SeaShorts Expanded houses several programmes focusing on works by respected and well known local practitioners, with two new witty video essays by Amir Muhammad and Ridhwan Saidi respectively; a speculative video work by Five Arts Centre folks Faiq Syazwan Kuhiri, Mark Teh, Syamsul Azhar & Wong Tay Sy; an artist ‘talk’ in audio-visual form with artist Gan Siong King; and a community documentary work by Okui Lala and Nasrikah.
And finally, we playfully conclude the non-competition section with a non-curated programme Open Screen, an initiative to seek active participation from the audience and guests to showcase works that would have fallen outside of our purview, in hopes to bring together unexpected discourses and surprising connections amongst festival-goers.
Two Malaysian Video Essays
A programme that pairs two brand-new hour-long video essays, MAJALAH FILEM MELAYU LAMA by Ridhwan Saidi and WORST.MALAY.FILM.EVER? by Amir Muhammad. The former looks at old Malay entertainment magazines, while the latter zeroes in on one particular film. Both deal with nostalgia but also reframe the source materials in quirkily, individualistic new ways.
Fragments of Tuah
A poetic and speculative video essay which investigates the figure of Hang Tuah, a legendary warrior who may or may not have existed in the 15th century, during the maritime Melaka Sultanate.
My Video Making Practice by Gan Siong King
My Video Making Practice (MVMP) is a community engagement project that blends an artist talk, screening and dialogue in which Gan Siong King reflects on 11 selected videos from 6 projects he made in the last decade. He will be sharing some key ideas and the circumstances behind his video making practice, in the process weaving together technical aspects of filmmaking with his personal narrative as an artist navigating through the mass digital migration of everything in the last decade. MVMP aims to facilitate conversations on art and artmaking, with a focus on moving images and sound as a form.
The screening will follow with a conversation between Gan Siong King & Tan Chui Mui.
Special Focus: “Rasa dan Asa”
Rasa dan Asa is a video that follows PERTIMIG activities and it’s members’ journey during the Covid-19 pandemic. PERTIMIG (Indonesian Migrant Domestic Workers Association in Malaysia), is an independent organization fighting for the rights of migrant domestic workers. PERTIMIG’s vision is to advocate for decent work and welfare for the domestic workers in Malaysia.
Alongside recordings of online events between June and September 2021, most of the footage in this film was shot remotely by the PERTIMIG members on their smartphones during the Movement Control Order in Malaysia. PERTIMIG is currently using the video to outreach to other domestic workers in Malaysia.
The screening will follow with a delve into their collaboration process moderated by Yow Chong Lee.
Open Screen
In an attempt to respond to the theme of ‘The Future’, the unknown of what’s to come and the limitation of the curation process; we bring you Open Screen, a non-curated programme to enable guests and audience to take up time on the screen to showcase, screen or perform – anything. Short films, video essays, game creations, audio-visual performance, experimental video art, a presentation of your photography; whatever!
The programmers and curators don’t possess power here unlike the other competition and special programmes of SeaShorts; but do play nice, and try to practice discretion (if you can – or should we say, “Screen at Your Own Risk”?). Not for the faint-hearted, Open Screen exists as a free space for the rogue artists and filmmakers scattered in the audience to further surprise and challenge us with works we may not have even considered, in conjunction with the spirit of unpredictability that is the heart of this year’s festival.
How to participate? Register for your slot now! Or just enjoy the show.
Register now to secure a screening slot!