Festival Calendar

SAINT-RÉMI

By Simon Vermeulen

Shot in a former asbestos mine, this film features a dancer’s interactions with his sculpture, a symbol of man-made structures that can both elevate and confine.

Film 1 of 5 in Movement Pieces

À BRAS-LE-CORPS (GOING ON STRIKE)

By Chélanie Beaudin-Quintin

Seeking to re-imagine collective action, Chélanie Beaudin-Quintin collaborates with dancers to deconstruct familiar images of protest often rooted in aggression.

Film 2 of 5 in Movement Pieces

ÉCHO

By Édouard Lock

A lone ballerina dances with her reflection in Écho, a film made by renowned choreographer Édouard Lock, in response to feelings of isolation during lockd

Film 3 of 5 in Movement Pieces

PRISON OF THE SUN

By Kaveh Nabatian

A reaction to social unrest, as told by renowned dancer Axelle Munezero through "waacking,” an African-American street dance born in Los Angeles in the 1970s.

Film 4 of 5 in Movement Pieces

PIDIKWE (RUMBLE)

By Caroline Monnet

By putting the spotlight on Indigenous women as they express their spirituality in dance, Caroline Monnet presents authentic representations of them onscreen.

Film 5 of 5 in Movement Pieces

ZINKEPOEL

By Zulkhairi Zulkiflee

Seeking to make sense of the uncanny, Zinkepoel meditates on the landscape of the ghost town of Singapore, Michigan.

Film 1 of 3 in SEA Shorts Programme 1

SPACES AS TRACES

By Shi Yun Teo

With an assemblage of diverse materials, Shi Yun Teo maps the material universe onto the spiritual, and mediates a dialogue between a mythic past and modern AI.

Film 2 of 3 in SEA Shorts Programme 1

FOSSILIS

By Riar Rizaldi

Fossilis grapples with the 21st century reality that most of the planet’s discarded electronics—products of planned obsolescence—are dumped and buried in Asia.

Film 3 of 3 in SEA Shorts Programme 1

THE SCATTERED BODY OR A WORLD UNCLOUDED BY DUST

By George Clark

The work of caring for the dispersed history of Vietnam is explored in this film on a Vietnamese community archive in London, and a state film archive in Hanoi.

Film 1 of 1 in SEA Shorts Programme 2

TUNGGANG LANGGANG (AFTERLIVES)

By Timoteus Anggawan Kusno

In Afterlives, Timoteus Anggawan Kusno confronts the ghosts of Indonesia’s colonial past, by reconstituting traces of Dutch power that persist to this day.

Film 1 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 3

PETA GULA (SUGAR MAP)

By Ali Satri Efendi

Sugar Map explores how village land in Krembung, Indonesia has been and is still being shaped by past policies that mandated farmers to grow export crops.

Film 2 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 3

LUZONENSIS OSTEOPOROSIS

By Glenn Barit

Luzonensis realises his passport is missing, just before he is to fly off to become a migrant worker. As he retraces his steps, the search soon turns inward.

Film 1 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 4

HERE WE ARE

By Chanasorn Chaikitiporn

Presented with images of Thailand during the Cold War and modern-day Bangkok, a housekeeper recounts her own story of moving from her village to the city.

Film 2 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 4

FLOW

By Souliya Phoumivong

A human figure watches as buffalo tail each other in a herd. Out of curiosity, he dons a buffalo mask to blend in but soon finds it hard to extricate himself.

Film 1 of 3 in SEA Shorts Programme 5

TRIP AFTER

By Ukrit Sa-nguanhai

In the 1960s, U.S. Information Service mobile film units travelled across northeast Thailand to show propaganda films. Trip After revisits some of their stops.

Film 2 of 3 in SEA Shorts Programme 5

THE HOUSE OF BRICK AND STONE

By Ananth Subramaniam

A young girl finds solace and guidance from an unlikely figurehead.

Film 3 of 3 in SEA Shorts Programme 5

KIWO TENGEN

By Rizqullah Panggabean

A pair of sandals—Kiwo and Tengen—is separated amid the crowd at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Solo, Indonesia. They go on the adventure of their lives.

Film 1 of 4 in SEA Shorts Programme 6

KULIHAT KAU LIHAT DIA (I WATCH YOU WATCH THEM)

By Helmi Yusron

With her camera, a woman looks for traces of surveillance in the city. Mid-way, she notices that she is being followed by a man with a camera.

Film 2 of 4 in SEA Shorts Programme 6

"SMILE, NUR. SMILE."

By Syahirah Binti Suhairi

Personal video logs offer glimpses into the daily activities of a young girl. As time goes by, they begin to reveal that there is more than meets the eye.

Film 3 of 4 in SEA Shorts Programme 6

PEACELAND

By Ekin Kee Charles

Three middle-aged friends are hitchhiking a ride to town. On the way, they just want to have fun. But the real purpose of the trip is revealed when they arrive.

Film 4 of 4 in SEA Shorts Programme 6

BISAN ABO, WALA BILIN (EVEN ASHES, NOTHING REMAINS)

By Kyd Torato

When a strange disease spreads in her village, a little girl realises how the fate of their sacred tree is inextricably linked with that of her people.

Film 1 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 7

GREEN HOME

By Out Sreypich, Chov Kimsrong, and Mao Mensocheata

This documentary captures a village’s profound connection to their local forest, and surfaces what is truly at stake when our natural world disappears.

