(Image: Joss Barratt)
A new documentary coming to Bradford explores a bitterly contested debate over the future of rural Britain through the eyes of two neighbouring farmers locked in an unlikely feud.
Derek vs Derek, directed by James Dawson, will be screened at Pictureville Bradford on 9-11, 13-15, 21 and 22 October and offers a comedic yet thought-provoking look at the clashing philosophies of two farmers in Devon.
Derek Banbury, a third-generation dairy farmer at Lower Frankaborough Farm, believes in intensive food production to "feed the nation," while his neighbour Derek Gow has transformed his land into a rewilding project focused on nature restoration.
Left, Derek Gow and Derek Banbury (Image: Joss Barratt)
Mr Banbury said: "I don't know what he's doing.
"It's not farming, it's just a mess."
In contrast, Mr Gow, who once farmed sheep, now digs ponds, breeds endangered species and uses wild boar to regenerate the land.
Mr Gow said: "This is my land and I'm going to heal it.
"We're going to completely change this farm into a haven for wildlife."
Left, Derek Banbury and Derek Gow (Image: Joss Barratt)
The documentary, filmed over four years, captures the humour, tension and heart behind their dispute—a microcosm of the wider debate about farming, food security and biodiversity in Britain.
The two Dereks argue about everything from wild boar and beavers to hedge cutting and the reintroduction of wolves, with Mr Banbury expressing frustration at what he sees as the destruction of productive farmland.
As nature returns to Mr Gow's land, Mr Banbury is forced to reflect on his own farming legacy, the changes he's witnessed over 50 years and the disappearance of wildlife he once took for granted.
Derek Gow (Image: Joss Barratt)
The film also highlights the pressures facing small family farms in the UK, from shifting subsidy schemes to declining profits.
A spokesperson for the documentary team said: "The transformation of the UK’s farm subsidy system since leaving the EU, with new payments for environmentally friendly land management, offers hope.
"But its implementation has been problematic and the overall real-term drop in the value of subsidy farmers receive means many are left struggling to make ends meet."
Director James Dawson said: "Growing up my favourite films were post-war British Ealing comedies: madcap stories with funny characters where the drama was often born out of eccentric obsessive passion.
Derek Banbury (Image: Joss Barratt)
"This love of humour and eccentricity has shaped the documentaries I make.
"I believe strongly that if you can make an audience laugh or smile then they’re going to think about the story you’re telling.
"Once I met the two Dereks I realised their conflict offered a way of telling the story of biodiversity loss.
"And unlike most environmental films it might not make you miserable in the telling.
"It could be funny (as well as scary) because both Dereks are classic Ealing Comedy characters.
"Their relationship is not aggressive or angry but shaped by mutual misunderstanding.
"They peer over the high hedge that separates their farms with horror and bewilderment, each neighbour driven by their very different visions of how the land should be used.
"Intensive farmer Derek thinks rewilding Derek is destroying a perfectly good farm, while rewilding Derek thinks intensive farming Derek is a psychopath when it comes to hedges."
The documentary arrives as the UK grapples with severe biodiversity loss, much of it attributed to decades of intensive agriculture, pesticide use and habitat destruction.
The filmmakers are also launching a national impact campaign alongside the film’s release.
They hope to reach up to 10,000 farmers through community screenings and discussion events, sparking practical conversations about nature-friendly farming.
Tickets for the Pictureville screenings are available now.