On the small isle of Tap Mun (home to approximately 100 people) retired fishermen tell the stories of the trials and tribulations of life at sea by quietly singing in the characteristic tones and pitches of the fisherman’s ballads.

As the fishing community shrinks from Tap Mun with the younger generation choosing to leave for better prospects on the mainland and in different industries rather than pursue the island fishing life, this unique form of storytelling is at risk of being lost to the past.

Director Ma Chi Hang sets out to document and preserve this cultural heritage through interviews and performances from a handful of eclectic islanders.

Simultaneously uplifting and sombre,Ballad on the Shore broaches on how the waves of the past inform the present and offers us a highly localised history of a tiny part of Hong Kong.

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