Film 2 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 7

THE LAST VISIT (VIIMANE KÜLASTUS)

By Keawalee Warutkomain

To cope with the loss of a dear aunt, the director turns to animation to recover traces of her. The Last Visit expresses this journey from grief to acceptance.

Film 1 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 8

BONE WHISPERERS

This poetic documentary observes a fascinating Karen funeral ceremony, in which talking to the bones of loved ones who have passed away is a central aspect.

Film 2 of 2 in SEA Shorts Programme 8

VIDEOHEAVEN

By Alex Ross Perry

Videoheaven traces the evolution of the video store, once a vital space that shaped film culture and re-defined the way we interacted with movies and each other.

AIR MATA DI KUALA LUMPUR (TEARS IN KUALA LUMPUR)

By Ridhwan Saidi

Inspired by the last song composed by the film and music icon P. Ramlee, Ridhwan Saidi’s film explores the ever-evolving identity of present-day Kuala Lumpur.

MAGELLAN (MAGALHÃES)

By Lav Diaz

Magellan is an intimate portrait of the 16th century Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, starring Gael García Bernal in the titular role.

ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED

By Laura Poitras

Laura Poitras’ moving portrait of the life, practice, and activism of Nan Goldin, one of the most important and influential artists of her generation.

HOME TO HE(ART)

By Gözde Zehnder and Russel Zehnder

This documentary looks at how Singapore artist Chen Wen Hsi had lived and worked in his last place of residence—5 Kingsmead Road.

TURANG

By Bachtiar Siagian

Leftist filmmaker Bachtiar Siagian’s Turang depicts the resistance efforts of ordinary villagers in the larger nationalist struggle against Dutch colonial rule.

GENERAL CARTOON

By Tha Du

This Burmese satire reveals the absurdities of a world governed by ‘the law of the jungle,’ fusing poignant social commentary with dark humour.

LA CAZA (THE HUNT)

By Carlos Saura

Simmering tension underpins this film of men on a rabbit hunt. This film by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura was his first international breakthrough.

WOMEN ARE NATURALLY CREATIVE—AGNÈS VARDA (LES FEMMES SONT DE NATURE CRÉATIVES—AGNÈS VARDA)

By Katja Raganelli

This portrait of the visionary French New Wave director, Agnès Varda, offers a glimpse into her collaborative practice and views on a feminist movement in cinema.

Part of a double bill with The Long Road to the Director’s Chair

THE LONG ROAD TO THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

By Vibeke Løkkeberg

This film brings to life the original recordings of the first International Women's Film Seminar in 1973, an important milestone in the history of feminist filmmaking.

Part of a double bill with Women Are Naturally Creative—Agnès Varda

SOMBER TIDES (MARÉE NOIRE)

By Chantal Caron

Directed by celebrated Québécois choreographer Chantal Caron, this short film is a poignant meditation on our relationship with the natural environment.

Part of a double bill with No More History Without Us

NO MORE HISTORY WITHOUT US (NÃO HAVERÁ MAIS HISTÓRIA SEM NÓS)

By Priscilla Brasil

Priscilla Brasil rewrites 19th century narratives that have shaped the image of the Amazon and its people, in this powerful instance of postcolonial cinema.

Part of a double bill with Somber Tides

PEPPERMINT FRAPPÉ

By Carlos Saura

Winning the Silver Bear for Best Direction at Berlinale in 1968 for this film, Carlos Saura directs this psychological thriller of infatuation and obsession.

DAMORTIS

By Briccio Santos

A haunting meditation on faith, power and the human cost of divinity, Damortis, originally shot on 16mm film, is a landmark of Philippine independent cinema.

QUEEN’S PALACE

By Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing

Queen’s Palace portrays the experiences of a group of women activists and artists from Myanmar who have sought temporary asylum at a shelter in Mae Sot, a border town in Thailand.

Part of a double bill with Timestamp

TIMESTAMP (STRICHKA CHASU)

By Kateryna Gornostai

Quietly assertive, Kateryna Gornostai’s Timestamp chronicles the state of learning in school classrooms across Ukraine today, as the country defends itself in war.

Part of a double bill with Queen’s Palace

1978 FOOTAGES

By Virgilio "Pandy" Aviado

This film captures the friendship, collaboration and shared adventurous spirit between two pioneers in Philippine experimental filmmaking.

Film 1 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries

PACER

By Banchong Kosalwat

Banchong Kosalwat, a pioneer of Thai experimental film, created this empathetic documentary on racehorses while he was based in the United States.

Film 2 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries

META EKOLOGI (META ECOLOGY)

By Gotot Prakosa

In this mesmerising film, Gotot Prakosa captures a performance of human bodies melding with the earth.

Film 3 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries

RECUERDO OF TWO SUNDAYS AND TWO ROADS THAT LEAD TO THE SEA

By Bibsy Carballo, Romy Vitug and Emmanuel Torres

This wistful documentary focuses on funeral rituals in Navotas, a fishing town in the Philippines which has one of the largest fish ports in Southeast Asia.

Film 4 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries

THE GLEANERS AND I (LES GLANEURS ET LA GLANEUSE)

By Agnès Varda

By turns playful, philosophical, and satirical, this is an essay film in which director Agnès Varda sets out on a journey to gather the stories of modern-day gleaners.

FORAGERS

By Jumana Manna

Foragers chronicles the long-running disputes over the practice of foraging for edible wild plants native to Palestine/Israel.

WE ARE TOAST

By Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen

We Are Toast is an expanded cinema performance by Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen that utilises multiple 16mm film projectors to create a live film.