The Last of the Sea Women – Director Sue Kim

In “The Last of the Sea Women,” an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Often called real- life mermaids, the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of diving to the ocean floor — without oxygen — to harvest seafood for their livelihood. 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. Peering into what drives haenyeo young and old, this moving documentary zeroes in on their tight-knit friendships, savvy independence and infectious sense of empowerment. Director and Producer Sue Kim (The Speed Cubers) joins us for a conversation on she got to know the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island, working with Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and the personal and professional joy of chronicling this uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspire a new generation.

 

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About the filmmaker – Sue Kim is a Korean-American director and producer, originally from the Detroit area and currently based in Los Angeles. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in English literature and then receiving an associates degree for graphic design, she ran an independent record label before landing in the advertising industry as a commercial producer. She spent almost 20 years making award-winning content, commercials and short form documentaries for brands like Nike and Adidas before pivoting into directing. Her directorial debut, “The Speed Cubers,” launched in July 2020. “The Speed Cubers” went on to be nominated for a Critics Choice and Peabody Award as well as shortlisted for an Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary Short Subject. Kim recently executive produced a documentary series about K-pop set to launch on Apple TV+. She is currently in development on a biographical documentary about two-time snowboarding Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim. 

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96% on RottenTomatoes

“Kim’s compelling storytelling…immerses viewers in the calm beneath the waves and turmoil on land, exploring the struggles and triumphs of these “sea women” as they navigate societal change, pollution, and personal loss.” Sherin Nicole, AWFJ.org

“Kim makes “The Last of the Sea Women” a perfect mixture of elegy and epic, mourning the dwindling numbers while burnishing the legacy of the culture at the same time.” – Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture

“What’s most lovely about “The Last of the Sea Women” is the humanism of its portrait of the haenyeo, balancing humor and friendship and creativity with serious concerns and a sense of elegy.” – Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

“There are no solutions offered here, alas, other than a call for awareness, and the film instead remains a beautifully photographed and elegiac depiction of a lifestyle that’s slowly fading even as the women within it burn bright.” – Kevin Maher, Times (UK)

“It perfectly honors these women. It’s an intimate and global story. You might not even realize how much this film is until you’re done with it. It washes over you, fittingly. It’s quite something.” – Christopher Campbell, Nonfics