Before the Wave

It looks like an earthly paradise, but the lives of the people who live there have grown darker in recent years. The Moken, a nomadic people of the Andaman Sea (whose coastline is shared by Myanmar and Thailand), bore the brunt of the 2004 tsunami. But beyond material losses, the arrival of Christian missionaries after the disaster has led to the slow erosion of their rituals and culture.

With rare elegance and attentiveness, filmmaker Molly Willows documents these remarkably lucid people, who make their living from a symbiotic relationship with the sea. In this captivating short film, the director reveals their unsuspected depth and pays tribute to the world’s ever more vulnerable minority cultures. The film will leave audiences feeling as though they have slipped away to some magical forgotten sea flotilla, one where hope and certainty melt with the burning sun, yet never fully cease.

Artist: Molly Willows

Title of the work: Before the Wave

Year: 2015

Medium: Digital Film

Duration of the work: 24΄

Copyright owner: Molly Willows

Language: Thai, Moken (with English subtitles)

Credits
Director: Molly Willows
Executive Producer: Tendril
Associate Producer: Hector Films
Cinematography: Molly Willows
Underwater Cinematography: Elisabeth Lauwerys
Additional Cinematography: Elisabeth Lauwerys, Leo Mateus
Editor: Molly Willows
Sound Editor: Claire Dobson
Re-recording Mixer: James Bastable
Music: Shub Roy, Al Melnyk
Titles: Leo Mateus
Field Translators: Potjanee (Jip) Nuisuchol, Somjai Chimmee
Additional Translation: Emily Wright, Rossion Inc.
Production Assistance: Potjanee (Jip) Nuisuchol, Leo Mateus
Special thank you to the Moken of Koh Phayam for sharing their story