Work, Identity and Community Explored in "Downeast"

Date: August 10, 2017
Contact: Laura Orleans, 508-993-8894

Downeast

The Dock-U-Mentaries Film Series continues on August 18^th at 7:00 p.m. with Downeast a film by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. Dock-U-Mentaries is a co-production of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center. Films about the working waterfront are screened on the third Friday of each month beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the theater of the Corson Maritime Learning Center, located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. All programs are open to the public and presented free of charge.
 
Downeast unfolds over the course of a year-and-a-half in the small lobster village of Prospect Harbor, Maine. A few months after the closing of the last remaining sardine cannery in the United States, Boston-based entrepreneur Antonio Bussone purchases the plant, hoping to establish a lobster processing facility and rehire the laid-off sardine workers. Antonio's troubles begin from the day he arrives. During a town-hall meeting, local politicians oppose his vision of rebuilding the factory with a $200,000 federal grant combined with his own investment of more than $2 million dollars. Undeterred, Antonio moves forward, determined to build and operate one of the first lobster factories in the United States. The film which premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival has been well received. Eric Kohn of Indiewire called it "a highly contained, personable work that renders vast industrial problems on a profoundly intimate scale."
 
The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and culture of New Bedford’s fishing industry through exhibits, programs, and archives. www.fishingheritagecenter.org
 
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park was established by Congress in 1996 to help preserve and interpret America’s nineteenth century whaling industry. The park, which encompasses a 13-block National Historic Landmark District, is the only National Park Service area addressing the history of the whaling industry and its influence on the economic, social, and environmental history of the United States. The National Park visitor center is located at 33 William Street in downtown New Bedford. It is open from 9 AM-5 PM, and offers information, exhibits, and a free orientation movie every hour on the hour from 10 AM-4 PM. The visitor center is wheelchair-accessible, and is free of charge. For more information, call the visitor center at 508-996-4095, go to www.nps.gov/nebe or visit the park’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NBWNHP. Everyone finds their park in a different way. Discover yours at FindYourPark.com
 
www.nps.gov
 
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.