, they faced 5 to 20 years in prison. The case dragged on for seven years, but in 2024, the prosecution found insufficient evidence to charge them, and the judge acquitted them outright before the main trial could even begin.

Kathrin Schmidt and Sascha Girke Have Continued Their Good Work

Talking about why she got into search-and-rescue work, Kathrin Schmidt said she wanted to “do justice to her privilege.” “You’re in a position where you have the agency to act and to help others – a position of power and privilege that comes with a responsibility,” she said. Even after the Iuventa is gone, she continues to work in sea rescue. Despite the lengthy and draining trial, she is focused on saving lives. She was last known to have joined the crew of the feminist rescue ship, Louise Michel.

Meanwhile, Sascha Girke has also continued to work in sea rescue. He saw the charges against him and the former crew members of Iuventa as “a flawed investigation driven by political motives.” He noted that there are many more regulations and obstacles in their task these days. However, he still believes that the importance of their work has only increased over the years, and despite the obstacles, people can achieve anything if they put their minds to it.

Read More: 23,000 Lives: Are Nina and Mauro Based on Real People?