An award-winning documentary that follows a fisherman and his family living on the edge of the Tonle Sap as they battle the impacts of climate change and hydroelectric dams on their livelihoods is being screened at this month’s Angkor Photo Festival.
‘The Last Breath of the Tonle Sap’, shot by Thomas Cristofoletti and produced and edited by Robin Narciso, with Roun Ry working as the fixer and translator, focuses on fisherman Piseth and his family, who live in a floating village on the border of Siem Reap and Battambang.
They are witnessing first-hand the daily impacts of climate change and drastically changing weather patterns and a string of hydropower dams upstream on the Mekong River. Combined, these factors are causing water levels and fish stocks to plummet, severely hampering livelihoods.
“We shot the documentary in October, 2020,” said Thomas. “It was a particularly dry year and we were reading reports of a lot of people, especially in the provinces, having problems. They were even having to transport water by truck to some remote villages.”
Thomas and Robin decided to head to the Tonle Sap to document how the situation is affecting those who heavily rely on Cambodia’s web of waterways for survival.
“It was the first year of Covid, so there were already a lot of things going on. We were also stuck in Cambodia so we thought it was a good time to do research on the subject. At the time, the Tonle Sap wasn’t such a big topic; it was something new,” added Thomas, who has been working in Southeast Asia as a photographer and film-maker since 2010.
While carrying out their research, they came across Piseth, who went on to become the documentary’s protagonist. “We were really lucky to find Piseth,” Thomas recalled. “He was charismatic, well-spoken and precise with his answers. His knowledge about the impact of the dams upstream was remarkable.”
They spent three days with the family, shooting footage for the 10-minute documentary, which was released in 2021. It went on to win a gong at the lauded Raoul Wallenberg Institute Asia Pacific Awards in Indonesia and was selected to be screened at the Cambodia International Film Festival 2022.
“We’re really happy that the documentary is now going to be projected in Siem Reap at the Angkor Photo Festival,” Thomas said. “This year, the situation with the water levels is a bit different as there’s more water and more fish. But the film is still important because it shows the tendency of water patterns that will continue in the future.”
The Tonle Sap lake once presented the perfect conditions for fishermen. Its unique trait of rising up to five times during wet season, due to the reverse of the Tonle Sap River, provided a reliable source of food and income.
According to the Mekong River Commission, 2020 reported the lowest flows of the Tonle Sap river since 1997. Consequently, it has never fully reversed, jeopardising the livelihoods of fishermen who rely on the lake for survival.
The 18th edition of Angkor Photo Festival takes place in various venues across Siem Reap from January 6 to 15. For more information, visit www.angkor-photo.com.
