Episode of the Sea

The daily lives of fishermen from Urk in the Netherlands are marked by a deep bond with the sea and the traditions of this former island. The draining of the North-East Polder in the 20th century transformed Urk into an ordinary village. Members of this fishing community were expected to go and work on the land, but that isn't what happened. Instead, they moved their fleet to the North Sea where they succeeded over the years in building up a flourishing industry, despite the increasing competition and governmental measures such as the fish quota. is the outcome of an encounter between two cultures that at first sight have nothing in common: the fishermen from this closed and deeply religious community and the artists seeking to document their lives with camera and microphone. In gorgeous black-and-white shots that reference the history of cinema, the filmmakers record the lives of the fishermen as they haul in the nets and gut the fish. The fishermen tell their story in a staged setting, and in slow intermezzos featuring texts moving across the screen, the filmmakers discuss their experiences during this remarkable two-year collaboration. The final result clearly demonstrates that fishing and filmmaking each have their own long tradition.