Ro'o Putin Hatin (The Boat from Putin's Place)

Ro’o Putin Hatin—in Hresuk language—, is a unique documentary about the traditional fishing festival taking place on a remote coastal village in Ataúro Island. The event takes place annually every last Sunday of June in Makili, a village on the eastern coast of Ataúro island, a few miles north of Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste.

This observational film makes visible the tradition behind this popular boat-pulling ceremony—klorun ro, in Hresuk or dada ro’o in Tetun—. It portrays the coexistence of ancient traditions and new beliefs, discussing with local craftsmen their boat-making techniques, and overall capturing the community’s strong relationship with the sea and surrounding nature.

Produced by David Palazón and directed by award-winning East Timorese filmmaker Victor de Sousa, the film was edited making use of footage recorded in several occasions between 2010 and 2015 by David Palazón, Nelson Turquel and Victor de Sousa. The photo-essay below was shot in 2010.