“Sandcastles” Tells the Tale of Two Singapores
The new short from documentary filmmaker and multimedia journalist Carin Leong explores the transient nature of humankind’s existence through sand.
Trailer for Sandcastles (2024), dir. Carin Leong (video and images courtesy Field of Vision)
Sandcastles, a new short from documentary filmmaker and multimedia journalist Carin Leong, is now available to watch on Field of Vision.
Singapore, Michigan, was a thriving lumber town in the late 1800s, until erosion from mass deforestation caused the surrounding sand dunes to shift and swallow it whole. Yet just as quickly as the town disappeared under sand, its namesake in the East emerged from it: Around the world, Singapore is renowned for its use of land reclamation — importing sand to increase landmass and spur urban development.
From the perspective of multiple characters, including sand importers, land developers, environmental activists, governments fighting climate change, and the Indigenous communities of both Singapores, the film’s mirroring of the two locations begs the question: “How can we trust the very ground we walk on when it’s built with and destroyed by nothing more than sand?”
These manmade edifices illustrate the transient nature of humankind’s existence, captured poignantly through the poetry of sandcastles — constructed as the foundations of civilization, yet easily blown away by the wind.
About Carin Leong
Carin Leong is a documentary filmmaker and multimedia journalist based in Brooklyn. Her work explores themes of science, cultural memory, and landscapes. Her film Sandcastles, produced by Field of Vision, premiered at SXSW in 2024 before screening at festivals such as AFI Fest, Hot Docs, and the Singapore International Film Festival, among others. Her projects have been supported by Aesthetica Short Film Festival, DOK Leipzig, and the Untitled Filmmaker Organization, where she is now a fellow. Her work has been featured in Scientific American, Hakai Magazine, and The Atlantic. In 2024, she was recognized by Filmmaker magazine as one of the 25 Faces of Independent Film.
About Field Of Vision
Field of Vision is a filmmaker-driven non-profit that commissions and supports films, filmmakers, journalists, and artists that explore contemporary global issues through a cinematic lens and push the boundaries of nonfiction storytelling. Recent projects have included the Oscar-winning feature American Factory; the Oscar-nominated features Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, Ascension, Strong Island and Hale County This Morning, This Evening; and Oscar-nominated shorts A Night at the Garden, In the Absence, and Do Not Split; as well as the Emmy-winning features Eat Your Catfish, Lakota Nation vs. the United States, and Crime + Punishment; Emmy-nominated features King Coal and Nothing Compares; and the Emmy-nominated short The Takeover.
Field of Vision has an ongoing commitment to support innovation and diversity. As such, 54% of Field of Vision-supported films have been directed by women and 43% by filmmakers of color. Since its foundation in 2015, the organization has commissioned, produced, and/or supported more than 111 features, 5 episodic series, and 104 short films. This work has premiered at Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, SXSW, Hot Docs, Tribeca, and IDFA, among many other festivals; garnering numerous accolades and awards. An emphasis on short films has allowed Field of Vision to support fast responses to unfolding political moments in countries including Brazil, France, Hong Kong, India, Japan, The Philippines, Russia, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, and Afghanistan.
Watch Sandcastles now at fieldofvision.org.
