Our Coast

Director: Ella Van Cleave

(Filmmaker is attending in-theatre festival in Friday Harbor)

Our Coast paints a portrait of fisherman James Lawson’s life as he prepares for the upcoming fishing season and reflects on the experiences along British Columbia’s coast. Low fish stocks and a nefarious regulatory landscape that favors corporate interests over coastal communities are forcing many fishermen out of their livelihood. James hopes for a secure future where fish harvesters are valued for their knowledge of the marine ecosystems that support them.

Released in 2021

Running time:  12 minutes     

SHORT

Sponsor: Chicago Title

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Ella Van Cleave

Ella is a natural history film and TV researcher currently based in Vancouver, BC. In 2019 Ella graduated with a degree specializing in conservation biology and science communication before going on to work in the world of wildlife rehabilitation with MARS Wildlife Rescue in the Comox Valley. In 2021 she completed an MA in Wildlife Filmmaking at the University of the West of England in partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit where her final thesis film, featuring a young fisherman from Campbell River, was shortlisted for the BAFTA Student Awards.

As a diver raised on Vancouver Island, Ella has a soft spot for marine ecosystems and the communities built around them. She cares most about stories that reflect a deep connection to place and explore the human communities at the heart of conservation.