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Teaching Cinema in the New Malaysian Normal: A Roundtable
After two years of enforced online and hybrid film education as a result of the global disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, what permanent shifts have occured in both the filmic pedagogy and learning landscape? Following the slow but steady transition of a return to past models, what lessons can be brought out of the online classes and integrated in this new normal? In this forum, film educators in Malaysia will discuss the post-pandemic landscape of teaching cinema and the current developments in the local industries, to imagine possibilities old and new.
Speaker
Yow ChongLee
ChongLee, Yow is a film lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. Apart from teaching, researching, and making films, he curates and is currently the director of the longest-running short film festival in Malaysia, the Mini Film Festival. He wishes to contribute to building a vibrant and healthy film ecosystem in Malaysia Borneo by gelling all concerted efforts that bring audiences and filmmakers together through film festivals and film appreciation.
Ghazi Alqudcy
Ghazi Alqudcy holds a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking from film.factory, an intensive programme created by the Hungarian film director Béla Tarr. He has produced more than 55 short films, which have been screened at various film festivals in Europe and Asia. In 2014, he produced a feature length omnibus documentary “Lost in Bosnia” – described by CPH:DOX as a collective poem about the act of filmmaking at a critical, (film-)historical moment. His directorial debut feature film, “Temporary Visa”, was awarded Best Film (Discovery Section) at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona. Ghazi is currently a senior lecturer at the School of Arts, Sunway University (Malaysia).
Andy Darrel Gomes
Andy Darrel Gomes is a Malaysian director, writer, actor and educator in theatre and films. His credits include “My Ba’s Radio”, (2017) screened at Short Shorts, Japan and won Best Film at the Mantova Lovers film festival, Italy. “Hawa” (2016) won the grand prize at BMW Shorties. As an actor, he appeared in “Ola Bola” (2016) and “Aqerat” (2017). His recent endeavours include providing the American Blu-Ray commentary for Tsai Ming Liang’s “Rebels of the Neon God” and developing “Transitional Cinema”, a mode of filmmaking with some of the country’s emerging directors. He currently lectures at Sunway and Multimedia University.
Dag Yngvesson
Dag Yngvesson is a filmmaker and Assistant Professor of cinema and cultural studies at the University of Nottingham, Malaysia. His scholarly and creative work focuses on the history and politics of form in Southeast Asian cinema and media. His latest publication, “Centering Peripheries: The Return of Regionalism in Indonesian Independent Cinema,” appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Journal of Cinema and Media Studies. His most recent film, Banyak Ayam Banyak Rejeki (Many Chickens, Lots of Luck), premiered online on Mubi in January 2021 and is currently making the rounds of Asian and international film festivals and conferences.
Moderator
Gaik Cheng Khoo
Assoc. Prof. Gaik Cheng Khoo teaches Southeast Asian Cinema at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Her research focuses on digital independent filmmaking in Malaysia and she co-edited with former colleagues Thomas Barker and Mary J. Ainslie Southeast Asia on Screen: From Independence to Financial Crisis (1945-1998) (Amsterdam University Press, 2020). Her other research interest includes asking questions about the sustainability of the global durian supply chain.
Making the Idea Happen: From Somewhere to VR
When virtual reality becomes an approach for creators to elaborate their thoughts and messages within the 360-degree environment, 360 live-action shooting technique definitely plays an important role in the production pipeline. Breaking the rules of traditional cinema, creators need to find a brand-new way to narratives within the fake as real space, and reconstruct their ideas for making the illusion convincing the audience the virtuality is real. Director Singing Chen and editor Ping-Ying Yen continuously work on producing high quality VR experiences for numerous award-winning pieces. They will share all the working process by a case study on their past experiences.
Speaker
Ping-Ying Yen
Ping-Ying is a film editor, visual designer and illustrator. The films, which she has edited, were selected by several international film festivals. She loves to tell the story about what she has observed around her by different creative methods.
Singing Chen
Singing’s debut, Bundled, competed for the Dragons & Tigers Award at VIFF. Her next feature, God, Man, Dog screened at Berlinale, Busan and elsewhere. Afterimage for Tomorrow was exhibited at the NewImages Festival. Her latest VR experience The Man Who Couldn’t Leave premiered and won the Immersive Best Experience award at Venice Film Festival, recounts events from the White Terror of the 1950s in Taiwan.
Moderator
Chiao Lin Hsieh
Chiao Lin Hsieh is the XR International Coordinator at Kaohsiung Film Archive and Program Manager of Kaohsiung Film Festival – XR Dreamland. In charge of the licensing of Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB Originals, Chiao Lin also contributes to programs for Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB, an experimental, non-commercial oriented VR theatre that showcases cinematic and artistic VR films.
Path toward XR Industry: Current Immersive Content Development and Perspective
Production of VR content started back in 2017, while creators of the world are itchy to try this brand-new medium. However, producing VR content requires a bigger budget compared to traditional filmmaking. Thus, finding a budget and possible distribution avenues become more and more important for creators. Estela Chen has received numerous commissions by many cultural institutions, while Jimmy Cheng starts his career helping all the creators to find the business model of VR distribution. By the knowledge and perspectives shared by both, creators can glimpse at the chance and possibility of stepping into the VR industry.
Speaker
Estela Chen
Estela Valdivieso Chen started her film career working on Tsai Ming-Liang and Ang Lee’s Films. She founded the company in 2015, to produce innovative productions with new technology and explore the future of storytelling. She is also a managing partner of the arthouse film production company HOUSE ON FIRE, to produce quality international feature film co-productions.
Jimmy Cheng
Jimmy focuses on the acquisition and licensing of XR content as the Director of International Partnership at Sandman Studios / Sandbox Immersive Festival. Representing over 170 XR studios (Atlas V / Baobab / etc.) and servicing Oculus TV and 10 global telecoms (Orange / Deutsche Telekom / LG U+ / Softbank / etc.) for finding suitable distribution / licensing opportunities.
Moderator
Chiao Lin Hsieh
Chiao Lin Hsieh is the XR International Coordinator at Kaohsiung Film Archive and Program Manager of Kaohsiung Film Festival – XR Dreamland. In charge of the licensing of Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB Originals, Chiao Lin also contributes to programs for Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB, an experimental, non-commercial oriented VR theatre that showcases cinematic and artistic VR films.