For this month’s film club we had a wonderful opportunity to partner with One Kai – “a marine and sociological catalyst that seeks to bring together all factions of the marine world, so that no-one’s voice goes unheard” – to screen their film about the spurdog shark – Fighting for the Underdog.

This beautiful documentary weaves together a story, that as described by the director Liberty Denman, is told…

“through the eyes of different stakeholders from Scotland to Cornwall. This film reveals how we are more connected to the Ocean than we realise. We all want to see our beautiful British marine life thrive for decades to come. This is not limited to those better known species but also to ones, such as the spurdog, which are often overlooked. [This film] follows the story of this small species of shark through the eyes of every community linked to it.“

We were lucky enough to be joined by some of their fabulous filmmakers afterwards for a Q&A session. They were drilled with many questions by our audience about the film, conservation storytelling and the process of filmmaking. We all learnt a lot about sharks too.

Before I begin to unravel the themes from the discussion, I want to encourage all shark and fish fanatics, all lovers of the sea and anyone with any hint of interest in conservation, to support their amazing initiative. Either find a screening near you, donate to the project or spread the word! Whatever you do, take away the message of the film in Liberty’s own words:

“Look for those underrepresented voices in conservation and facilitate a way for them to be heard in a non biased fashion.”

The film and its filmmakers really encouraged the audience to engage with the stories we hear in news, science and general life. Consider, whose perspective is missing? And how can we create a space for connection, for all of these voices to be heard, valued and connected together? This could enable future decisions for the beautiful spurdog species (and others) to be made collaboratively, by working-with others rather than excluding them.

If anyone has any questions or wants to follow the project, here is a link to where you can find them on social media @one__kai and on LinkedIn. If you want to get in touch with Liberty, with questions or to set up a screening, find her @libertydenmandives.

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Stakeholder identities

Stories told by science and conservation can be one sided. Documentaries, such as conservation campaign films, often lean into the traditional heroes journey storytelling technique. This technique casts one character as “good” – often in wildlife films it is the conservationist hero who is trying to save the day. But, it frames their “opposition” as “bad”. In the case of Fighting for the Underdog, using this framing would have vilified the fisherman as evil-doers trying to demolish the seas and the fishing stocks.

The documentary film highlighted that in reality, the situation is not so black and white. Its not a binary tale of good vs evil, but actually a complex mesh of different stakeholder’s perspectives and lives. All of which are equally valid, but don’t necessarily have a platform to speak out or people who will listen. Their stories are, therefore, often oppressed or erased from the narratives that we, the public, hear.

With the fame of “Seaspiracy”¹ and other dramatic documentaries, the filmmakers shared that many of those interviewed initially did not want to be involved. They held the assumption that this film, like the others before it, would take the same biased stance on the fishing industry.

Fisheries depend on the sea. They have a relationship with it and a desire to protect the it and its fish in the long-term. At the end of the day, their livelihoods rely on there being a sustainable supply of fish and this relationship is deeply embedded into their local culture.

This storytelling bias is not specific to the fishing industry. The same lens is often applied to farmers and other industries or cultures that live with and depend on the produce of their local environment.

For us, as an audience full of budding conservationists, science communicators and filmmakers, this was an important message. Through their interviews, we saw the humanness at the heart of the fisherman, those in the fishing industry and the conservation organisations. It was not hard to notice that the stakeholders represented on screen may not all see eye to eye, but they were all connected by a love and respect for the sea.

Take away message

From the film and the filmmakers fantastic Q&A, we learnt to look beyond the veneer for the powerful stories hidden underneath. We were encouraged to question the one-sided stories in our own lives and to seek those other perspectives.

What the documentary demonstrated, was that the fisherman and those whose lives and work were connected to the spurdog shark, had a respect and understanding of the sea based on their lived experiences. To us, the audience, their experiences are very different to our own. It is through the power of personal storytelling and film that we can learn about these experiences and begin to empathise with them. For many filmmakers and conservationists alike,

Film, therefore, creates an opportunity to share these stories widely. By educating many, film can have an impact by not only raising awareness but by intentionally using these films as vehicles to encourage collaborative stakeholder engagement in policy making and the management of ecosystems, such as these fisheries.

Fighting for the Underdog‘s informative and creative storytelling pulls out the emotional heart of each of the character’s interviewed. Crafting a journey that all of us in the audience could empathise with and begin to understand. The film helped us value the opinions of academics, fisherman and local people equally and recognise these stakeholders’ care for the sea, as they all have a stake in its future health and prosperity.

The One Kai team have done an amazing job at raising awareness about the spurdog shark and the sustainable fishing practices around it. But, they also promote a powerful message, the need to listen to all sides of the story and to question which ones are missing.

I personally really encourage everyone to find a screening near them and spread the message about this brilliant project. And I want to say a massive thank you to the filmmakers for all of their support and for joining the little film club to help tell their own stories too.

Find out more about the film and watch the trailer here: https://www.onekai.org/fighting-for-the-underdog

1. For more information about the controversy around the narratives in Seaspiracy see here: https://academic.oup.com/fisheries/article/47/4/154/7816492?login=false ↩︎