“It’s absolutely fascinating and it’s so much fun to watch. You learn so much about bananas as a cultural product. It’s also a reflection on globalization — it’s a wonderful film”
– Cult Montreal
“So complex and surprisingly strange, we found ourselves hoping for a sequel.”
– SF Weekly
Journey to the world of bananas!
Deep in the forests of Sumatra, a Finnish sea captain seeks an elusive banana. In a Kolkata kitchen, Bengali chefs prepare scrumptious banana stalk curries. As the sun blazes in Kuala Lumpur, a Chinese exorcist calls forth an evil banana spirit…
Embarking on an international journey through the vibrant world of human-banana relationships, MONDO BANANA explores the personal, cultural, and environmental importance of one of the world’s favorite fruits. A delicious blend of video art and ethnographic film, MONDO BANANA turns educational filmmaking upside down with a wild medley of shadow puppetry, culinary demonstrations, exorcisms, scientific research, performance art, anthropology, underground film, and dragon-dancing that peels away the secrets of human-banana relations and celebrates the age-old connection between people and plants.
YEAR OF RELEASE – 2013
LENGTH – 60 minutes
LANGUAGES – English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Malay, Indonesian
SUBTITLES – English & Spanish
COUNTRIES OF PRODUCTION – USA/Canada/Thailand/Finland
DIRECTOR/EDITOR – Ryan White
PRODUCERS – Ryan White, Paul Lee, Maarten Christenhusz
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS – Richard Gilliam & Joanne Storkan
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS – Julianne Becker, Robert Barrett, Yixuan Wu, Kitinun Pinkaew, Kent White
SOUND – Julianne Becker, Robert Barrett, Kitinun Pinkaew, Yixuan Wu
CAMERA – Ryan White
MUSIC – Distant Echo Productions
TRANSLATIONS – Yixuan Wu, Kitinun Pinkaew, Aimron Hayimat
MONDO BANANA 