Plight of lifelong Hartlepool fisherman brought to the big screen by award-winning British filmmaker
A powerful new film into the collapse of Hartlepool’s inshore fishing industry is in cinemas nationwide now.
Documentary All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea by acclaimed British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay shines a light on a mysterious environmental disaster which saw poisoned crabs and lobsters wash ashore along the North East coast in 2021.
At the centre of the story is veteran Hartlepool fisherman Stan Rennie who becomes a reluctant grassroots activist as he embarks on an “David vs Goliath” fight for justice and answers.
It saw a return to Teesside for director Jeanie who comes from the Stockton area.
She told the Mail: “I got offered a lot of films but as soon as I heard about this I could just see it as a film.
“All I could think about was the beaches that I spent my childhood on at risk, and wanted to go further and find out what was going on.”
Jeanie spent just over three years spending time with fishermen around the North East, predominantly in Hartlepool.
The film questions whether dredging of the River Tees in recent years has disturbed harmful sediment from the past.
In the documentary, lifelong fisherman Stan describes an “eco system wipeout”.
But Jeanie said she chiefly wanted to show the human side of what was happening.
“There was a lot of talk about the die-offs and what happened, but what was it like to experience that?” she says.
“What’s it like to be a fisherman and lose all your catch.”
Jeanie said the response to the film from festivals and local screenings has been overwhelming.
Audiences have raised around £5,000 so far towards the fishermen’s campaign for independent scientific testing.
It won the People's Choice Award at the Mediterrane Film Festival and critic Mark Kermode called it: “A powerful story, told with poignancy, humour and poetry from one of our leading documentary makers”.
A “homecoming” gala screening is to be held at Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, November 15, after the town’s Vue cinema failed to screen the film despite support from over 400 people.
Jeanie said: “The Town Hall Theatre very kindly stepped up when the community’s call to show at the Vue were ignored.
“Everyone wants to see the film that’s been made about their town.”