Village Gamer

Virtus Media announces that Lobster Inc. (working title), a documentary on the Atlantic Canadian inshore fishing industry and the communities it supports, is to begin principal photography June 16th. The three person crew will travel to Atlantic Canada, gather interviews and footage of the beautiful Atlantic coast.

“If this goes through and corporations can own the boats, it will spell the end to an independent fishery as we know it,’’ – Mike McGeoghegan, President of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association.

The most recent report from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has left inshore fishermen around the maritimes worried. They fear the government will scrap the owner-operator and fleet-separation policies. Some fishermen say eliminating these policies will mean lower paying jobs and could turn fishermen who work for themselves into low wage employees.

The film will focus on the people and communities which fishing supports. (The story will be told first-hand from the fishermen’s perspectives to shed light on the issues that they live with day in and day out.) The fisherman get a chance to tell their story. Interviews with government officials, as well as input from scientists, professors and researchers from some of Canada’s top universities will also be included.

Virtus media is a video production and multimedia company based out of Kitchener, Ontario. It is comprised of co-founders Brad Rivers, Mike Zakrzewski, and Myles Cloutier. Most recently they were part of a weekly show broadcast on Rogers TV, Conestoga Connected. The three co-founders graduated from a broadcast television production program, winning two of the top awards for their class, and have worked on projects ranging from music videos with Buck 65 to documentaries. Myles Cloutier has a personal connection to the story, as he was born and raised in the Annapolis Valley, NS. He wants to showcase the natural beauty, wonderful landscapes and interesting culture of his home province.

Trailer to be released summer 2012.