Can Farmers and Fishermen be the Next Rockstars? 

An incredible evening of story-telling from international farmers and fishermen happened at The Everyman Cinema  in London last Thursday where three chapters from Jenny Jefferies’ award-winning book ‘Islands In A Common Sea’ have been adapted into short films by Dragonlight Films who are based in Cambridge.

The films featured stories from Manisha Gupta of the Aanandaa Permaculture Project in India, Mellany and Jeroen Klompe, the founders of the Soil Heroes Foundation based in the Netherlands, and Ryan Nienaber, the founder of Green Fish in South Africa. The book was brought to life in a stunning docuseries by filmmaker Colin Ramsay, of Six Inches of Soil fame.

Each 10-minute episode ended with a local recipe, a reminder that the challenges of farming and fishing link directly to what’s on our plates.

Author and Producer Jenny Jefferies hosted the panel discussion that followed where it was made clear that Farmers and Fishermen face strikingly similar challenges worldwide.

• Misinformation is a growing epidemic for food producers.
• We all have a role to play. As Jenny quoted, “Many little people, in little places, doing little things, can change the world.”
• The sector needs its respect and glamour back.
• Farmers and fishermen deserve a stronger voice.
• Sustainability is overused and the term ‘low impact’ might be a better term.
• Consumers need to ask tough questions about where their food comes from and whether it aligns with their values.
• Those who can, should vote with their wallets.

The power of storytelling and brand building in communicating the success stories in a better way is much needed.

There are plans to turn this trilogy into a full series, so if you have ideas, or would like to invest in the project please contact Jenny and Colin directly.

Jenny Jefferies
jenniferlouisejefferies@yahoo.con

Colin Ramsay
colin@dragonlightfilms.com