The End of The Line has won the Environment Award at the 2010 One World Media Awards against stiff opposition from Channel 4 News and ITN.

The film about the over-fishing of our seas was announced as the winner before a packed audience in London at a ceremony that celebrated the best in journalism, film and TV.

Rupert Murray, the film’s director, accepted the award and reminded the audience that the long-term repercussions of over-fishing are not just environmental but social and economic as millions of people across the planet need fish as their protein to stay alive.

The judges, led by BBC environment correspondent Richard Black, commended the film not only for tackling the extremely important issue of protecting the worlds’ oceans but also on its stunning photography.

In their citation the judges said: “Our unanimous choice is The End of the Line - the story of humanity’s over-exploitation of the world’s fisheries, and what it implies for the future. This is the rarest of beasts - a film about environmental destruction that entertains, with a positive and engaging finale.”

Greta Scacchi, the actress and a leading light in the campaign against over-fishing who at the ceremony to present the Drama Award, said “I am delighted that the achievement of the End of The Line has been recognised- it is a very important film.”

Greta played a leading role in the campaign for the film by posing naked with a large sustainable cod in an iconic photograph by leading photographer Rankin.

The film was based on the eponymous book by Charles Clover, a leading environmental writer and co-founder of fish2fork.

He said: “I’m really grateful to the One World awards for choosing recognising that this was an important film about one of the major environmental problems of our century and about our future food security. As an author and journalist, I could only contribute so much, the quality of the film was down to Rupert Murray, the director and cameraman, Claire Ferguson, the film editor, and the producers, for making sure it happened at all.”

The One World Media Awards are traditionally given to every area of the media from newspaper and magazine journalism to on-line offerings. Social justice, environmental issues and issues from the developing world are at the heart of what One World stands for.

Claire Lewis

I write this while looking out over the sea at Cape Cod realising that it is here along this coast that we humans have done the most damage to fish stocks.

Cod is the history of this coast and its people. It is utterly beautiful here in Provincetown where The End of the Line is being screened as part of the their film festival.

Despite wind and rain - yes, like the UK - this is a community that was founded on fishing bounty. It now lives on tourism.

My co-speaker at the Q&A was Owen Nicols, a young man who was born and bred here in Provincetown. He is studying for a PHD in Fisheries Science and works at the local Oceans Institute.

Continue reading ‘Cape Cod - where humans have done the most damage to fish stocks’

The Science Museum turned out to be a very appropriate venue to host our special preview screening of The End of the Line on Monday night.

On a balmy summer evening well over 350 guests filled the spectacular IMAX cinema to see the film.

After a reception surrounded by replicas of early planes, jet turbine engines and other flying machines a glittering array of people sat down.

Among the guests were Stephen Fry, Geri Halliwell, Donna Air and Sarah Brown, the Prime Minster’s wife. Continue reading ‘Stars turn out for The End of the Line screening at the Science Museum’

We need posters, leaflets, business cards, DVD’s of the film, hats, badges, jackets all with our distinctive logo. Jenny our researcher and assistant has been working full time on the logistics of getting the entire team out to this frozen bit of Utah.

The press kits are ready,  we have a house to stay in courtesy of the forward thinking of George the other producer, we have our flights booked but the most pressing thing is to try and get our website which is under construction, up and running by Thursday Jan 15. Conference calls, moving offices (again). Continue reading ‘Many things…’

We finished the film with a gnat’s breath between us and oblivion and it winged its way to Utah at the end of last week. Now the realisation that we have to spend nearly two weeks sharing a house - we being myself, the other producer, George, Charles, Rupert and Christo (one of our executive producers).

I think it’s fair to say we are all strong- minded, opinionated, bolshie extroverts with shared passions - saving the oceans and good wine. How this will unfold over the course of the festival who knows.  Read this blog. Continue reading ‘Countdown to Sundance’