The Oystering Life: a film screening and Q&A with local filmmaker Steve Hamm

WINNER Mystic Film Festival: Best CT Film

“The Oystering Life” tells the story of oystering along the Connecticut coast, which is heaven for oysters, oyster lovers, and for the people who harvest the bivalves from the sea. The protected Long Island Sound, the fresh-flowing rivers, and the broad estuaries provide nearly ideal conditions for oysters to grow and multiply. “The Oystering Life” takes the viewer back in history to when oysters were essential to the survival of Native Americans. Then the film explores the days of the oyster boom in the 1900s, when Connecticut became one of the leading producers in the world; the collapse, when overfishing and water pollution nearly destroyed the industry; and today’s rebound, where our centuries-old commercial beds are thriving once again. You will meet a wonderful cast of characters, from the grizzled boat skipper to the young female oyster hatchery manager to the last boatwright on the East Coast who still restores oyster boats. It’s the end of an era on the waterfront, but another era is taking shape—one where industry and nature could live in harmony.

Director Steve Hamm is a freelance writer, book author, and documentary filmmaker based in New Haven, CT. He has made a series of community-building documentaries in collaboration with Scott N. Amore, including The Village: Life in New Haven’s Little Italy and Fentanyl Madness. His latest book, The Pivot: Addressing Global Problems Through Local Action, was published by Columbia University Press in 2021. He is currently one of the leaders in a grassroots climate action initiative, Reimagining New Haven in the Era of Climate Change.

Editor Scott N. Amore is a media producer born and raised in greater New Haven, CT. Editing documentary films, television commercials and educational videos has been his vocation for 25 years. Music recording, production, and performance are other creative outlets he enjoys greatly. Scott is the founder of InnerSpaceSoundLabs, recording and mixing all genres of music, currently located in Durham, CT. His path in life is to help other people make their art and he enjoys collaborating with artists and helping the creative process.