From director Sue Kim (The Speed Cubers) and producer Malala Yousafzai comes ‘The Last of the Sea Women,’ a documentary film on the haenyeo divers of Jeju Island, South Korea. The documentary follows the divers, who are mostly elderly women now, as they fight to keep their traditions alive in the age of social media.

‘The Last of the Sea Women’ is set to world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024. The film will also be screened later this month at the 55th Nashville Film Festival.

Release Date

Directed by Sue Kim, ‘The Last of the Sea Women’ streams globally on Apple TV+ on October 11, 2024.

Synopsis

In “The Last of the Sea Women,” an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Often called real-life mermaids, the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island are renowned for centuries of diving to the ocean floor—without oxygen —to harvest seafood for their livelihood. Today, with most haenyeo now in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, their traditions and way of life are in imminent danger. But these fierce, funny, hardworking women refuse to give an inch, aided by a younger generation’s fight to revive their ancestral lifestyle through social media. Peering into what drives haenyeo young and old, this moving documentary zeroes in on their tight-knit friendships, savvy independence, and infectious sense of empowerment, unfolding into an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspiring a new generation.

Official Trailer

Watch the official trailer for ‘The Last of the Sea Women’.