The NET - Julia Ochs, Klaudyna Brzostowska

Author´s country of origin: Germany and Poland.
Filming location: Spain.
Running time: 14 minutes.
Language: Spanish and English with Spanish subtitles.
Award: Prize for Best Work in the field of ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS.

THE NET is a raw and intimate documentary that follows four fishermen engaged in bottom trawling off the Spanish coast. Filmed on board, in tune with their daily rhythm, it captures the harsh atmosphere of the early mornings, the long working days and the physical exertion involved in life at sea. The camera stays close, offering an intimate glimpse into the reality of life aboard a trawler.

The documentary confronts the viewer with striking images of dead fish, discarded by-catch and the waste associated with this practice. For the men on board, bottom trawling is an effective way of fishing. Their views contrast with those of marine scientists and conservationists, giving rise to conflicting interpretations of this method. The fishermen are not portrayed as villains, but as people whose livelihoods are tied to a system that, at the same time, threatens the ecosystem on which they depend.

The disconnect between the fishermen’s lived experience and the environmental consequences of their work lies at the heart of the film’s tension. With its realistic tone and unscripted approach, *THE NET* offers a nuanced view of a practice that is both a livelihood and a threat. It challenges viewers to confront the uncomfortable reality of where our seafood comes from and the consequences of the practices that bring it to our plates.