Fisherman's Friends | |
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Directed by | Chris Foggin |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Simon Tindall |
Edited by | Johnny Daukes |
Music by | Rupert Christie |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Entertainment Film Distributors |
Release date |
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Running time | 112 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $11,647,462 [1] |
Fisherman's Friends is a 2019 British comedy-drama film directed by Chris Foggin from a screenplay by Nick Moorcroft, Meg Leonard and Piers Ashworth.
The film was inspired by a true story about Fisherman's Friends, a group of Cornish fishermen from Port Isaac who were signed by Universal Records and achieved a top 10 hit with their debut album of traditional sea shanties. [2]
The film stars Daniel Mays, James Purefoy, David Hayman, Dave Johns, Sam Swainsbury, Tuppence Middleton, Noel Clarke, Christian Brassington, Maggie Steed and Jade Anouka.
A fast living, cynical London music executive, Danny, reluctantly heads to Cornwall on his colleague Henry's stag weekend, where he's pranked by his boss, Troy, into trying to sign a group of shanty-singing fishermen. Danny becomes the ultimate ‘fish out of water’, struggling to gain the respect and enthusiasm of the unlikely boy band that consists of Jim, Jago, Leadville and Rowan, who all value friendship and community over fame and fortune. Attempting to overcome the fishermen's scepticism about the music business, Danny finds himself drawn into the community, has his integrity tested and ultimately is shown the meaning of loyalty, love and friendship. This forces Danny to re-evaluate what really matters in life, ultimately giving him the chance of a different kind of success which leads to him falling in love with Jim's daughter, Alwyn.
Two-Michelin-starred Port Isaac chef Nathan Outlaw has a cameo role as a man who has unwisely parked his car where the tide can swamp it. [3]
Filming commenced on 30 April 2018 on location in Port Isaac, Cornwall, and London for five weeks. [4] All members of the band have cameos in the film and worked as consultants on the film.
The film was released on 503 screens on 15 March 2019 in the United Kingdom and debuted at #2 in the UK Box office chart, grossing $1,534,908 in its opening weekend behind global box office phenomenon Captain Marvel. The film was #3 in its second weekend taking $1,285,332. The film was #4 in its third weekend taking $820,293. As of Friday 10 May 2020, the film had grossed $11,553,041.
Noel Clarke was credited on the UK poster but his image was not featured. Writing on Twitter, Clarke said "not one of these other actors spoke up for me when I was left off the poster". [5] However, Clarke was the following year subject of allegations of bullying and sexual harassment. He maintains he was misrepresented and the police state there were no complaints to them. [6] A defamation case against The Guardian is pending.
Island Records released the film's original soundtrack titled Keep Hauling - Music From The Movie on 15 March 2019. [7]
Track listing:
A stage musical called Fisherman's Friends: The Musical , based on the band's true story and the 2019 film, made its world premiere at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro in October 2021, written by Brad Birch and directed by James Grieve. [8]
A sequel, about the band singing at Glastonbury, was released on 19 August 2022. The film is called Fisherman's Friends: One and All . [9]
Cornwall is a Celtic nation with a long musical history. Strengthened by a series of 20th century revivals, traditional folk music has a popular following. It is accompanied by traditions of pipers, brass and silver bands, male voice choirs, classical, electronic and popular music.
Port Isaac is a small fishing village on the Atlantic coast of north Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. The nearest towns are Wadebridge and Camelford, each ten miles (16 km) away. A nearby hamlet, Port Gaverne, is sometimes considered to be part of Port Isaac. The meaning of the village's Cornish name, Porthysek, is "corn port", indicating a trade in corn from the arable inland district.
James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor. He played Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome, Nick Jenkins in A Dance to the Music of Time, college professor turned serial killer Joe Carroll in the series The Following, Solomon Kane in the film of the same name, and Hap Collins in the Sundance series Hap and Leonard. Purefoy also played Lord Phillipe de Clermont in the second season of the hit AMC/Netflix series "A Discovery of Witches". In 2018, he starred as Laurens Bancroft in the first season of Altered Carbon, a Netflix original series. Following an uncredited role as V in the 2006 film V for Vendetta, he was cast in a main role as Captain Gulliver "Gully" Troy / Captain Blighty in the 2020–2021 second and 2022 third season of the television series Pennyworth, the prequel to both Gotham and V for Vendetta.
