Project Detail

The Fisherman and the Banker

Synopsis

Filmed over a period of 10 years, this is the story of how a group of courageous fishermen in India’s Gulf of Kutch join forces with an NGO in Washington, DC to take on one of the world’s most powerful institutions, the World Bank Group.
For years, the fishermen of the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat and their social movement MASS have been battling coal-fired power plants that threaten their livelihoods and traditional way of life by polluting the water and the countryside. Then, in 2015, their fight took an international dimension when US lawyers at EarthRights International took on their case to file the first-ever lawsuit against the World Bank’s private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation. One of the most destructive power plants in the Gulf of Kutch is owned by Indian multinational Tata, who received funding from the IFC. The IFC claims absolute legal immunity but the fisherman challenge this in ever higher courts. In 2018 the case makes its way to the US Supreme Court. Will the fishermen be able to change international law to hold the IFC to account – and save their livelihoods?
Official Selection Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2024 - World premiere

Details

Year
2024
Type of project
Features
Running time
85 min
Format
Digital Cannon 100
Director
Sheena Sumaria
Producer
Sheena Sumaria
Executive Producer
Christopher Hird
Editor
Sheena Sumaria
Sound
Atul Landjudkar

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

A Distant Call A Distant Call

Director: Andrea Suwito

Year: 2026

In the ancient Bugis way of life in Indonesia, gender non-binary ‘bissu’ were once revered spiritual leaders. Eka, one of the last remaining bissu, decides to leave behind their identity, searching for belonging in a world that insists on definitions.

Solstice on Grímsey Island Nation

Director: Nikolai Galitzine

Year: 2026

When a church burns down in a storm, a remote arctic community come together to preserve their identity as they face an uncertain future.

A reality TV presenter speaks to the camera, looking directly into the lens. Tops

Director: Ames Pennington

Year: 2024

A fun pastiche of chaotic, brash, self-deprecating and clueless 1990s/2000s British reality TV, TOPS sees self-proclaimed future award-winning filmmaker Ames Pennington present their landmark faux-documentary. Casting themselves as an invasive TV presenter, Ames goes on a satirical odyssey through the lives and homes of four unique individuals, exploring the crucial question that defines the transmasc experience: “What TOP did you want to wear after TOP surgery?” Official Selection BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2024 - World premiere Official Selection Kashish Pride Film Festival 2024 - International premiere