Director: James Stier, Producer: James Stier, co-producer: Leo Kaserer Production: Anattic, AK Tirol and Rame Heritage 71′, 2017, UK, Rights: World.
A documentary film about a 70-year-old Cornish fisherman who is the last of his generation, Malcolm Baker is the last traditional Fisherman in the Rame Peninsula, a beautiful, sleepy and forgotten corner of Cornwall, England. He was born and raised in Kingsand and Cawsand, and has never left the villages.
Still fishing like generations of fishers before him, he relies on traditional tools, old techniques and an in-depth
knowledge of the sea. This is his story. Without any formal education, Malcolm learned his craft from the generations that preceded him. At over 70 years old the sea is etched into his face, his hands, his soul. He is a holding pattern, preserving a dying industry and a constant reminder of a way of life that doesn’t exist anymore; he hasn’t changed, but the world around him has.
His occupation, village, and community are evolving at a rapid pace. He finds himself out of time, a little out of touch, struggling to understand his place in the world. When it looked impossible to continue his way of life, an unlikely friendship formed with an eccentric Austrian youth worker. The youth worker longed for a simpler way of life and fell in love with the traditional life Malcolm possessed. He etched a plan to preserve some of Malcolm’s skills for generations to come. In the process, he changed the life of his family, Malcolm and the lives of hundreds of young people. The Last Fisherman‘s story is a reflection on a man’s life and the power we all possess to make a difference in our communities. It provides a reminder that progress, industrialism and rapid change can have a harmful impact on industries, communities, people and the legacy of our forefathers. Nevertheless, in the face of change, good or bad, there are those of us stout of heart who band together; embracing the new yet not at the expense of the lessons of the past, finding satisfaction in hard work and pride in doing a ‘proper job.
Featured on Country File television series, BBC1, 2017, UK.
