The Film
A madcap story of two visions of rural Britain colliding in the Devon countryside.
Derek Gow – ex-sheep farmer famed for bringing back the beaver to Britain – is transforming his land into an oasis for nature. Over the hedge neighbour, Derek Banbury, an intensive dairy farmer, is appalled by what he’s seeing: “It’s not farming. It’s just a mess.”
What happens when a maverick conservationist lives next door a committed intensive farmer? As the two Dereks square off about everything from wild boar invasions to slurry pits, this film probes what’s at stake for us all. After run-ins and arguments, can there finally be a meeting of minds that allows nature to flourish and, at the same time, produce enough food for all?
A film about the fight for heart of rural Britain.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK AND FEEL LIKE?
Though the underlying issues may be serious this film will be fun. The two Derek’s (and other neighbours) are larger than life characters happy to engage in the tussle and banter that goes – each in entirely different ways – with trying to make a living from the land.
This is observational characterful film-making. As well as arguments over hedges and wild boar we’ll also paint a picture of life on both sides of the said hedge. From hand rearing baby storks and voles, to pond digging and beaver monitoring, the work on Gow’s project is intense. But so too is daily life on the Banbury farm: silage cutting, growing crops, slurry spreading, milking and feeding 400 cows – it’s never ending.
How they impact each other and the natural world they’re trying to work with is at the heart of what this film is about.
The primary note of this film will be entertaining. But emerging sometimes from the banter will be real issues confronting us all about how we save our natural world.
People / Team
Director: James Dawson
Executive Producer: Adam Wishart
Producer: Serena Kennedy
Producer: David Broder
Camera: Jon Sayers