Deep in the tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia, a series of incantations invoke the spirits of yore, including those of the nimble, tricksy Kancil (mouse-deer) and the ferocious Buaya (crocodile). The ancient animals enact their folkloric vendetta in a furious dance of dominance, yet long-overdue vengeance is shrouded in smoke. Meanwhile, an effigy of a tree is burning, summoning a whole other host of spectres and ancestors. Conceived during the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival in 2019, while large-scale fires were consuming the forests of Indonesia, Yeo Siew Hua’s An Invocation to the Earth confronts climate collapse through the lens of pre-colonial folktales and animistic rituals. Through spoken spells and bodily entanglements, the video conjures up the fallen environmental defenders of a region ridden with ecological threats in the hope that their spirits will be reborn once again.
Unfortunately the movie An Invocation to the Earth is not yet available on HBO Max.
Camera | Russell Adam Morton | Director of Photography |
Directing | Yeo Siew Hua | Director |
Writing | Yeo Siew Hua | Writer |
Art | Mike Chang | Props |
Production | Dan Koh | Researcher |
Sound | Hussain Ismail | Location Sound Recordist |
Sound | Yen Yu Ting | Sound Designer |
Sound | Yen Yu Ting | Sound Mixer |
Directing | Yang Yanxuan Vicki | Assistant Director |
Editing | Daniel Hui | Editor |
Camera | Calvin Pua | Camera Production Assistant |
Camera | Eric Lee | Camera Operator |
Art | Nicole Ho | Art Direction |
Art | Tricia Lim | Art Direction |
Camera | Zhang Yuanhui | Grip |
Crew | Zarina Muhammad | Additional Writing |