Underplayed Gems

Tong Tana (1989)

Tong Tana poster
Original title
Tong Tana - En resa till Borneos inre
Directed by
Jan Röed
Genre
documentary film
Country
Sweden
Runtime
1h 28m
Rating
10.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

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How it feels

This documentary follows the Penan people in Borneo as they fight to save their rainforest from logging. It also shows the work of an activist who stands with them against the government and the timber industry.

observationalpoeticsoberingintimateearnestmelancholicvisually lush

What happens

Tong Tana: A Journey to the Heart of Borneo is a 1989 Swedish documentary film about the Penan people of Sarawak, Borneo, a federal state of Malaysia, and their struggle to protect their tropical rainforest. Central to the film is the story of Swiss environmental activist, Bruno Manser, who was targeted by the Malaysian government for protesting the lumber industry's logging operations. Ten years later, the TV crew returned to the area and filmed Tong Tana: The Lost Paradise, which documented their struggle to protect what was left after their homeland was logged. Filmmakers Jan Roed, Fredrik von Krusenstjerna, Bjorn Cederberg and Kristian Petri worked on the first documentary. A 1991 review in the Los Angeles Times called the first film "as beautiful as it is heartbreaking". In May 2000, shortly after the second film was completed, Manser disappeared without a trace and was presumed dead. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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