The Mekong Region: In the Kingdom of fish (DVD 2 of The Soul of the Southeast Asia series) 2009, 2013
Distributed by Film Ideas, 308 North Wolf Rd., Wheeling, IL 60090; 800-475-3456
Produced by Li Jiang and Michel Noll
Director n/a
DVD , color, 52 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Asia, Anthropology, Ecology, Geography
Date Entered: 10/30/2013
Reviewed by Kristan Majors Chilcoat, Woodruff Library, Emory UniversityIn the Kingdom of Fish is a documentary about people and how their lives and livelihood have been shaped by the Mekong River. It is a beautiful, honest, and, at times, a heart-tugging film. Viewers learn about a way of life that for centuries has supported and fed the people in the Mekong region and yet, sustaining this way of life for the future may not be easy.
The filmmakers allow the fishing men and women to tell their own life stories of the Mekong. Beginning along the Li River in Guilin, China, viewers are introduced to a multi-generational family of cormorant fishermen. On the Tonle Sap Great Lake in Cambodia we meet fishing nomads who move their houseboat villages as the fish migrate with the seasonal floods. While in Vietnam, a fisherman turned fish farmer invests all of his savings into a floating fish farm and struggles as he learns his new profession. The filmmakers succeed in capturing the joys and hardships of the Mekong fishermen over the seasons.
This 50-minute, fast-paced documentary is outstanding and the cinematography is stunning. Simply stated this documentary is about people, how their environment guides their way of life, and the struggles and hardships people face as their environment changes. Categorizing this documentary is not easy, but it should generate great discussions for those interested in environmental science, sustainable development, globalization, fisheries, international policy, or the Mekong region. In comparison to other documentaries about the Mekong region, In the Kingdom of Fish is a winner.