Naturalist, ethnographer and filmmaker Dr. Ivan Polunin passed away on December 21st. He will be remembered for his scholarly work in epidemiology in Malaya as well as his reels and reels of footage on all aspects of life, cultural and natural, that he recorded in the peninsula through his entire career.

cc photo by Kevin Lim

Some of Dr Ivan Polunin’s film collection can be accessed through the National Archives of Singapore, where you will find excerpts of life in Singapore and Malaya in the mid-20th century. You may also remember that the NUS Museum also hosted an exhibition on the work of Dr Polunin last year and we featured it here.

Rest in Peace, Dr Ivan Polunin.