Ever wondered what happens to your footwear after you're finished with it? This original documentary traces the fantastic journey of the flip-flop.
Filmed over a two-year period, this startling and uplifting film takes an ingenious look at the lifecycle of the flip-flop. It's especially noteworthy for the beauty of its photography and editing. We guarantee you will have never seen anything like it.
The flip-flops' journey begins in the factories of Mombasa, where 20 million pairs a year are made. Worn-in and worn-out they are taken to the cobblers, who specialise in flip-flop maintenance. But some are too damaged to be repaired and lie rejected. Every May, the monsoon rains wash the rubbish to the ocean. The downpour enables the discarded cast-offs to make their escape.
Brushing shoulders with other marine wanderers, they are swept along by the ocean's current. Sea borne for years, their buoyancy and resilience are put to good use by ocean hitch-hikers. They eventually come to rest on distant coastlines.
Islanders search the beach for flip-flops washed up by the sea. Later, they ingeniously carve life back into the tide's offerings.
The islanders prize the discarded flip-flops as a valuable resource. They are carved into dolphins, turtles and mobiles, fuelling a new cottage industry, which provides precious income for many families. Newly transformed, the flip-flops begin yet another journey. Leaving the quiet shores of Kiwayu, they are transported back to the shop-lined shores of Mombasa, where their first journey began.
