“We were completely immersed in this well-paced, generational family story which absorbed viewers into the lives of this community. Laura has a really strong grasp of their craft and storytelling, creating a very professionally executed film.”
Judges' Citation, The Grierson Awards 2022
’Daughters of The Sea’ is a revealing mirror of the female condition in the fishing industry on the Galician coast (Spain). It presents the stories of Jacqueline, Maria and Tomasa. Women of different ages and jobs at sea but have the same passion for their community and, unfortunately, similar experiences of sexist discrimination. Compelling female testimonies are brought to the table, highlighting the bravery of these women and the long road that still lies ahead to achieve gender equality in our contemporary society.
’Daughters of the Sea’ was highly commended in the Grierson Award 2022, presented in 14 international festivals, winning 4 awards and commissioned by the Council of A Coruña (Spain), within its education department.
Language: Spanish and Galician
Running time: 17 minutes 21 seconds
Format: HDTV 16:9 (1920x1080) ~ 1.78:1 aspect ratio
Sound: Dolby Digital
Writer, Producer, Director Camara and Editor: Laura Esteban
Contributors: Jaqueline Lista, Maria Leon and Tomasa Pulido
Drone Operator: Eric Berman
Music: Jessica Crabtree, Barrie Gledden and Jody Jenkins
Country: UK/Spain
Commissioner: Diputación A Coruña, Rúas Magazine, Cofradía de Noia
TREATMENT
’Daughters of the Sea’ examines the strenuous working routines of Jaqueline, Maria and Tomasa in Galicia. They love their lands and professions, but they suffer from gender discrimination from uncles, employees or even parents.
The opening shot of the Vilán lighthouse, which makes possible that the ‘loved ones came back home, as Jacqueline says, is a formal representation of the fear all fishing families have, but also a light of hope. The double sense of 'fear-hope' that this lighthouse formalises plays a leading variable in this documentary.
‘Daughters of the Sea’ aims to put the spotlight on seafaring women that have always been in the shadow, represented as waiting for men to arrive alive from the sea. Making women visible, the film explores a circular and multilayered reality of female identity on the coast of Galicia (Spain). It is shown the harsh condition of women in seafaring villages, traditionally prone to high sexist discrimination, but also the intense feeling of belonging that women have. That sense of attachment seems to be the key point that makes women brave enough to remaining in their lands and face the chauvinist attacks, but also to survive among the waves of the wild Ocean Atlantic.
AWARDS
Highly Commended in the Grierson Awards 2022
Best Student Documentary in London City Film Awards 2022
Best Short Documentary in Toronto International Women Film Festival 2022
Best Director in First Women Film Festival 2022
Best Short Documentary in Women Directors Film Carnival 2022
Best Women Director in Close Film Festival 2022
Special Mention Social Documentary in Premios Miquel Fàbregues 2022
Finalist in Directed By Women Turkey 2022
Semi-finalist in London Indie Short Festival 2022
Semi-finalist in Stockholm Short Festival 2022
Semi-finalist in Paris Women Festival 2022
Official Selection in Women's Film Festival (Newark) 2022
Official Selection in Women Cinema and Arts International Film Festival 2022
Official Selection in Madrid Indie Film Festival (MADRIFF) 2022
Official Selection in Fescilmar Poland 2022
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Esteban is an award-winning Galician documentary filmmaker based in London. She studied BA (HONS) Audiovisual Communication at the University of Santiago de Compostela and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.
After working as a self-shooting director in Barcelona, she moved to London, where she decided to focus entirely on the path she had always been passionate about: documentary. She completed her MA Documentary Film at the London College of Communication of the University of the Arts London, where she made her first documentary: ‘Daughters of the Sea’. This short documentary was highly commended in the Grierson Awards 2022, nominated in 14 international festivals, winning 4 awards and commissioned by the Council of A Coruña (Spain), within its education department.
Her films are non-fictions which are centred on women, character-driven stories that unfold different realities across the globe, from Japan to Spain. From showing short format docs in Japan to sexist discrimination in Galicia, Laura is interested in the female condition and the boundaries between reality and fiction.
