A spirited portrait of an endangered tradition and a galvanizing plea for better stewardship of our oceans, Sue Kim’s documentary dives deep into the culture of the haenyeo, the South Korean fisherwomen who have been harvesting seafood for their communities for centuries.
Off the coast of South Korea’s Jeju Island, a community of fisherwomen called the haenyeo have been harvesting seafood for centuries. They are like real mermaids, trained to free dive by holding their breath for up to two minutes. Because their work is dangerous, the haenyeo aren’t eligible for health insurance, but their vocation has historically yielded a good income. In an otherwise patriarchal culture, they maintain an exalted status. Filmmaker Sue Kim gives us a chance to experience their undersea world and confront the forces bringing it to the brink of destruction.
Today, the majority of haenyeo are in their 60s and 70s. Kim puts this generation at the centre of the film while also including a pair of younger women using TikTok to document their dives. The future of haenyeo life is now in peril thanks to ever-increasing amounts of sea garbage and its toxic effect on marine creatures, changing ocean temperatures due to global warming, and the release of water contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear accident into the seas where they ply their trade.
This threat galvanizes the haenyeo to organize politically to sound an alarm. One elderly woman even flies to Geneva to testify before the United Nations. The power of their story won the support of Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who joined the film as an executive producer. The Last of the Sea Women is an emotional journey that will leave you fervently rooting for the preservation of these gutsy and noble warriors of the sea.
THOM POWERS
Screenings
TIFF Lightbox 2
Scotiabank 7
Scotiabank 9
TIFF Lightbox 4