At GoodFood World, we’ve introduced you to fishermen and farmers who are working hard to do the right thing. This documentary visits Newfoundland and Alberta to profile families trying to do the right thing too.
In The Same Boat – 35 min Documentary.
Set in the rugged landscape of coastal Newfoundland and the spectacular ranchlands of Southern Alberta, In The Same Boat is an intimate portrait of one of Newfoundland’s last remaining inshore cod fishermen and the lessons he has to share with Alberta’s farmers.
At 66, Bill Molloy has been a proud Newfoundland fisherman his entire life. Today, nearly two decades after the 1992 cod fishing moratorium, the once thriving industry has not recovered. Despite years of struggles, Bill never gave up on his way of life.
Over 70 inshore fishermen once worked off the wharves in Bill’s hometown of St. Lawrence. Now, three remain. The collapse of the fishing industry runs deep. The sociological and economic repercussions are destroying whole communities.
St. Lawrence was a bustling town of 5000, now 1200 people remain. And as Newfoundlanders leave the island in search of work in places like Alberta, Bill fears communities like his will fade away.
Meanwhile, in Alberta scientists and farmers are increasingly concerned about the damage extensive development is having on the environment.
The Watmough family has ranched in southern Alberta for more than a century. Norm Watmough and his family all live on a ranch. They face the same challenges that Bill Molloy faces 6000 kilometres away.
Will the family farm, once synonymous with the Canadian West, suffer the same fate as the Atlantic fishery?
Through the stories of Bill Molloy and Norm Watmough we will gain a new understanding of the value of living off the land and the sea. And the consequences of taking both for granted.
The production and offline edit for In The Same Boat is complete; the film is in post-production now: music composition, sound mix and color correction. Release is projected for September 2011. Learn more here.