Sailing a Sinking Sea

The Mokens, a seafaring community from Burma and Thailand, live near the Andaman coast. They spend most of the year carrying on the traditions of their ancestors, travelling on their thatched-roof wooden boats and fully reliant on the sea's resources. Part anthropological exploration, part experimental journey, Olivia Wyatt's documentary is a disorientating and sensuous experience. Her camera gracefully moves from the boats into the sea and back again. It dives with the Mokens into the crystal clear water, gliding across a bejewelled seabed, capturing them as they fish or play in the waves. You'll be lulled into listening to folk tales of mermaids and the magic tears of sea cows, mixed with accounts of everyday practices and rites. Weaving voices, traditional music and natural sounds against a patchwork of lyrical images sprayed with sea water and dappled by sunlight, Sailing A Sinking Sea is a luminous and immersive account of a disappearing way of life. (London Film Festival)