In fact, the haenyeo’s stamina was one of the biggest challenges for the crew. “It’s shockingly hard to keep up with them,” Kim smiles. “They’re in such good physical condition, and the athleticism is part of their everyday, whereas it’s not part of ours. So especially on days when we were filming them diving, the crew would all come back and just lie down, completely spent.”
Yousafzai, a longtime advocate for women and girls, admits she had never heard of the haenyeo before 2020, when she chose this to be the first feature project of her production company, Extracurricular. “Their story shows how you can become an activist and stand up to injustice at any age,” she says. “Meeting these women and seeing how dedicated they are to their community and cause motivated me to keep going in my own activism and gave me confidence that I will always have the energy, no matter my age.”
As the film has begun making its fall festival rounds, Kim has shepherded a few of the haenyeo outside their natural environs; the two who made the trip to the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere have left Korea merely a few times. (Most haenyeo rarely even venture to Jeju City, the island’s largest city.)
After their premiere screening in Toronto, haenyeo Jang Soon Duk was overcome with emotion. “She couldn’t believe she was speaking to a room full of people who gave her a standing ovation,” Kim explains. “She hadn’t watched a film inside a theater since before she got married 50 years ago. I don’t think she understood that this was the kind of reception and platform she would get.”