Nachtwake

Nanook of the North(en)

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

The Cove(en)

The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.

The last whale hunters(ja)

The Lamalera village is located in a small volcanic Island, a poor, barren land, and they catch whales to eat. It is the only way for them to survive. The harpooners are called lamafa in the local language. They are the village's pride because they take the whole responsibility for the very dangerous hunting. In 2018. a tragedy struck the village. Benjamin, a young lamafa, was killed during a spear hunting. His father, Ignatius, was devastated, and Benjamin's brother, Demo, was shocked and unable to go hunting. They blame accidents at sea on a victim's family discord in Lamalera. Ignatius, the master boat-builder, decided to build a new traditional whaleboat to reunite the family bond. The whaling boat is 12 meters long, made entirely of hand-crafted wood, not using a single nail, and is considered an intangible cultural asset.

HAND. LINE. COD.(en)

In the coldest waters surrounding Newfoundland's rugged Fogo Island, "people of the fish"—traditional fishers—catch cod live by hand, one at a time, by hook and line. After a 20-year moratorium on North Atlantic cod, the stocks are returning. These fishers are leading a revolution in sustainability, taking their premium product directly to the commercial market for the first time. Travel with them from the early morning hours, spend time on the ocean, and witness the intricacies of a 500-year-old tradition that's making a comeback.

Koka(ru)

Somewhere on the coast of the Bering Sea, a father and son make a living fishing in a community that seems almost outside of time. Aliaksandr Tsymbaliuk’s camera takes us in close to the subjects, recording both the harshness of their condition and the rigour of education, softened by paternal love and the universal insouciance of childhood.

Polaris(en)

Work. Eat. Sleep. And back to work. For a long time skippers in the North East of Scotland could not find locals to work on their fishing vessels. That was until Filipino fishermen started coming to town for work. Both nationalities strive to shorten the distance between two very different worlds.

Danish Seining(en)

An instructional film profiling the dragnet fishing technique as practiced by Danish sailors.

The Pearl Fishers(ja)

Documentary about Japanese pearl fishers.

Against the Tide(mr)

Two friends, both Indigenous fishermen, are driven to desperation by a dying sea. Their friendship begins to fracture as they take very different paths to provide for their struggling families.

As Long as the Rivers Run(en)

Examines the violence and civil disobedience leading up to the hallmark decision in U.S. v. Washington, with particular reference to the Nisqually Indians of Frank's Landing in Washington.

Cries from the Deep(fr)

This documentary records the journey undertaken by Jacques Cousteau, his 24-member team, and an NFB film crew to explore the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, one of the world's richest fishing areas. They discover shipwrecks, film icebergs and observe beluga whales, humpback whales and harp seals. The film also includes a fascinating sequence showing Calypso divers freeing a calf whale entrapped in a fishing net.

Fishing Dreams(id)

Someone tells of a dream he had, which was to go fishing and get lots of fish, this kind of dream is often associated with a symbol of good luck. But he was afraid that the dream would happen again and again, from generation to generation.

Recorrente(pt)

Until the End of the World(it)

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, along with other international organizations, is leading efforts to increase aquaculture by encouraging countries around the world to invest in its development. However, local communities strongly oppose the expansion of fish farms due to resource depletion and water pollution concerns. From Italy to Greece, Spain to Senegal, and all the way to Patagonia in Chile, their journey to uncover the truth extends to the ends of the earth.

To the Sea(es)

Before leaving for Rome with his mother, five year old Natan is taken by his father, Jorge, on an epic journey to the pristine Chinchorro reef off the coast of Mexico. As they fish, swim, and sail the turquoise waters of the open sea, Natan discovers the beauty of his Mayan heritage and learns to live in harmony with life above and below the surface, as the bond between father and son grows stronger before their inevitable farewell.

Aberdeen(en)

Explore the growth of Aberdeen’s sparkling streets.

Loki Pete(en)

With a blend of poignant flashbacks and present-day reflections, the film follows Pete on his 50th and final season fishing for salmon in Southeast Alaska. With day-in-the-life scenes on his fishing vessel, Njord, he emphasizes the critical need for ethical fishing practices, grassroots political organizing, and direct consumer relationships to thrive in an increasingly challenging economy. Featuring powerful moments from the 2001 battle to protect Seattle’s Fisherman’s Terminal for working vessels, this documentary not only showcases the fight for economic survival but also underscores the personal and collective resilience that sustains small family businesses in the face of adversity.

Nights(fr)

Black and white images shot at night. A camera roams the streets of Montreal in search of sounds, smells and sensations. From the first frame, NIGHTS stakes its ground as a poetic, nomadic experience, an open-ended essay about the countless inner worlds that inhabit the big-city night. Testimonials and confessions gradually emerge, from a photographer to a truck driver, from a baker to a blind woman who had to learn to “see” the world differently. Their experiences overlap, but are unalike. We have the feeling of living different lives, against the grain of normality, and we are not alone in this. Diane Poitras achieves nothing less than the reconstitution of a parallel community.

Leviathan(en)

An experimental portrait of the North American commercial fishing industry through the lens of GoPro cameras placed on a fishing vessel off the coast of New England.

The Shiranui Sea(ja)

The sea around Minamata was heavily polluted with mercury during the 1950s and 1960s from the Chisso Corporation's chemical factory. This highly toxic chemical bioaccumulated in shellfish and fish in the Yatsushiro Sea which, when eaten by the local populace, gave rise to Minamata disease. The disease was responsible for the deaths and disabling of thousands of residents, all around the Yatsushiro Sea. The marine ecosystem was also extensively damaged.