Introducing the Farming Community Network (FCN), our official charity partner.
FCN does inspiring work supporting farmers, farming families and rural communities through challenging moments. From mental wellbeing and isolation to business and family pressures, their network of volunteers provide confidential support to the people who work tirelessly to keep British agriculture moving.
For us, supporting FCN isn't just about raising funds. Like the film, it's also about raising awareness.
As we take the film to screenings across the country, including events attended by thousands of farmers, we'll be helping shine a spotlight on FCN's work and connecting more people with the support and resources they provide.
We're excited to collaborate with FCN throughout the release of Derek vs Derek and beyond.
To learn more about FCN and the support they provide, visit fcn.org.uk
Images of FCN at out UK premiere at Sheffield DocFest in June.
Derek vs Derek SOLD OUT at Sheffield DocFest!
In June we were delighted to attend Sheffield DocFest - one of the world’s most acclaimed film festivals - and we’re still processing the reactions to the first ever UK screening of Derek vs Derek.
Three sold out screenings, all with queues, we couldn’t believe our eyes! The Dereks even managed a quick trip to the barbers before the screening, followed by a Q&A hosted by the wonderful Sarah Mosses. Director James and both Dereks were on great form - well Derek Gow wouldn’t be Derek Gow without a few gripes along the way! With Linda Banbury getting a lot of love from audiences. And the reviews have been encouraging:
“An absolute ray of light. I’ve seen a lot of bleak docs this week and hadn’t realised how much I needed a shot of hope like this. Dereks deserve the world.”
“This was a blast. Derek vs Derek is absolutely hilarious … it displays a long conflict that is portrayed in a light and humorous tone, highlighting both stubbornness and the conviction to stand up for one’s values.”
A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that came along, has supported us and shared our content. We’re a small team and it really means so much to us.
© Peter Himsel, Green Visions Potsdam 2026
We were excited to be part of this years Green Visions festival in Potsdam. Director James was able to join and felt encouraged by the response.
“The German audiences laughed and shouted watching the film, and took great heart from the way the two Dereks managed to talk to each other despite their disagreements.”
We were delighted to join The AG Show podcast in April. Director James and Derek Banbury joined hosts Charlotte and Martin to talk all things farming, nature and escaping wild boar!
You can listen here or where you get your podcasts.
BIG NEWS! We’re delighted to announce that Derek vs Derek has been chosen for Sheffield DocFest 2026 - one of the world’s top film festivals!
"It’s wonderful news. Our UK premiere is going to be at the most prestigious doc festival in the country. The two Dereks will be joining to continue the debate about their wild adventure!”
- James Dawson, Director
The Dereks and Linda will be joining James, Producer Serena Kennedy and Impact Producer Nicola Brown in Sheffield for the screening followed by a Q&A session in June. We’re incredibly excited, huge thanks to Sheffield for inviting us!
The Dereks and Director James joined Michael Chequer on the Caroline Densley Show to talk all things butterflies, cider and steaks!
If you missed it you can catch it here!
“My personal opening film of MtMF this year. A brilliantly entertaining and thoughtful documentary. Recommend for everyone interested in agriculture, environmental issues”
Photography © Jassir Jonis
We were thrilled to have our Dutch Premiere at the Movies That Matter Festival in The Netherlands on 21st March. Director James Dawson and Producer Serena Kennedy were joined by naturalist Marc Wilbers who appears in the film. A sold out screening was followed by a Q&A, raising lots of thought-provoking questions about the future of farming and nature. Thank you for having us MTMF!
“This is a documentary that plays with all the tension and humour of great fiction, yet its stakes are profoundly real. Around the world, farmers are being forced to rethink how we produce food while the need to restore and protect nature has never been more urgent. By capturing that global crossroads through one intensely personal and entertaining rivalry, the film feels both timely and universally resonant.”
“Rarely does one come across a documentary so astute in its environmental argument and, at the same time, so precise in its portrayal of a society that extends well beyond the Devon countryside, and so enjoyable in its juxtaposition of two unforgettable protagonists.”
Monday 9th March was a exciting day for Derek vs Derek as the film had it’s world premiere at Thessaloniki International Film Festival in Greece.
The Dereks & Linda Banbury joined director James Dawson and editor James Gold to see themselves on the big screen for the first time. Taking lots of questions from the audience afterwards.
Of course off screen, Derek Gow organised a trip to Lake Kerkini near the Bulgarian border. A stunning spot for cormorants, Dalmatian pelicans and stork nests. Derek Banbury was less keen on the idea of local bears, wolves and jackals but warmed to the storks.
To finish off the trip the second night screening sold out, warming our hearts that the film is off to a flying start!
“Our film’s had a wonderful reception here at its world premiere in Thessaloniki. The enthusiasm and excitement shown at screenings by out Greek hosts has been truly touching.”
© Thessaloniki Film Festival / Studio Aris Rammos
What’s it like living next door to Britain’s most notorious rewilder? The new movie, Derek vs Derek investigates.
In this programme Ffinlo Costain meets the two Dereks – rewilder, Derek Gow, and dairy farmer, Derek Banbury – alongside the film’s director James Dawson.
Listen on your preferred podcast platform – search Farm Gate wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for having us Ffinlo!
A special bonus episode ahead of the official relaunch of This Might Just Work: Ideas for a Tired Planet in January.
Rob chats with filmmaker James Dawson, director of Derek vs Derek, a documentary built around an unlikely pairing: two neighbouring farmers with very different views on what the countryside is for. On one side is Derek Gow, a maverick rewilder in Devon digging ponds, reintroducing species, and letting nature get noisy again. Over the hedge is Derek Banbury, an arable farmer focused on food production, tight margins, and the reality of making a living from the land.
They disagree, sometimes spectacularly (wild boar and beavers included), but they do not hate each other. Which makes this film feel like a rare thing: a genuinely human conversation in a polarised debate.
