February 11, 2015 — If all goes according to plan — and let's face it, when it comes to the art of filmmaking, almost nothing goes according to plan — New Hampshire filmmakers Darby Duffin and Adam Jones will premiere their fishing documentary “Fish & Men” in the summer or early fall.
Gloucester and the plight of its legendary dayboat groundfish fleet will have a prominent role in the film (click here to view the trailer).
The documentary feature, which traces the demise of the New England cod fishing industry against the rise of the global seafood industry, will feature America's oldest seaport throughout its first act.
“We've been shooting now for about two years,” said Duffin, co-director and co-producer with Jones of the documentary feature. “We hope to wrap it up by sometime in the spring and ultimately show it to the world.”
The filmmakers said they approached the subject with an open mind and an open lens, with the goal of making a documentary that, in the words of Jones, “stands out above the white noise to find an audience that goes beyond the stakeholders and people who have a vested interest.”
The film, Duffin said, will present an array of viewpoints from all the stakeholders in the commercial fishing industry, from the fishermen to the regulators and the environmentalists to seafood marketers and retailers.
“That way,” he said. “The audience can make up its own mind on how we got here.”
The filmmakers estimate they have interviewed more than 45 people, including many familiar Gloucester players such as NOAA Regional Administrator John K. Bullard, Angela Sanfilippo of the Fishermen's Wives Association, Jackie Odell of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, former Mayor Carolyn Kirk and fishermen Richard Sherman, Richard Burgess, Ron Gilson and others.
Read the full story from the Gloucester Daily Times