A NETFLIX documentary showcasing a Scottish fishing community coming together in the face of the loss of its lifeline industry through a 100-year-old tradition is set to be shown on the closing night at a film festival.
People from across Scotland are set to descend on Montrose from September 11-13 for the LandxSea Film Festival for a packed programme of 22 films, live Q&As, musical performances and workshops exploring the future of land, sea and the living world.
Bringing this year’s festival to an end will be a screening of Scottish Bafta-winning Eilidh Munro’s documentary The Herring Queen.
The film follows two parallel stories in Eyemouth: the cherished tradition of crowning a new Herring Queen and the hardship of fishermen trying to make a living with almost no fish left to catch.
“The whole idea was to have these kinds of two parallel but interwoven stories, one of a festival that's going stronger than ever and the other sort of bedrock of that festival ebbing away,” Munro told The National.
“I think what was really moving for me in making the film was about how this is a community that is coming together in the face of loss rather than the opposite, which is what we normally see.”
Munro believes that her 12-minute documentary was the first Scottish film developed as part of the Netflix Documentary Talent Fund and aims to reflect on memory, identity and the uncertain future facing Scotland’s fishing community.
Throughout the film, Munro speaks to residents in Eyemouth, from former Herring Queens to fishermen still trying to make a living for their families.
One young fisherman, Kai, explains that his dad “tried his best to put him off” from joining the industry as he “thinks the fishing is done,” but he adds “it's not”.
He’s then seen coming to shore with a catch that will barely “cover” the cost of petrol for the boat as they sort through a small haul of langoustines.
His dad, Trevor, also features in the film and explains that he likes that his son wants to do the job but “needs to look at the bigger picture,” and insists there is no long-term future in fishing anymore.
Trevor explains that he had his own boat from 2006 until “a few weeks ago” as he goes through the last of the equipment that he plans to sell, as he reveals that he “never made a penny” from August to April.
Munro said: “What was interesting for me was we don't think about communities on the frontline of climate change as being in Scotland.
“We think about climate change affecting people far away from us, and I think actually everyone around the world thinks that and so no one thinks that they're the person most affected by it.”
She added: “So what really drew me to this as well was the fact that this is a frontline community facing climate change.
“It was interesting for me to think about how we can bring this story close to home.”
The documentary also follows the story of a family who share their excitement for one of the girls being chosen as this year’s Herring Queen who is crowned after arriving by boat at the harbour while usually wearing an elaborate dress.
The week-long festival in July is rooted in celebrating the end of the First World War and honouring the local fishing community.
Munro said that she found “no shortage of people to talk to” when she went to Eyemouth last year to film the documentary along with its producer Isabella Bassett and director of photography Steve Cardno.
“Anyone we spoke to, they either had been a herring queen, their sister, their aunt, their niece, or someone had been involved in some way,” Munro said.
“It was so immediately apparent that this festival was completely entrenched in the community and how special it is for everyone really.”
One of the women in the film, Wendy, explains: “Things are a tradition for a reason. I think it keeps people grounded and knowing where they’re from.”
Munro, who is originally from Leven and now lives in North Berwick, said the idea of how traditions in towns and villages across Scotland have disappeared in recent years was something she wanted to explore.
But she found Eyemouth’s defiance in refusing to let its tradition fade into the past like so many have was something she was keen to explore.
Munro said: “There are a lot of these, like industrial towns where there used to be a lot of cultural celebration around an industry, but those industries have disappeared and therefore the community or cultural associations with those industries have also kind of disappeared over the years.
“So when I heard about the Herring Queen Festival, I was really intrigued about how all you hear about is that fishing's declining, and in my experience, all of these kinds of festivals are declining, and yet it seemed like the Herring Queen Festival was going stronger than ever.”
She added: “The festival seemed to have a lot of energy behind it, so I was really intrigued by why and how it is still interlinked with the fishing industry and how climate change plays a role in that whole story as well.”
Munro will take part in a live Q&A at this year's LandxSea Film Festival on September 13 after a showing of The Herring Queen. You can find out more about this year's festival here.
You can also watch the documentary on Munro’s website here. It is also available on Netflix.
