“Bite to Bite” Looks at the Interconnection of Humans by Way of Tuna
Most of us don’t know the path our food takes to our plates. The more global our economy and society have become, the more removed we are from the places our food originates. Even those who grow or harvest the crops, fish, and meat that we eat don’t know the full path their hard work takes. Playing as part of the 2025 Austin Film Festival, Bite to Bite offers a firsthand account of the fishing industry as we know it today.
The global tuna market is a multibillion-dollar industry, with much of the business coming from the Japanese market. Bite to Bite actually provides a very interesting history lesson as to why bluefin tuna became such a large part of the culture, but the story at the heart of the documentary is one that’s much smaller and more focused. The film charts the journey of a tuna from the waters of Nova Scotia to the famed Tsukiji Seafood Market. The people responsible for catching the fish are Dennis Cameron and Lloyd Macinnes, two fishermen who have never set foot on a plane, but who agree to follow their fish overseas to see the full journey of their work.
Courtesy of Bite to Bite
“The flow of everything is what I love,” says one of the people in the documentary, one of the many hands who played a part in the life cycle of Dennis and Lloyd’s tuna. The flow relies on hundreds of people whose paths don’t cross, yet whose livelihoods are deeply interconnected. Whether or not Dennis and Lloyd catch tuna affects their ability to provide for themselves, but there’s a ripple through the rest of the food chain. From the fishermen to the wholesaler to the inspector to the auctioneer to the sushi chef who takes care to prepare the tuna for consumption, the flow is what makes this big world seem so small.
Courtesy of Bite to Bite
Bite to Bite encourages the audience to consider where their food comes from, but it also tells a much simpler story about humans. It’s a reminder that for as large as the tuna industry feels, the fish you’re eating at a sushi restaurant in Tokyo may have been caught by two guys in Nova Scotia. At a time when the world feels so big and humans feel so isolated from one other, there’s something comforting about seeing Dennis and Lloyd travel thousands of miles to meet strangers who are excited to greet them. Despite not sharing the same language or lifestyle, an immediate, passionate connection exists because of their shared love of tuna. After seeing their fish sold, Dennis and Lloyd travel to sushi chef Koichi Tanigawa’s restaurant, where he prepares a meal for them. It’s the first time chef Koichi has served tuna to the people who caught it, and it’s the first time Dennis and Lloyd have tried sushi. It’s a simple exchange of goods, services, and ideas, but also a breath of fresh air. A reminder of the interconnectedness that is essential to our humanity.
Bite to Bite puts the audience on the boat as Dennis and Llyod wrestle a tuna onboard. In Nova Scotia, bluefin tuna are still caught by pole, and there are overfishing regulations in place. This means that the fish caught there are quite large. What Bite to Bite exemplifies is the respect these fishermen, sellers, and buyers have for this majestic creature. After all, these fish are an essential part of the interconnected flow of life.
support your local film critic!
~
support your local film critic! ~
Beyond the Cinerama Dome is run by one perpetually tired film critic
and her anxious emotional support chihuahua named Frankie.
Your kind donation means Frankie doesn’t need to get a job…yet.
Follow me on BlueSky, Instagram, Letterboxd, YouTube, & Facebook. Check out Movies with My Dad, a new podcast recorded on the car ride home from the movies.