West Seattle filmmaker and Antioch University instructor, B. J. Bullert (Ph.D), has made a second film that examines “the news” created during a period when the Port of Seattle was being scrutinized by the media and fishermen for their management and policy decisions.
The 23-minute film, “Fishermen’s Terminal Revisited: A Story of Survival” is a follow up to “Fishermen’s Terminal,” a film from 2005 that documents the backlash from fishermen as the Port allowed pleasure boats to moor alongside fishing boats at terminal. A main theme in both films is the news coverage of the controversy that may not have been revealed to the public had it not been for community newspapers and fishermen voicing their concern.
A main character in both films and a leading voice of the opposition to the Port is Dr. Pete Knutson, a gill net commercial fisherman and anthropology professor at Seattle Central. “Fishermen’s Terminal” depicts Knutson at public meetings and having conversations with Port officials as he opposes the mooring of private vessels and criticizes the Port for having commercial real estate priorities over the will of fishermen at the terminal.
“In both the earlier film and this one, I realized Pete Knutson, the press and public relations officials were key players in the process of defining the news ordinary citizens could read about in the newspapers or watch on television news,” wrote Bullert in her artistic statement. Dr. Bullert is an instructor at Antioch University Seattle.
“Fishermen’s Terminal Revisited: A story of survival” picks up right afterward and examines the Port’s policies, management and the conditions of Fishermen’s Terminal after four people drowned off the docks on 2006. The Department of Labor and Industries later determined the Port had exposed its employees and fishermen to dangerous conditions, which included the hazard of drowning. New docks were installed in 2007.
“The Port acts as if this is just their property (Fishermen’s Terminal). This is not their property. They are a caretaker of a public trust,” said Knuteson in the film.
One scene depicts an incensed conversation between Knutson and a Port press officer discussing how the people drowned off the terminal docks. The context of the scene is that the media and Knutson had drawn attention to the poor conditions of the terminal docks and how they may have been a factor in the deaths. Some of the docks at the terminal during the incident were built in 1940 and had fallen into disrepair. .
“I included this scene because it shows what the public usually doesn’t get to see – an experienced media public relations professional in action, interjecting questions, sowing doubt in another’s interpretation, and in this case, defending the Port against any suggestion of culpability in the circumstances surrounding the deaths.”
The film will premiere on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. on the Seattle Channel on as part of "Community Stories."
