A Kerala Fisherman’s Life After The Flood

Film Archived

During August 2018 the Indian state of Kerala experienced the worst floods in that region for nearly 100 years. Almost one year since then here is Shaji talking about life as a fisherman on the Kerala backwaters, what happened during the floods and some of the problems he, his family and their community now face.

Director: Deej Phillips
Length: 05:32
Country: United Kingdom
Language: Malayalam
Year: 2019

Additional Info

Director Biography: Deej Phillips is a documentary filmmaker with over eight years of experience, specialising in capturing cinematic footage to tell compelling personal stories. He shines a light on environmental and humanitarian issues all over the world, with the aim of creating meaningful impact through his films.   Recently, his focus has been to communicate the human cost of the climate crisis and its urgency through his documentaries, which has also led to opportunities to talk about his work at various events like a TEDx event in 2020. His most recent work is a feature length climate change documentary called ‘The Weight of Water’ filmed in Nepal and broadcast globally in four languages on DW TV (Deutsche Welle).   He is passionate about ensuring there is a high level of authenticity in his films, and strives to capture stories from an intimate and engaging perspective.

Director Statement: The devastating 2018 floods, the worst the region had seen in 100 years, was very clear to see throughout the beautiful state of Kerala which has the nickname 'God's own country'. On the backwaters many homes were destroyed from the flooding, often they were still standing but water damage had made them uninhabitable. Many of the rivers and man made canals were covered in the invasive plant species the water hyacinth since the floods took place drastically reducing fish numbers and making life for the fisherman communities even more challenging. During the floods the fishermen were the people who saved countless lives by using their boats to take trapped people to safety and conduct rescue operations. Hearing these stories and seeing the damage caused to such a beautiful part of the world made it clear to me that there was an opportunity to make a powerful film that shows that people are already being impacted by climate change in a very meaningful way. I hope the film does justice to the beauty of Kerala and the people and shows why it's vitally important to support these communities to adapt to this unjust crisis.