The New Boats

Dear GlobalGiving Community,

We've had successful community screenings of New Boats documentary film in Tombo, Black Johnson and other coastal communities building a local movement, inspiring communities to take ownership and protect not just their livelihoods, but a critical food source that this country depends on. 

We are currently in Geneva, the human rights capital of the world, for the 5th edition of Impact Days - International Festival and Forum on Human Rights.

On the 31st March we are thrilled to premier at Freetown City Council Auditorium. New Boats has been selected to screen at the International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco and we've been asked to screen at the Africa Centre in New York on Earth Day, April 22nd with a Q&A. We are currently raising funds to travel and take the New Boats to San Francisco and New York. 

We are extremely grateful for your continued support as we screen the New Boats to as many audiences as possible. 

In gratitude,

Dear GlobalGiving Community,

I wanted to reach out and thank you all for your incredible support. 2022 was quite a year with brilliant festival and broadcast premieres of the film. And we are excited to share some of our most recent news related to our outreach and impact goals.

We just found out the New Boats is one of 16 selected documentary projects to take part in the FIFDH 2023 Impact Days in Geneva. From the 110 international documentary projects submitted, the selected 16 projects represent directors from 14 different countries. Impacts Days bring together filmmakers, producers, NGOs, and foundations to develop collaborative synergies and lead impact campaigns around films. A real link between the directors and International Geneva, the program attracts more than 900 people from 70 countries each year. The program also offer the opportunity for Swiss and international documentary projects – tackling urgent and topical themes – to benefit from a training and support program over several weeks: the Impact Lab.

We are so honored that we can develop our impact campaigns through their Impact Lab to continue to work and protect the health of our Oceans & the livelihood of our people. Our team will be connected with strategic impact partners during the 13-14 March 2023 Impact Days in Geneva.

We will keep you updated in the new year about our impact campaign.

Happy Holidays,

Barmmy Boy

Dear GlobalGiving Community,

We are thrilled to share that on August 1st, U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone hosted a preview screening of “The New Boats” documentary film followed by a brilliant panel discussion with members of the Tombo community, crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk and Sierra Leone Marinetime Ministry Wing.

The conversation was focused on discussing illegal fishing and it's impact on local food security, livelihoods, and resulting migration. we also discussed the impacts of climate change, severe weather patterns, and how communities, governments, and partners can work together to alleviate these issues.

We look forward to future collaborations with the US Embassy as we gear up for our Sierra Leonean impact campaign. We have extensive plans for community-based screenings and the Sierra Leone movie premiere after the rains. If you would like to make a contribution to our ongoing impact campaign please donate using the link below. 

With gratitude,

Barmmy Boy

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

I am very proud to announce that The New Boats will be broadcast on ARTE this June. We will make sure to follow up with the exact broadcast date when it becomes public, but we could not be more proud that our film has such a great distribution partner. this is just the beginning of a new phase of the project and we are ready to start spreading the word.

While making The New Boats we witnessed firsthand the daily struggle of local fisherman and their families. They are fighting to keep this new influx of International companies accountable for their actions and preserve not just an important cultural symbol for my country Sierra Leone, but a critical food source that all of us in the region depend upon. My people have proved their resiliency, time and time again through the civil conflict of the 90’s, surviving Ebola and the horrendous climate disasters of 2017 and I am confident that we will be able to come together to ensure the long term health of our people. The Sierra Leonean flag in Green, white and Blue; Green for the land, White for justice and Blue represents our bountiful ocean. It is time to think long-term and time for our community to organize and become the proud steward of land and sea. 

Presently, we dedicating ourselves to our outreach efforts for the project, which include both local screening and advocacy we are planning together with the Sierra Leone Artisanal Fishing Union, and a more globally focussed information campaign that aims to raise awareness about illegal and bad methods of fishing practices.

We are continuing to work with Wudie, the Public Relations Officer for the Artisanal Fishermen’s Union and together we plan to add a stronger media component to these community surveillance efforts and data collection activities. I hope you will support us in our continued effort.

With Gratitude,

Barmmy Boy

Dear GlobalGiving Community,

it is with great pride that I am writing to tell you that The New Boats documentary film has moved on to the post-production phase footage. We have a great team assembled with experience and knowledge and we are on the way to telling the story we want to tell. Lead by Ibrahim S. Kamara (Miles), it is time for us to now make sense of the over 100 hours worth of great material. Using Adobe Premeire Pro 2021, the editing has started, we are excited and as a team we look forward to this new journey that will help bring some light to the plight of artisanal fishing communities in West Africa. 

Our film specifically looks at the Tombo community in my mother country Sierra Leone and their attempt to protect their livelihood and way of life. We witness their daily struggle and attempt to keep a new influx of International companies accountable for their actions and preserve not just an important cultural symbol of Sierra Leone, but a critical food source that the country and region depend upon.

Thank you so much for your generous support of this project.

with Gratitude

BarmmyBoy