Night Bells: A Panel Discussion of the Film Installations
In conjunction with the film installation exhibition, Night Bells, curator Gertjan Zuilhof and the participating artists will discuss the featured works in an interactive session open to SeaShorts Film Festival guests.
Moderator
Gertjan Zuilhof (Netherlands) | With more than 20 years’ experience dedicated to Southeast Asian cinema at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Gertjan currently takes his talents as a programmer at film festivals across the region of his expertise.
Panel Members
Lav Diaz (Philippines) | A keen proponent of the slow cinema movement, Lav has established a name for some of the the longest narrative films on record. Catapulting to international fame with the 2013 release of Norte, the End of History, his works have garnered such recognition as the Locarno Golden Leopard, Venice Golden Lion, and Alfred Bauer Prize.
Shireen Seno (Philippines) | Shireen is an artist and filmmaker who has exhibited at various galleries locally and abroad. In 2012, her debut film Big Boy screened at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and named Best First Film at the Festival de Cine Lima Independiente the following year. Her next film project, Nervous Translation, was one of 15 projects of Venice Biennale College – Cinema, was a recipient of a Script & Project Development grant from the Hubert Bals Fund, and participated in IFP’s No Borders International Co-Production Market.
Sherman Ong (Malaysia) | Malacca born and bred, Sherman works at the intersection of film, photography, and the visual arts. Winner of the 2015 Prudential Eye Awards for Photography and the 2010 ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu Photography Award, Sherman has premiered pieces at art biennales, major film festivals, and museums around the world.
27th Sep 2019 / 7 p.m.–9 p.m. / The Baboon House
New Platform for Film Distribution
With the advent of online streaming, there are more opportunities than ever before for bringing work from the studio to the market. Is this the future for film distribution? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this new platform?
Moderator
Prof. Khoo Gaik Cheng (Malaysia) | A film academician, she also organises the Association for Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference since its inception in 2004.
Panel Members
Ho Hock Doong (Malaysia) | Ho recently joined MUBI as Director of Content for Southeast Asia. He had previously been the Senior Assistant Vice President at Astro, where he performed film acquisition for theatrical releases as well as for the A-List and Boo channels. During his stint, he commissioned two omnibus films, Doors: A Philippine Horror Anthology and Love Me, Tease Me.
Chia Yee Wei (Singapore) | An award-winning director, writer, and producer, Yee Wei is the founder of Mocha Chai Laboratories and A Little Seed, an authorised Apple iTunes aggregator. A Little Seed enables distributors, independent producers, and filmmakers to put their films onto digital platforms like Apple iTunes and Amazon for sale.
Tony Pietra Arjuna (Malaysia) | Graduating from Emerson College in Boston and moving to Malaysia, Tony started as a TVC editor before honing his directorial craft with a variety of long/short-form efforts. He made his theatrical debuts with two anthology films: The FFM-nominated dramedy Cuak and CollabFeature’s Train Station, which won awards at international and US festivals. Three co-directing projects followed: Safari Mall, Red Storm (a martial arts actioner) and The Dark Eye (a genre-bending ode to classic horror). Shadowplay is an indie neo-noir that marks Tony’s first “solo” feature; a micro-budget pastiche of 80’s cinema and David Lynch. On the heels of its completion, Tony continued as a director and showrunner on Devoted, a cult-themed drama/thriller series for streaming network Viu. With his “third culture” background and obsession with Gen X nostalgia and grindhouse movies, Tony aims to establish a signature in his work that is drawn from his Indonesian-Malaysian heritage and American influences.
28th Sep 2019 / 7 p.m.–9 p.m. / Tun Hamzah Hall, Level 2, Tun Fatimah Riverside Hotel / FB event page
What is the Future of South East Asian Cinema?
As S-Express approaches its 16th anniversary, this forum aims to celebrate the achievements of the programme as well as inspire a new generation of filmmakers through an open dialogue about the respective challenges of each Southeast Asian film community.
Moderator
Ghazi Alqudcy (Singapore) | Ghazi is an independent filmmaker with more than 50 short films and two feature films under his belt. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking from film.factory, an intensive programme created by Hungarian director Béla Tarr.
Panel Members
Marcus Mạnh Cường Vũ (Vietnam) | A programmer and filmmaker based in Vietnam, he was previously the festival director at Yxine Film Fest from 2010 to 2014.
Helene Ouvrard (Laos) | Having made Laos her home since 2008, Helene currently works in the country’s cultural sector. In 2011, she joined the Vientianale organising team and now runs the international film festival as co-director. She has curated Lao-centric programmes for various festivals to promote emerging local filmmakers.
Francis Oggs Cruz (Philippines) | Francis is a film writer whose byline has appeared in such media as Rappler, The Philippine Star, Rogue magazine, and Businessworld. He has also served as member and jury alike at various film festivals.
Thaid Dhi (Myanmar) | An independent film producer, Thaid Dhi is also co-founder and programme director at Wathann Filmfest.
29th Sep 2019 / 9.30 p.m.–11.30 p.m. / Tun Hamzah Hall, Level 2, Tun Fatimah Riverside Hotel / FB event page
What is the Role of Government Policy in the Film Industry?
The forum gathers policymakers from three different Asian countries to discuss how government film funding works respectively. The panel will share anecdotes as heads of authorities and how filmmakers can receive financial support for their productions.
Moderator
Megan Wonowidjoyo (Singapore) | Currently Head of the Foundation programme at Multimedia University’s Faculty of Cinematic Arts, Megan is also an artist and filmmaker with a background in film editing. Her debut animation, Libertas, was awarded Best Screenplay at the 2011 Indonesian Film Festival and shortlisted for Best Animated Short at AFI Fest. In 2017, she premiered her first live-action short, Woman at Home, at the SEOUL International Women’s Film Festival.
Panel Members
Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri (Malaysia) | Having started his acting career at TV3 in 1994, Ahmad has since been involved in more than 40 films in multiple roles in front of and behind the camera. In 2002, he founded a film production studio named Excellent Pictures Sdn Bhd, winning best director awards at Anugerah Skrin and Malaysian Film Festival the following year. 2014 saw the establishment of the Ahmad Idham Film Academy in Johor. In 2019, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS).
Cynthia Chong (Singapore) | Cynthia currently serves as Deputy Director at the Singapore Film Commission, a division under the Infocomm Media Development Authority. In her role, she oversees film industry development programmes in nurturing, supporting, and promoting homegrown talent in filmmaking as well as showcasing their works to audiences locally and abroad.
Ria Anne Rubia (Philippines) | Ria is currently the Officer-in-Charge Executive Director at the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Prior to her role, she served as the deputy of the digital media group that handles the online public relations of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority before becoming the Officer-in-Charge. In 2014, her portfolio included being the project manager of the New Wave section at the Metro Manila Film Festival.
29th Sep 2019 / 12.30 p.m.–2.30 p.m. / Tun Hamzah Hall, Level 2, Tun Fatimah Riverside Hotel / FB event page