Trailer – Watch the official trailer for 'ON THE SEA', the sophomore feature from 'THE VIOLATORS' writer-director Helen Walsh.
Set in a remote fishing community in North Wales, 'ON THE SEA' is a profound and moving exploration of masculinity, place, family and desire.
The film will be released in the US by Dark Sky Pictures.
Jack has been married to Maggie for more than half his life. He works as a hand raker on the mussel beds alongside his younger brother, Dyfan, and Dyfan’s three sons. Jack has always assumed that his own son, Tom, will join the family business after leaving school, but Tom’s resistance creates tension within the family.
That tension deepens with the arrival of Daniel, an itinerant deckhand who makes his feelings for Jack known. In a rural community shaped by church, family and fishery, Jack is forced to confront an impossible dilemma.
📍 Written & Directed by: Helen Walsh
📍 Produced by: David A Hughes and David Moores
📍 US Distributor: Dark Sky Pictures
📍 Starring: Barry Ward, Lorne MacFadyen, Liz White, Henry Lawfull, Celyn Jones and Danny Webb
🎬 Synopsis: 'ON THE SEA' follows Jack, a North Wales mussel-bed hand raker whose life is rooted in family, faith and the sea.
Married to Maggie for over half his life, Jack expects his son Tom to follow him into the family business. But Tom’s reluctance creates conflict, while the arrival of Daniel, an itinerant deckhand, forces Jack to confront buried feelings and impossible choices.
In a remote fishing community where tradition runs deep, 'ON THE SEA' becomes a beautiful, sensual and at times tragic exploration of masculinity, place and desire.
🏆 Festival Highlights: 'ON THE SEA' was nominated for the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence at Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 and screened at festivals including BFI Flare London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Frameline San Francisco LGBTQ+ Film Festival and Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
The film won the Audience Award for Best Film at Lovers Film Festival, Turin, and Felix Rösch received a Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra Special Mention for the score.
🎞️ Watch the trailer
