On 25 September 2024, IHRC held a film screening for the documentary, The Fisherman and the Banker, followed by an off-the-record Q&A session with the director, Sheena Sumaria. IHRC are pleased to have participated in the creation of The Fisherman and the Banker through partial funding.

Filmed over a decade, “the Fisherman and the Banker” chronicles the struggle of a fishing community in India’s Gulf of Kutch who take on one of the world’s most powerful institutions, The World Bank Group, after it funded a coal-fired power plant on their coast.

In Gujarat, the fishermen and their movement, MASS, have long been fighting against power plants that threaten their way of life. Then in 2015, they join forces with EarthRights International, a Washington DC-based NGO, and file a lawsuit against the World Bank’s private lending arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), after it provided a critical loan to the Tata Mundra power plant, despite recognising it as high risk project. As the legal challenge progresses to the US Supreme Court in 2018, the film documents the community’s pursuit of justice.

Through a poetic and observational lens, the film captures not just the legal battle but the profound connection between the community and their environment. Will these indomitable fishermen succeed in rewriting international law to protect their heritage and environment, or will the might of the IFC prevail?

During the Q&A, Sheena talked about her education in economics and international development and how it shaped her portrayal of the legal battles and the need for reform in development organisations. Sheena also discussed the importance of spreading the word of the The Fisherman, writing to MPs about the case, and getting them to push the IFC for a remedy. Support Sheena’s work here.

Sheena Sumaria, along with her sister and director, Sonum Sumaria, also produced Even The Crows: A Divided Gujarat. You can watch the Q&A for Even The Crows here: