ASIAN FILM SYMPOSIUM 2015
Cutting Edge Shorts from Southeast Asia
Co-presented by Objectifs & The Substation
After a hiatus of 6 years, Objectifs and The Substation are proud to announce the return of Asian Film Symposium (AFS). AFS showcases short films from partner countries in South-East Asia, where film programmers are invited to curate cutting-edge short films from their respective countries and share them with the local audience. In addition, through intimate dialogue sessions, AFS provides a vital platform for sharing and exchange among filmmakers, critics and programmers, encouraging dialogue among these key players in regional independent film industries, in the presence of an audience who will hear them debate and discuss pertinent topics that affect cinema in the region today.
This 2015 edition of AFS features the theme: Pop! Culture. Deemed as the ‘culture of the people’, pop culture encompasses the collection of ideals and ideas influenced mainly by the mass media. From fashion, television, language, music and films, these elements very much make up the contemporary aspects of our lives. Pop Culture is everywhere; we talk about it, we read about it and in some ways, we are obsessed about it. How does pop culture affect or influence our society? Through these short films, the notion of pop culture will be explored from an Asian perspective.
This year’s Country-In-Focus is Taiwan. A special program curated by Taipei International Film Festival curator Kuo Ming-Jung will be presented on 12 Sep, with the curator in attendance.
Their respective curators and a filmmaker will represent all countries featured in Asian Film Symposium.
The 8 countries participating are:
Singapore: Objectifs & The Substation
Cambodia: Davy Chou (Curator, filmmaker) and Somchanrith Chap (Filmmaker)
Indonesia: Varadila Nurdin (Curator, film programmer from Minikino) and Ari Rusyadi (Filmmaker)
Malaysia: Tan Chui Mui (Curator, producer and filmmaker) and Taufiq Kamal bin Abd Rahman (Filmmaker)
Philippines: Shireen Seno (Curator, filmmaker) and Jade Castro (Filmmaker)
Taiwan: Ming-Jung Kuo (Curator, Taipei Film Festival programmer)
Thailand: Sanchai Chotirosseranee (Curator, Thai Short Film And Video Festival programmer) and Pramote Sangsorn (Filmmaker)
Vietnam: Marcus Manh Cuong Vu (Curator, filmmaker) and Do Quoc Trung (Filmmaker)
Objectifs Chapel Gallery & The Substation
10/09/2015 – 13/09/2015
Tickets at door.
(please note that ID may be verified at the door)
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Programme Schedule
Screening I
Thu 10 Sep, 8pm – 10pm (Objectifs)
Programme rating: PG13
Films include:
1. Moveable Feast by Jasmine Ng / 14 min / Singapore
2. The Endless Room (Walang Katapusang Kwarto) by Emerson Reyes / 19 min / Philippines
3. Kep Secret by Prum Seila / 12:41 min / Cambodia
4. A Gift by Mallory Lee / 8:09 min / Malaysia
5. Deleted by Nitaz Sinwattanakul / 17 min / Thailand
6. The Story of Ones (Chuyện mọi nhà) by Pham Ngoc Lan / 10 min / Vietnam
Dialogue: What is a Short Film today? Relooking contexts and definitions in the distracted age
Fri 11 Sep, 7pm – 8pm (The Substation)
From web series to narrative music videos and experiential video art, the short film is undergoing evolutions to form, tone and genre. What do various practitioners in the field consider a “short film” at present? In the face of prolific outputs of audiovisual content from amateurs to professionals alike, film programmers and filmmakers from the region will share their thoughts on what current pop culture has informed their understanding of a short film today, with a special focus on the shifting preference of consumption modes in the short form media.
