All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea

For over 50 years, fisherman Stan Rennie has made his living from Teesside’s waters in northeast England. When a mysterious tide of dead sea life washes ashore one night, Stan’s life takes an unexpected turn. As livelihoods begin to disappear and new industrial development emerges along a coastline already scarred by its industrial past, Stan becomes the unlikeliest and most endearing of activists, bringing his community together to uncover what caused the devastating die-offs. Intimate and deeply empathetic, Jeanie Finlay’s documentary captures the community’s grief and collective determination as they exhaust every avenue for answers from those in power. Their search raises larger questions about accountability and what—and who—we are willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of progress. While the river keeps flowing toward the sea, the lives along this coastline are forced to change course. –Mariana Finelli