A documentary film by French film maker Mathilde Jounot is attracting interest, not least for its direct approach to the activities of NGOs in influencing fisheries policies.
Commenting in online fishing magazine Hook and Net, she said that Oceans, the Voice of the Invisibles, (Océans, la Voix des Invisibles) was a challenge to make as it was made clear that nobody would fund it. It was financed with some subsidies and crowdfunding, and was launched at the Pêcheurs du Monde film festival, where it attracted immediate interest.
The full 56-minute documentary is now free to view on Vimeo.
‘Now the film is being shown by a bank, Caisse des Depots et Consignations, to its clients during its week showcasing environmental issues. In June it is being shown at Nausicaa in Boulogne for the World Ocean Days, three French TV stations have shown the film and there are ten cinemas in France screening it,’ Mathilde Jounot said. In addition, the film is due to be shown at various festivals in France and other countries.
‘There was a strong response to the film and it’s clear that there is a groundswell of opinion that doesn’t agree with the policies the major NGOs are following. Gilles Lhuilier, who is a professor of law at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Rennes, has suggested that legislation is needed to limit and regulate the activities of NGOs and he argues that these are corporate entities pursuing what equates to commercial activities, in the same way as large corporations do. This is something that needs to be addressed by the FAO and other global institutions,’ Mathilde Jounot said.
‘There has been no response from any of the NGOs, although they can not be unaware of it. I don’t think they comprehend what we are doing and why,’ she said. ‘I’m not accusing them of a conspiracy as the NGOs are not hiding what they are setting out to do. If anything, the whole thing is more of an embarrassment for the media that ignored this issue than it is for the NGOs.’
