![\"Dead](\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/17-1114-dead-in-the-water-696x522.jpg\" "\\"Dead")
\n\u201cDead in the Water\u201d was two-and-a-half years in the making and is Wittkower\u2019s fifteenth documentary film.<\/p>\n
ROCKPORT, Mass., Nov. 13, 2017 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — A documentary film dealing with the devastating impacts of federal regulations on the lives of New England ground fishermen, \u201cDead in the Water,\u201d produced and directed by Rockport native and professional filmmaker David Wittkower, will be screened for the first time in public in Rockport, Massachusetts on Nov. 18.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cDead in the Water\u201d was two-and-a-half years in the making and is Wittkower\u2019s fifteenth documentary film.<\/p>\n
The film was shot in different coastal towns and it features scenes and interviews with area fishermen, their spouses and other family members; advocates for fishermen; elected officials; and community activists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis film opens the doors for the world to see how difficult and dangerous the life of a fisherman is,\u201d said John Bell, a former three-term mayor of Gloucester (2002-08). \u201cOn top of that, the impact of misguided federal regulations on fishermen has never been presented as powerfully as it is in \u2018Dead in the Water.\u2019 This film packs a real punch. It stays with you long after you\u2019ve seen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wittkower, a graduate of the American Film Institute as a cinematographer, who\u2019s been living and working in Los Angeles since 1981, describes \u201cDead in the Water\u201d as an examination of \u201cthe relentless destruction of the New England ground fishing industry through government regulations, bad science, and the growing, but mistaken, belief that everything has been overfished and there aren\u2019t any fish left in the oceans.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea for the film came from a casual conversation he had on a sidewalk in Gloucester three years ago. \u201cI was back in Rockport on a visit and I drove into Gloucester and noticed there were very few fishing boats in the harbor,\u201d Wittkower said. \u201cI asked someone, \u2018Where\u2019s the fleet?\u2019 and he said, \u2018What fleet? The fleet\u2019s been dwindling for years, and this is what\u2019s left.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
He started asking more questions about the plight of the town\u2019s fishermen and was soon directed to Angela Sanfilippo, the longtime president of the Gloucester Fishermen\u2019s Wives Association. Sanfilippo encouraged him when he raised the possibility of telling the story of the vanishing fleet of ground fishing boats and their crews on film.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could see that David was sincerely interested in this topic,\u201d said Sanfilippo, \u201cand I quickly figured out he had the skills and track record to make a serious documentary on it, a film that could generate a lot of interest, here and elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Gloucester Fishermen\u2019s Wives Association decided to help and support Wittkower as much as possible. \u201cThe first time I saw the rough cut of \u2018Dead in the Water,\u2019 I knew we had done the right thing,\u201d said Sanfilippo. \u201cThis is something special.”<\/p>\n
One of the many friends and professional colleagues of Sanfilippo who appears in \u201cDead in the Water\u201d is J.J. Bartlett, President of Fishing Partnership Support Services. He notes that physicians who have studied the physical and emotional effects upon ground fishermen of the changes in the industry \u201chave concluded that 87 percent of them are suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).\u201d<\/p>\n
Bartlett said, \u201cWhen you watch \u2018Dead in the Water,\u2019 you\u2019ll understand why that\u2019s so. And you\u2019ll leave the theater wanting to tell your friends, \u2018You have<\/em> to see this film.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The film also includes the song, \u201cGloucester Harbor Shore\u201d by Grammy\u00ae Award winner, Paula Cole.<\/p>\n Following the premiere in Rockport on Nov. 18, Wittkower is planning a tour where he will show the film in multiple locations and to a variety of audiences. That tour will begin in Massachusetts, with subsequent showings likely in Boston and New Bedford, and will extend to Maine and other coastal states. Simultaneously, he will be trying for a nationwide showing by getting the film on HBO, Netflix or Amazon.<\/p>\n \u201cDead in the Water\u201d is Wittkower\u2019s fifteenth documentary film. He has won many awards for his work, including one from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for a film he did on Lane Frost, a famous rodeo bull rider who was accidentally killed at a riding event. He\u2019s hoping now that \u201csomething better than an award\u201d will come from his latest project.<\/p>\n Said Wittkower, \u201cI\u2019m hoping to increase public support for U.S. fishermen. I want to help keep fishing jobs in this country. If \u2018Dead in the Water\u2019 can do that, I\u2019d be pretty happy.\u201d<\/p>\n The film was recently accepted as Official Selections into the Depth of Field International Film Festival competition under three categories: Documentary, Direction and Cinematography.<\/p>\n Facebook page: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Dead-in-the-Water-The-Documentary-268307836700878\/<\/a><\/p>\n *PHOTO for Media: Send2Press.com\/300dpi\/17-1114s2p-deadinwater-300dpi.jpg A trailer of the film can be seen at: https:\/\/youtu.be\/RNGXvzBaamk<\/a><\/p>\n
\n*Photo Caption: Movie poster for \u201cDead in the Water\u201d produced and directed by Rockport native and professional filmmaker David Wittkower.<\/p>\n