Burông Tité
Choir of doves

South Thailand. 52 minutes / language versions : French & English

The Jawi are an ethnic minority of Malay origin that live in the south-eastern provinces of Thailand. Descendants of the renowned Sultanate of Patani, annexed by Siam in the XXth century, this Muslim people perpetuate traditional Malay culture.

One of their specificities is the importance attached to a local variety of Turtle Dove, the « burông tité ». This bird is prized for the quality and the beauty of its song, and the admiration that it generates amongst the inhabitants of South East Asia has made it become almost cult. The Turtle Doves are prepared for international song contests where the winning birds bring not only wealth, but also social prestige to their owners

Peter Livermore is an English filmmaker who works in proximity with the cultures and peoples he is filming. His method is immersion in the culture, working with respect and aiming to create a relation with the people he is portraying. He has devoted the major part of his time working and creating within oriental cultures in order to contribute to the diffusion and conservation of these rich cultural heritages. Laos is very close to his heart, and he has been filming and supporting Lao culture since 1989. He speaks Lao to a moderate level and plays the Khaen. In 1997 he created his own film production company in France, “SevenOrients”, employing also other media like music production, publication of anthropological books, design, photography and creative writing. In 2016 he founded a Lao film and art production company called “Creative Seven Arts”.

Peter Livermore produces many types of films, including documentaries, information films, institutional and promotional films, and clips. His filmography of documentary subjects includes Burông Tité. Choir of Turtle Doves (Thailand, 1998, 52 mn), Pi Mai Lao, the Eternal Myth (Laos, 1999, 52 mn), Le Mal Jaune. La fièvre d’amour de l’Extrême Orient (Vietnam, 1999, 52 mn), Falconarius. The Noble Falconer (Italy, 2002, 52 mn), Révérences aux Bouddhas lao (Laos, 2009, 25 mn), The Enchanted Bamboo (Thailand, 2011, 52 mn), Voyage of Discovery on the Nam Ou River (Laos, 2012, filmed 1994, 52 mn), and La Fête des Lumières (Laos, 2012, 26 mn).