A turning tide in the life of man / Des Lois et des Hommes
One man, 500 million citizens to convince!
The incredible story of a small fisherman in his daily fight over 8 years, a man stuck between the politico-economic mechanism of his country and European Union regulations. A provocative film about understanding each individuals role in society.
Directors notes
The documentary explores the impact of EU-level environmental management policies on a small, Irish-speaking fishing community on the island of Inis Bó Finne off the northwest coast of Donegal. We follow an eight-year journey of one fisherman, John O’Brien, islanders, experts as they campaign on behalf of the European islands for access to the traditional catch and their unique way of life. The film is also concerned with the challenges facing minority language groups and the rupture of traditional livelihoods in coastal Ireland and further afield in the EU.
Festivals Selections and Awards
Festival European Film Festival des Arcs (France)
Festival Etonnants Voyageurs (France)
Competition, Millenium Film Festival (Brussels)
Palic Film Festival (Serbia),
Compétition, Bled Film Festival (Slovenia)
The IFI Documentary Films Festival (Ireland)
Compétition, Galway Film Festival
Guth Gafa Film Festival (Ireland)
HIFF 2016 (The Hebrides International Film Festival, Scotland)
Rencontres AD Hoc (France)
Escales Documentaires, Ecran vert (France)
Compétition, Cine Politico (Argentina)
Festival Résistances (France)
Festival Interceltique de Lorient (France)
TIFF (Norway)
NordKap Festival (Norway)
Rencontres hivernales de Grignan (France) 2017
Rencontres cinématographiques de Montmélian (France) 2017
Winner Best Documentary, FIFIG 2015
Winner Best Documentary, Bled Film Festival, (Slovenia)
Winner Best Documentary, Festival Pêcheurs du Monde, France
Special Jury’s mention, Documentary Films Festival Traces de vies, France
Special Jury’s mention, Derry Foyle Film Festival, Northern Ireland
Jury Award, the Rural Film Festival Festi’vache, France
Winner Best European Documentary Award, CIRCOM 2016
Nominated for the best documentary 2016,
Oireachtas na Gaeilge Media Awards 2016
Nominated for the best single documentary 2017
Celtic Media Festival…
Nominated for the best Documentary 2016,
Fondation Radharc Awards (Irlande) 2016
Lugh Films 