Derek vs Derek is a documentary that examines the relationship between two neighboring farmers in Devon with fundamentally different agricultural philosophies. Derek Gow is a prominent rewilding advocate who has converted his sheep farm to wild nature and breeds various species including beavers, storks, wildcats, and adders for reintroduction to the English countryside. Across the hedge lives Derek Banbury, an intensive dairy and beef farmer who maintains tightly managed pastures and operates a modern agribusiness with hundreds of cattle.
Filmmaker James Dawson originally set out to document Gow’s dramatic land transformation but discovered a more compelling story when he met Banbury during his initial visit. Rather than creating a straightforward narrative about the incompatibility of rewilding and industrial agriculture, Dawson’s film captures an unexpected evolution in the neighbors’ relationship over the course of three years. Despite their opposing worldviews, the two Dereks share common traits including charisma, determination, business sense, and a genuine concern for animals.
Gow is vocal in his criticism of both conservation efforts he views as ineffectual and farming practices he considers environmentally destructive. Banbury, conversely, remains committed to intensive farming as a means of feeding a growing global population, though he has become increasingly aware of ecological losses on his own land, including declining insect and bird populations.
The documentary documents real tensions between the two operations, such as Gow’s wild boar escaping and damaging Banbury’s pastures, and Banbury’s strong opposition to beavers and storks on neighboring land. However, the film gradually reveals shifts in perspective, particularly in Banbury’s growing acknowledgment of environmental trade-offs inherent in his farming methods. The film received standing ovations at festivals in Thessaloniki and Sheffield, with Banbury and his wife Linda emerging as compelling subjects in their own right.
Banbury’s journey from visceral dislike of rewilding efforts to a more nuanced understanding forms a central arc of the documentary, which explores how neighboring communities with seemingly irreconcilable differences can learn to coexist and find unexpected common ground.
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