A charismatic abalone poacher. A dead son. A broken love story.
Three storylines bound together by a single theme: the curse of the abalone. Abalone is an endangered marine snail that’s prized as an aphrodisiac and status symbol in China, but illegal harvesting has disastrous consequences for the traditional fishing community of Hawston near Cape Town in South Africa. ‘Between the Devil and the Deep’ offers a moving glimpse into the hearts and lives of three mixed-race families in a traditional fishing community that’s suspended in a limbo between traditional lifestyle, daily survival and the trappings of a corrupt and brutal enforcement apparatus, which has left countless victims in its wake. The film follows the protagonists in their community, on land, on sea, and underwater, as they tread the thin line between survival and destruction, life and death: of the abalone, and of the people. The film includes going out with abalone poachers in shark-infested waters, a high-speed chase at sea, and intimate and touching moments with the main characters.
Watch the TRAILER on our BUZZBYTES CHANNEL on YouTube.
Watch the 93-minute film BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP on VIMEO.COM.
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Three storylines bound together by a single theme: the curse of the abalone. Abalone is an endangered marine snail that’s prized as an aphrodisiac and status symbol in China, but illegal harvesting has disastrous consequences for the traditional fishing community of Hawston near Cape Town in South Africa. ‘Between the Devil and the Deep’ offers a moving glimpse into the hearts and lives of three mixed-race families in a traditional fishing community that’s suspended in a limbo between traditional lifestyle, daily survival and the trappings of a corrupt and brutal enforcement apparatus, which has left countless victims in its wake. The film follows the protagonists in their community, on land, on sea, and underwater, as they tread the thin line between survival and destruction, life and death: of the abalone, and of the people. The film includes going out with abalone poachers in shark-infested waters, a high-speed chase at sea, and intimate and touching moments with the main characters.
Watch the TRAILER on our BUZZBYTES CHANNEL on YouTube.
Watch the 93-minute film BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP on VIMEO.COM.
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KEY CREW
Director/Writer: HEINRICH DAHMS
Producer: MICHELE AIMÉ
Co-producer: VISUALANTICS BELGIUM
Co-producer: EVANGELISCH OMROEP (Dutch Public Broadcaster)
Camera: JOHAN BOSGRAAF
Editor: HEINRICH DAHMS
Funding: NETHERLANDS FILM FUND / COBOFONDS