Screening II
Fri 11 Sep, 8.30pm – 10pm (The Substation)
Programme rating: PG13
Films include:
1. Blossom Your Life! (Hãy cứ sống, hãy cứ yêu!) by Ta Nguyen Hiep / 5:08 min / Vietnam
2. Fonzi by Kirsten Tan / 24 min / Singapore
3. Indie bung by Yuleo Rizky / 11:46 min / Indonesia
4. Blank (Patlang) by Jet Leyco / 15 min / Philippines
5. Endlessly by Sivaroj Kongsakul / 31 min / Thailand
Screening III
Sat 12 Sep, 11am – 12.30pm (Objectifs)
Programme rating: PG13
Films include:
1. Dino by Edward Gunawan / 15 min / Indonesia
2. Nunui by Chanya Hetayothin / 4 min / Thailand
3. Pilem Pertamaku by Vincent Jose / 4 min / Indonesia
4. A Fistful of Pebbles by Somchanrith Chap / 7 min / Cambodia
5. Breathe by Twatpong Tangsajjapoj / 10 min / Thailand
6. Rozita Binti Roslan by Taufiq / 10:06 min / Malaysia
7. Anchovies by Zulkifli Salleh / 22 min / Singapore
Dialogue: Independent Cinema: Opportunities and Challenges To Growing An Audience
Sat 12 Sep, 1pm – 2pm (Objectifs)
Exposure and discourse about independent cinema has improved since the dawn of the connected age. However, available access to knowledge of alternative content is not always tantamount to growth of the independent cinema. How have filmmakers and programmers addressed these issues that are so pertinent to growing audiences? What are some measures they have taken to not only grow a healthy viable appetite for their programs and films but to sustain the presence of independent cinema in their countries as a whole? Through this dialogue, audiences will get an inside look at some of the challenges film programmers and filmmakers face in the spirit of elevating a national consciousness about independent film, and what are some choices they make in an effort to grow this audience.
In Focus - Voices from Taiwan
Sat 12 Sep, 2.30pm – 4.30pm (Objectifs)
Programme rating: R21
Films include:
1. Scumbag, Pervert and the Girl in Between by Bruce Hwang Chen / 15:50 min
2. On Happiness Road by Sung Hsin-Yin / 13 min
3. Intoxicant by John Hsu / 26 min
4. Rock Rabbit by Miho Chen / 22 min
5. Rowboat by CJ Wang / 28 min
Dialogue: Growing Up: The Influence of Pop Culture Through Films
Sat 12 Sep, 5pm – 6pm (Objectifs)
Popular culture is manifested in our lives through mediums like music, film and fashion. How do such mediums affect or influence the work of a filmmaker/programmer? How has it shaped the artist / programmer they were before to what they are now? Through this intimate and personal discussion, this dialogue hopes to draw parallels or distinctions between the overarching effects of mass-market culture across countries whose cultures may be disparate but their effects may not be so different.
Screening V
Sat 12 Sep, 6.30pm – 8pm (Objectifs)
Programme rating: PG13
Films include:
1. Cambodia 2099 by Davy Chou / 21 min / Cambodia
2. Isan Mars by Pramote Sangsorn / 12 min / Thailand
3. Jakartarck by Ari Rusyadi / 16 min / Indonesia
4. On Duty with Shu Qi by Do Quoc Trung / 22:07 min / Vietnam
5. Salvaj by John Cho / 12 min / Malaysia
6. Beansprouts and Salted Fish by CheeK / 6 min / Singapore / PG
Screening VI
Sun 13 Sep, 2pm – 3.30pm (The Substation)
Programme rating: NC16
Films include:
1. Like by Vu Hoang Hai / 13:32 min / Vietnam
2. The Story That I Forgot to Tell by Nelson Yeo / 8:39 min / Singapore
3. I Can’t Sleep Without You By My Side (Di Ako Makatulog Kasi Wala Ka Sa Tabi Ko) by Jade Castro / 8 min / Philippines
4. Find Love Let It Kill by Aidyl Abadi / 1:24 min / Malaysia
5. Mack by Bradley Liew / 15:09 min / Malaysia
6. Boding by Kanitha Tith / 10 min / Cambodia
7. Pendekar Kesepian by Yusron Fuadi / 24 min / Indonesia
Screening VII
Sun 13 Sep, 4pm – 6pm (The Substation)
Programme rating: PG13
Films include:
1. Feeling by Luk Van / 15:34 / Vietnam
2. A Guide To Flora and Fauna Of The World by Jow Zhi Wei / 18 min / Singapore
3. We Don’t Care For Democracy, This Is What We Want: Love and Hope and Its Many Faces (Wala kaming pakialam sa demokrasya. Ang gusto namin: pag-ibig, pag-asa at ang kamukha nito) by John Torres / 12 min / Philippines
4. Strength by Michael Chen / 13 min / Malaysia
5. To Siomai Love by Remton Zuasola / 26 min / Philippines
6. Myth of Modernity by Chulayarnnon Siriphol / 16 min / Thailand
Asian Film Symposium is supported by “Watch Local”, an initiative under the Singapore Film Commission.