This film is part of Free

Small Fry
The working lives of Lowestoft fishermen are far from easy, as this sympathetically observed documentary shows.
Overview
"If anybody wants to do the job, they're welcome to it... if they think they can stick it" declares a disenchanted Lowestoft fisherman at the end of a hard shift. The struggles and cynicism of the fishermen contrast sharply with the confident boasts of the owner of the trawler, who declares "it is my ship... it was this boat that broke the port record today."
This film was made by Cinema Action, a leftwing collective set up in 1968 which worked closely with the working-class subjects of its films. The filmmakers' approach was to let those directly involved express themselves without commentary. Their films were shown in factories and other workplaces and were intended to encourage discussion in the workplace and empower workers to take action.
Related

Here and There in East Anglia Here and There in East Anglia
Documentary 1970 11 mins Location: Great Yarmouth
Three local history stories about boats – a racing yacht built 1827, locks giving boats access along the River Stour, and the herring drifters fishing from Great Yarmouth.

S.W. Wright - Wheelwright S.W. Wright - Wheelwright
Amateur film 1978 7 mins Location: Lowestoft
Mr Wright the Lowestoft wheelwright and his vintage Morris car, filmed with affection by his son-in-law

Sea Harvest Sea Harvest
Documentary 1938 17 mins Location: Lowestoft
Finely photographed documentary about the Lowestoft herring industry.

Trawling North Sea: Dicketa, 1974 Trawling North Sea: Dicketa, 1974
Amateur film 1974 18 mins Silent Location: Lowestoft
Rare Super 8 colour film offering a unique and personal view of fishermens' lives, filmed on board the North sea Trawler, Dicketa in 1974.

A Record of a Holiday in Norfolk A Record of a Holiday in Norfolk
Amateur film 1946 19 mins Silent Location: Hopton on Sea
Home movie record of a holiday on the Norfolk coast, with a train journey, Lowestoft, the Norfolk Broads, Norwich, and to the seaside.

Survivors of Sole Bay Survivors of Sole Bay
Documentary 1985 25 mins Location: Dunwich
Anglia TV report on the ways of the fishermen at Dunwich in Suffolk, who keep a good weather-eye out for the right conditions to fish.

Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A
Inside Film 2025 38 mins
Kyle MacLachlan talks to BFI CEO Ben Roberts about working with David Lynch on the legendary series Twin Peaks.

On Falling - Exclusive Q&A On Falling - Exclusive Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
Writer-director Laura Carreira talks to Nia Childs about her debut feature, On Falling.

Layla - Exclusive Q&A Layla - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 27 mins
Writer, director and performer Amrou Al-Kadhi talks to Rico Johnson-Sinclair about their debut feature.

All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 28 mins
Payal Kapadia discusses her Cannes prize-winning and Bafta-nominated drama with Ashanti Omkar.

Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.

Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
Documentary 2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.