This is a feature-length experimental documentary exploring the culture of the Moken people of Burma and Thailand. The Moken are a seafaring community and one of the smallest ethnic minority groups in Asia, traditionally spending eight months out of the year in thatch-roofed wooden boats. As these people are wholly reliant upon the sea, their entire belief system revolves around water. Sailing a Sinking Sea weaves a visual and aural tapestry of Moken mythologies and present-day practices. As a viewer you will swim under the sea past fishes and mermaids, sail boats across turquoise waters, land on thirteen different islands, step inside sea shanties on stilts, delve into the minds of shamans, become possessed through the worship of sea gods, dance between lovers, and emerge drenched in Moken mythology.
Screening time: Saturday, May 6, 10:10 am, The Shedd Recital Hall
Length: 65 min.
Country: Thailand
Language: Thai with English subtitles
Director: Olivia Wyatt
Producer: Olivia Wyatt
Producer Web site: http://oliviaowenswyatt.com/Sailing-A-Sinking-Sea-Director-Editor
Distributor: Documentary Educational Resources
Distributor Web site: http://www.der.org/