DVD Tewet, the thousand caves Dayak

In Borneo, the dismay of a swallow nest hunter facing the disaster of the forest and the end of the swallows. But, well hidden in some caves, Tewet hides another treasure, which could help his community...

Pak Tewet is a Dayak, as the sedentary natives of the great forest of Borneo are called, born in 1947 in a newly independent Indonesia. This discreet, mischievous man is a great man.

He was one of the most daring explorers of the caves of the Marang Mountains, a limestone massif jagged by erosion, where the progression is very difficult, because of the sharp peaks that cover it, and the often impassable cliffs.

TELERAMA OF 22/02/2014
TT Tewet, the Dayak with the thousand caves

In the east of Borneo, the Marang Mountains tear the azure and sink into the emerald forest. Constellated with innumerable caves. These sandstone cliffs have no more secret for Tewet. Aged 66, the Dayak has always lived from the trade of swallows' nests. A dish based on protein saliva very popular with the Chinese, which is traded at more than 4,000 euros per kilo and is consumed in soups supposed to bring strength and vitality. Unfortunately, this resource has suddenly become scarce in recent years. The cause: its intensive exploitation and the deforestation of the region for the production of palm oil. What pushes the nest hunters to despair...

Luc-Henri Fage was moved by their fate. "Is there no alternative to continue the ancestral way of life of the Marang Mountains? Known for his discoveries of rock art in the Indonesian island, the French caver, explorer and documentary filmmaker relays the plight of his friend Tewet in a vibrant film, Intense. He ventured between jungle, mangrove and underground galleries, in search of a sustainable solution to the survival of the natives. What if this grandiose, almost mystical nature held other unsuspected treasures?

Éléonore Colin

• Award for Best Cultural Heritage Film, Arkhaïos Festival 2016, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA

DVD with English and French versions

A film written and directed by Luc-Henri Fage
51 minutes, HDCam format
A co-production of Docside Production and Félis Production
Photography : Roland Théron and Luc-Henri Fage
Editing : Anne Buxerolle
Music : Michel Pascal
Commentary read by : Mathieu Barbier

Produced with the help of : France Télévision ("Faut pas rêver" France 3) - Planète+ Thalassa - FODACIM, support fund for mountain cinema.