THE CATCH
In a rural fishing community fighting to hold tight to tradition as the world shifts around it, a troubled woman returns to her estranged family. With her lobsterman father caught up in a turf war at sea, she and an ex-boyfriend make plans to hijack local drug runners. As their desperation mounts, each character makes increasingly compromised decisions that threaten their way of life and their loved ones.
Researched and filmed amongst working New England fishermen, THE CATCH is a portrait of a community facing the dismantling of its way of life and struggling to survive. The film incorporates true crime reporting and personal stories heard on lobster boats and in small towns across New England.
THE CATCH made its World Premiere at the AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL and has received numerous awards, including "Film of the Festival" at the MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, “Grand Jury Award for Best Feature” at INDY FILM FEST and “Best US Feature” at the CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL.
Official Selection
PROVINCETOWN FILM FESTIVAL - FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL - MAINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL - DANCES WITH FILMS - HELL’S HALF MILE FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL - MYSTIC FILM FESTIVAL - OXFORD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Local Lobsterman Bob Morris
A look behind the scenes with local fisherman/guide/boat wrangler/technical advisor/sometime actor Bob Morris
For more on Bob’s involvement with THE CATCH:
Austin Film Festival Q&A
Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer and Actors Katia Winter, Bill Sage & Kyle Gallner discuss how the film was made and what it means to them.
MANIFF Q&A
THE CATCH post-screening Q&A from the Manchester International Film Festival, featuring Actors Katia Winter, Bill Sage, James McMenamin & Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer.
INDY FILM FEST Q&A
Q&A from the 18th annual Indy Film Fest featuring Actor James McMenamin, Composer Ariel Marx & Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer.
Maine International Film Festival Q&A
Actor Bill Sage and Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer in conversation at the 24th annual Maine International Film Festival.
Orlando LIVE
Actor Kyle Gallner and Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer discuss the making of THE CATCH ahead of the Florida Film Festival
NBC Portland
"Looking back, I probably should have been more nervous than I was."
Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer talks with Rob Caldwell of NBC Portland about the origins of THE CATCH and the challenges the team faced on this ambitious production.
Queerguru Interview
Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer talks with Roger Walker-Dack from Queerguru at the Provincetown Film Festival.
Provincetown Radio
Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer talks with Pandora Peoples of WOMR ahead of the Provincetown Film Festival.
University of Salford Q&A
Columbia MFA Film alumni, Cinematographer JP Wakayama Carey and Writer/Director Matthew Ya-Hsiung Balzer, speak with film students at University of Salford on making the leap from film school to features
Original Score
Composer Ariel Marx’s original score for THE CATCH works across genres, blending electronic and traditional American folk elements, inhabiting the tension between the foreign and the familiar.
