“Isla Badenoch comes incredibly close to catching lightning in a bottle with her meditative documentary” - Short of the Week
Longlisted for BIFA Best British Short Film
As the sun sets on the banks of the River Severn on the outskirts of an impoverished city in the UK, a group of men gather in a race to catch a vanishing creature; the elusive elver. Shot over a moonlit night, The Elvermen is an atmospheric film that reveals the last of a hidden community hunting an endangered fish.
After a day working in a print factory in Gloucester, Dave drives to the moonlit banks of the River Severn to hunt for an elusive fish, the rare elver (baby-eel), supposedly worth more than their weight in gold. Over the course of a night we experience the mysterious world of the Elvermen: the addictive gamble and stake-out amongst fathers, sons, brothers and friends. Phone calls of frustration and joy echo down a river lit by headtorches.
THE ELVERMEN shows how a rite of passage has changed into a fight for values: of tradition, community, and a connection to nature in an environment of impending change.
Now available on WATERBEAR and MINUTE SHORTS
Supported by the BFI Doc Society ‘Made of Truth’ Grant
“A transcendent experience” - Short of the Week
An atmospheric account”- Variety
“Grounded and elegiac” - One Room with A View
FESTIVALS & SCREENINGS
COP16, Riyadhi 2024
Balkan Can Kino, Greece 2024
HEI - House of European Institutes, Romania 2024
Pingshan Arts Museum, Shenzhen, China 2024
Stroud Film Festival, UK 2024
Borderlines Film Festival, UK, Open Screen Award Winner 2024
Gåsebäck Film Festival, Sweden, 2023
British Council Songs of the Earth: Climate Short Film Programme - International Tour in collaboration with Doc Society, 2023-25; Pingshan Arts Museum, Shenzhen, European Union, EUNIC film festivals, teaching centre screenings, UK embassy events in Malta, Vietnam, Spain, Algeria, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Philippines, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Bahrain.
CIRCLE DANCE - Screening to support Land Worker’s Alliance run by London-via-Bridport record label, radio show and fundraising party, 2023
GLOUCESTER CITY VOICES FESTIVAL, 2022
VISION DU REEL, supported by British Council, Film Market + Showcase 2022
BRITISH SHORTS Film Festival, Berlin 2022
SHORT OF THE WEEK + VIMEO STAFF PICK, 2021
CAMERIMAGE (Short Doc Competition), Poland 2021
RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, London 2021
AESTHETICA Film Festival, York 2021
CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Maine USA 2021
SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST (UK Competition), Sheffield 2021
CORNWALL Film Festival - Best Sound + Music Award, Cornwall 2021
DOCS IN EXILE, Athens 2021
UN GLOBAL FOOD SUMMIT x Food Film Festival, International 2021
HEBREDIES INTERNATIONAL Film Festival, Scotland 2021
CREDITS
Directed by Isla Badenoch
Produced by Joe Binks
Cinematography by Anna MacDonald
Edited by Nicole Halova + Jamie Kataky
Sound Design by Mike Bovill @ 750mph
Original Score by Mike Day
Colour Grade by Vlad Barin @ Cheat
Executive Producer Lisa Marie Russo (BFI Doc Society)
Production Manager Hannah Bush-Bailey (BFI Doc Society)
