Nobel peace laureate Malala brings new documentary to Toronto

“The Last of the Sea Women” tells the compelling story of the matriarchal haenyeo community, whose members support themselves by fishing off South Korea’s Jeju island, using only wetsuits, masks, flippers, baskets and hooks.

The traditional community, inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2016, has existed for centuries, but is at risk as many of the women are now in their 60s, 70s or even 80s.

“I was looking for stories of women… I wanted stories of their resilience. And when I heard about this project from Sue, I was like, ‘This is exactly what I’m looking for’,” Yousafzai told AFP in an interview with Korean-American director Sue Kim.

“When I look at the stories of the haenyeo, it inspires me about the possibilities and the capabilities that women have in their bodies, in their minds,” said the 27-year-old Pakistani activist, who is one of the film’s producers.

“They have inspired me in so many ways, in their activism and how they are cooperating with nature, how they have built the community.”

In the 1960s, 30,000 women plucked everything from abalone to octopus from the sea to support their families. Today, that number has dwindled to 4,000.

The film shows the women speaking candidly about their difficult jobs, which involves holding their breath underwater for up to two minutes, and includes beautiful under-sea images of them at work.

It explores how the haenyeo are attempting to breathe new life into their culture through training and social media outreach, and how they work together to prevent overfishing.

It also examines the threat they believe is posed by the release into the Pacific Ocean of wastewater from Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.

“I met them first when I was a child, and I was so struck by them, because they cut such a confident, bold figure,” Kim, making her feature directorial debut, told AFP.

“They’re total badasses. They’re so physically agile and adept and strong, and they’re advocating for the environment, and they’re caring about the next generation.”

As a teenager, Yousafzai survived a 2012 assassination attempt by the Taliban over her campaigning for education rights for girls. She was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at age 17.

She signed a deal with Apple TV in 2021 to produce content focused on women and girls and has started her own production company.

“Storytelling has been part of my activism, and I believe that we need to create platforms and opportunities for girls and women to reflect on the world as they see it,” Yousafzai said.

“I hope to continue to work with these incredible female directors and storytellers to bring more stories to the screen.”

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