THE KEEP

Short Talk with Federico Conti (Director) and Marta Grillo (Producer)

BEST SHORT DOCUMETNARY FILM Category

22nd IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival 2025

Italy, Documentary, English, 00:17:08, 2024

Synopsis: Sally Barnes is the last person in Ireland to smoke exclusively wild fish. Overwhelmed by the consequences of climate change and intensive fishing, her inestimable know-how is in danger of disappearing forever.

Biography: Born in Turin in 1991, Director, Producer, Editor. Co-Founder of BE.POLAR Studio. "The Keep" (2024, short-documentary) represents his debut as Director. Since 2010 he has been involved in production and post-production for commercials, music video and in independent film projects such as Milite (2022, short film), The Red Death (2020, short film), Esuberante ma Fragile (2020, documentary), Chez Moi (2018, short film), Ho visto Cose (2010, documentary).

Federico Conti, director

Petar Penev: How did you find Sally’s story?

Marta Grillo: I first met Sally in 2016 during a food festival in Turin, Italy. My family was hosting people from all over the world, and Sally was one of them. So I met her, discovered her story, her product, and her knowledge especially the traditional technique she uses to smoke fish. When Federico started talking to me about developing documentaries focused on artisans and traditions, I immediately thought of Sally and her story. We started researching, and we found out that she’s actually quite well known. People in the food world know her and her products, and many chefs use what she makes. We quickly realized this was a story worth telling.

Petar Penev: In the film she seems to live a very rural life, in a small village. But from what you’re saying, she also sounds like something of a celebrity. How comfortable was she with the filming and having the crew around?

Federico Conti: She was very comfortable. We lived in her house for ten days while shooting. And yes, she lives in a rural village outside of Cork. But she’s used to having people around her, she gives a lot of courses and workshops. That’s why she’s so at ease with people, and why she was so comfortable being filmed. She has a natural passion for passing on her knowledge and her techniques to anyone who’s interested.

Petar Penev: As is often the case with documentary filmmaking, you go in with certain expectations, and then reality takes over. How much of what you originally planned actually made it onto the screen? 

Conti: That’s a difficult question. But honestly, I’d say quite a lot of what we planned worked out, we were able to follow the storyline we had in mind from the beginning, and most of what we hoped to show is in the documentary. But there were also things we couldn’t control or predict. For example, Sally is the main character, but she’s not the only one. The fishermen were also part of the story. And following them on the river during the fishing process was definitely the most challenging part. We didn’t know if they would catch any salmon or not and in the end, they didn’t catch anything. That was disappointing in one way, but in another way it was a strong point for the documentary. It helped us show the real challenges that fishermen and small producers in Ireland are facing today.

Interviewer: Petar Penev

Editor: Martin Kudlac

Petar Penev’s Take

The Keep, a short documentary by Federico Conti, offers an exploration of tradition, sustainability, and the challenges facing artisanal craftsmanship in modern times. The film centres on Sally Ferns Barnes, the last person in Ireland to smoke wild fish exclusively using methods rooted in ancient techniques.

The Keep reflects on the fragility of cultural heritage in the face of climate change and industrialisation. Barnes’s expertise, developed over decades, is increasingly threatened by environmental degradation and overfishing. The documentary portrays her not just as an artisan, but as a custodian of a vanishing tradition, pointing to wider tensions between progress and sustainability, and between culinary integrity and the globalised food industry.

Conti’s direction is both intimate and attentive. The film observes Barnes’s life in rural Ireland with care, emphasising the physicality of her work and the environment in which it unfolds. The cinematography by Simone Coppola balances close detail with broader landscape, drawing attention to the textures and rhythms of the smoking process. The sound design and music further immerse the audience in the sensory experience of the environment.

The Keep is a concise yet resonant short documentary that uses its limited duration to articulate a broader reflection on preservation in a rapidly changing world. Through its sensitive portrayal of Sally Barnes and her craft, the film the film underscores the value of artisanal knowledge and the importance of safeguarding cultural practices for future generations.