The Elvermen — Isla Badenoch

“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

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

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