Scottish Premiere.

For Jo Bateman, sea swimming is more than exercise. It is joy, connection, ritual and a deep relationship with the natural world. But when sewage pollution threatens the Exmouth waters she loves, Jo finds herself moving from passionate swimmer to reluctant activist, taking on one of the UK’s biggest water companies in a fight for the right to swim safely.

Jo in the Water follows one woman’s determination as it becomes part of a wider movement for clean rivers, seas and coastlines. The film captures the anger and frustration of a failing water system, but also the energy, humour and solidarity of the people refusing to look away. At its heart is a simple, powerful question: who gets to protect the waters we all depend on?

Guests

Pip Piper

Director, Jo in the Water

Pip Piper is a producer, executive producer and director specialising in feature documentaries, with 25 years' experience producing and directing award-winning films. He produced two BAFTA-winning documentaries by Michael B. Clifford, Bicycle and Chasing the Sun, and co-produced The Insatiable Moon with Tim Sanders (Lord of the Rings), which won Moondance Festival USA and two NZ National Film Awards. Pip has set up MA programmes in film, led industry bodies, and founded Doc Lab with Exeter Phoenix. He champions grassroots independent filmmaking rooted in sustainability for both filmmakers and the planet.

Jo Bateman

Swimmer, Campaigner and Subject of Jo in the Water

Retired physiotherapist Jo Bateman claimed pollution of the Exmouth sea has led to a “loss of amenity”. “I started swimming in the sea and was absolutely bitten by the bug. The mental health benefits in terms of stress reduction and mood enhancing are huge,” she says. When Jo’s daily swims were being interrupted by sewage spills, alerted to her by the Surfers Against Sewage app she took court action as “the only option”. She is now in legal action against South West Water (SWW) for dumping sewage into the sea near her home - the subject of Jo In The Water.

With Short Film: Will the People Possess the Wind

Scottish Premiere. Sailing through the energy landscapes of the Thames Estuary, this lyrical short asks who owns the wind, and who should benefit from the power it generates. Created with climate and social justice group Platform, it follows a boat, dancers and a choir imagining a renewable future held in common.

Guests

Nell Houguez

Co-director, Will the People Possess the Wind

Nell Houguez is a London-based visual artist whose practice is often collaborative. They are beginning to research creative approaches to conflict resolution and are particularly interested in working with others to explore new forms of dialogue, participation and collective expression.

James Marriott

Co-director, Will the People Possess the Wind

James Marriott is an artist, activist and naturalist who works with Platform, an organisation internationally recognised for bringing together campaigners, researchers and artists to tackle injustice and climate breakdown. Platform’s current work focuses on a just transition from North Sea oil and gas towards community-owned renewable energy and food justice.

Lauriem Mompelat

Co-director, Will the People Possess the Wind

Lauriem Mompelat is a sound artist and somatic practitioner from Martinique. Their lyrics work like transformative spells, using the voice to explore and reshape traces of violence held within the body and mind. After eight years developing their practice across London, Paris and Martinique, leading singing circles and independently producing three EPs, they are undertaking a year-long music residency at Tropiques Atrium in Fort-de-France.