David Hayman is a Scottish film, television and stage actor and director. His acting credits include Sid and Nancy (1986), Hope and Glory (1987), Rob Roy (1995), The Jackal (1997), Trial & Retribution (1997-2009), Legionnaire (1998), Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000), Vertical Limit (2000), The Tailor of Panama (2001), Flood (2007), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), The Paradise (2012), Taboo (2017), Our Ladies (2019), The Nest (2020), Bull (2021), and Andor (2022).
"South Australia" is a sea shanty and folk song, also known under such titles as "Rolling King" and "Bound for South Australia". As an original worksong it was sung in a variety of trades, including being used by the wool and later the wheat traders who worked the clipper ships between Australian ports and London. In adapted form, it is now a very popular song among folk music performers that is recorded by many artists and is present in many of today's song books.
Vertigo Films is a British television and film production company based in London, England. It now focuses solely on the production of television series, with subsidiary company Vertigo Releasing taking over film distribution.
Port Gaverne is a hamlet on the north coast of Cornwall, England, UK, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Port Isaac and part of St Endellion parish.
The Fisherman's Friends are a folk music group from Port Isaac, Cornwall, who sing sea shanties. They have been performing locally since 1995, and signed a record deal with Universal Music in March 2010. Whilst essentially an a cappella group, their studio recordings and live performances now often include traditional simple instrumentation.
Cornwall's rugged landscape and scenery have been used by film and television companies as a backdrop for some of their productions.
Nick Moorcroft is a British screenwriter, film producer, director and theatrical producer.
Fishing in Cornwall, England, UK, has traditionally been one of the main elements of the economy of the county. Pilchard fishing and processing was a thriving industry in Cornwall from around 1750 to around 1880, after which it went into an almost terminal decline. During the 20th century the varieties of fish taken became much more diverse and crustaceans such as crab and lobster are now significant. Much of the catch is exported to France due to the higher prices obtainable there. Though fishing has been significantly damaged by overfishing, the Southwest Handline Fishermen's Association has started to revive the fishing industry. As of 2007, stocks were improving. The Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee is one of 12 committees responsible for managing the corresponding Sea Fisheries District. The Isles of Scilly Sea Fisheries Committee is responsible for the Scilly district.
Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends is the third album from the Cornwall-based folk music group Fisherman's Friends. It was released in the UK on 26 April 2010, on Universal Records. It peaked at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart. It was the group's first release on a major label, as their first three CDs were self-released.
The Bad Education Movie is a 2015 British comedy film directed by Elliot Hegarty and written by Freddy Syborn and Jack Whitehall. The film is based on Whitehall's sitcom of the same name, and follows a similar plot-line, with young teacher Alfie Wickers' ineptly trying to supervise and occasionally educate Form K.
The Corrupted is a 2019 British crime thriller film directed by Ron Scalpello from a screenplay by Nick Moorcroft. The film stars Sam Claflin, Timothy Spall, Noel Clarke, David Hayman, Charlie Murphy, Naomi Ackie, Joe Claflin, Sam Otto, Cathal Pendred and Hugh Bonneville, and follows an ex-convict who tries to win back the trust of his family after losing everything to a local crime syndicate.
Bait is a 2019 British drama film written and directed by Mark Jenkin. Starring Edward Rowe as a struggling fisherman, the film deals with the tensions that arise between locals and tourists in a Cornish fishing village against a backdrop of second homes, short-term lets, and gentrification.
Fisherman's Friends: One and All is a 2022 British film directed by Nick Moorcroft and Meg Leonard from a screenplay by Moorcroft, Leonard and Piers Ashworth. The film stars James Purefoy, David Hayman, Richard Harrington, Dave Johns, Sam Swainsbury, Maggie Steed, Jade Anouka and Ramon Tikaram, with Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May making her acting debut. The sequel to the 2019 film Fisherman's Friends, the film follows the continued career of Fisherman's Friends up to their performance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2011.
Meg Leonard is a screenwriter, producer and director.
Anatomy of a Scandal is an American thriller drama television miniseries developed by David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson, based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan. The series consists of six episodes, and premiered on Netflix on April 15, 2022.
Fisherman's Friends: The Musical is a stage musical with a book by Amanda Whittington based on the true story and music of the folk-music group Fisherman's Friends and the 2019 film Fisherman's Friends.
The Golden Lion is a public house on Fore Street in the English fishing village of Port Isaac, Cornwall. Believed to date from at least the early 19th century, the building may have earlier origins. It is a Grade II listed building.