DVD, 47 min, in English w. subtitles in four Mekong region languages, 2011.
The story of how fish from the Mekong River is caught and sold, cooked and consumed, by the people in the Mekong region.
A healthy Mekong River is central to mainland Southeast Asia’s food security. The rich wild capture fisheries of the Mekong River and its ecosystems feed not only people living alongside the river but are crucial for the livelihoods of millions of people across mainland Southeast Asia.
Caught using an array of nets, baskets and traps, and cooked in many amazing ways, the wild fish catch provides protein and essential nutrients. Yet, the interconnection between the Mekong River’s well-being and the fish on a family’s plate is not so apparent in the urban centers.
The film shows the Mekong River’s wild fish being caught and processed, and its passage through networks of trade as people work through the night and day to transport the catch to villages and towns, to markets, homes and restaurants.
Filmed in over 30 locations across the Mekong region
from Cambodia and Laos to Thailand and Vietnam.
Produced by: Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience (M-POWER), Unit for Social and Environmental Research (USER) and International Rivers.
For DVD copies please contact: noelrajesh@gmail.com; carl@internationalrivers.org.
Full version available online at: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/play/7225/The-Mekong—Grounds-of-Plenty.
Short version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeQYG0Idy-8
Exec. Producer: Carl Middleton
Script, Camera, Producer: Rajesh Daniel
The film was screened at:
1. “Siirretyt (Displaced)” film festival organized by the Siemenpuu Foundation, Helsinki, 10-12 October 2011.
2. “Lifescapes” Southeast Asian film festival, Payap University, Chiang Mai, 2-5 February 2012.
A journey in words ... 