Initiatives > Southeast Asian Film Series
May 13 - Programmer's Choice - Thailand
May 6 - Double Feature - Vietnam
April 29 - Joni's Promise - Indonesia
April 22 - Elephant Keeper - Thailand
April 15 - Crying Ladies - Philippines
April 1 - When the Tenth Month Comes - Vietnam
March 18 - Gone Shopping - Singapore
March 11 - Bagong Buwan - Philippines
March 4 - Love Conquers All - Malaysia
February 25 - Song of the Stork - Vietnam, Singapore
February 11 - Dang Bireleys and Young Gangsters - Thailand
February 4 - Sorry, I Impregnated Your Wife - Indonesia
January 28 - 881 - Singapore
January 21 - Southern Winds - Indonesia, Japan, Philippines and Thailand
May 13, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Programmer's Choice
A surprise film from Thailand!
We've had another amazing year of films from Southeast Asia!
Our mailing list continues to grow and now reaches 320 fans of Southeast Asian film. Since the beginning of the fall 2008 semester, we have screened 37 films to more than 1,500 people! Thanks to everyone for their support! We'll be bringing back more films from Southeast Asia this summer, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the first screening of the fall 2009 semester. Stay tuned for announcements as that day – opening night for the film series' sixth year – approaches.
Our final film of the semester is a Programmer's Pick. What is it, you say? We can only tell you that it's from Thailand. Trust us, you'll love it! There will be pizza and drinks following the film, so we hope to see everyone on Wednesday.
May 6, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
A Vietnamese Double Feature
Passerine Bird and Traveling Circus
First Film. PASSERINE BIRD (Vietnam, 1962, directed by Nguyen Van Thong, 45 minutes, Vietnamese with E.S.). The Vietnam Film Institute stumbled upon a deteriorating 16mm print of this lost classic which the Hong Kong Film Archive restored and the Center subtitled. The film offers a lyric view of village level resistance to French colonial aggression in Viet Nam in the 1950s. Nga, a young girl, is thrown into the bitter struggles of her fellow countrymen as images of innocent youth are bled away, turning into the steadfastness of nationalist resolve.
Second Film. Set in the central highlands of Vietnam, TRAVELING CIRCUS (Vietnam, 1988, directed by Viet Linh, 74 minutes, Vietnamese with E.S.) is a bittersweet story of famine-ridden villagers, tricked by an illusion of food into helping a circus that is secretly searching for gold in their region. Through the eyes of a young villager, we witness how their naive hope has tragic consequences. Banned for two years in Vietnam because officials considered its themes potentially subversive, director Viet Linh was required to change the title of the film from The Conjurer’s Tricks to There Was Once a Man Who Was Greedy for Gold to its final title. One of the most internationally acclaimed Vietnamese movies from the 1980s, it is rarely shown in Vietnam or abroad.
April 29, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Joko Anwar
Indonesia, 2004, 82 minutes
Indonesian w/E.S.
Joni is a young man of 22, living and working in Jakarta as a delivery boy, carting film reels from theater to theater so that the owners can save money on prints by running the same copy at multiple theaters simultaneously. Joni has never had a girlfriend but he doesn't mind. He's happy with his life and takes pride in his work, particularly with the fact that he has never been late on a delivery. But that all changes when he spots a beautiful young woman in the theater lobby one day and screws up the nerve to approach her. She seems friendly enough, and flattered by his attention, but she agrees to give him her name on 1 condition only: Joni must make sure that the film she is watching plays uninterrupted until the final credits roll. Surely this is a simple thing? Joni has never been late before, but on this day he will have to deal with motorcycle thieves, birthing mothers, rock bands, and a menacing artist rumored to have magical powers. - Twitch Film
April 22, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Prince Chatrilacherm Yukol
Thai, 1987, 136 minutes
Thai w/E.S.
This environmentally themed movie is pretty sad, but powerful. It's about an activist forestry chief named Kamroom who is waging war against the corrupt local police and an influential local timber baron who is conducting illegal logging on the forest. Caught between these two forces is a man (Sorapong Chatree), with an elephant. With Thailand's forests being rapidly depleted and more tightly controlled, it is difficult for the elephant keeper to find work. The more work he finds, the less there will be for him to do. It's a sad paradox. Directed by Prince Chatrilacherm Yukol, The Elephant Keeper also features songs by the original songs-for-life band, Caravan, and the current kings of the songs-for-life movement, Carabao. An official selection for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film!
Rescheduled Screening
April 15, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Philippines, 2003, 110 minutes
Filipino w/E.S.
Meet the last of the professional mourners of Manila's Chinatown. The street smart Stella Mate (Sharon Cuneta) who dreams of a better job to be able to get back custody of her beloved son Bong (Julio Pacheco) whom she lost to ex-husband Guido (Ricky Davao). Then there is Doray (Hilda Koronel) a.k.a. Rhodora Rivera, a bit player of the '70's whose life revolves around the glory days of her B-movies career. And religious and naïve Choleng (Angel Aquino) who simply cannot resist the sexual advances of her best friend's husband. These are the crying ladies - three women who decide to accept a part-time job to be the professional mourners for a traditional Chinese funeral for the late George Washington Chua, father of Wilson Chua (Eric Quizon) in this rollicking comedy which garnered six awards at the 2003 Manila Metro Film Festival.
"Funny and heartwarming. Amazing! Brilliant script and deft direction. As close to being a masterpiece as a film can get. The actors are marvelous!"
- Dennis Ladaw, MANILA TIMES
"From its impressive opening credits, the film captivated me. An intelligent, clever, humorous and compassionate movie. Entirely deserving of the honors and acclaim, 'Crying Ladies' bodes well for the Philippine movie industry. A film that entertains and pays homage to our country."
-- Rina Jimenez-David, PHILIPPINE INQUIRER
April 1, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Dang Nhat Minh
Vietnam, 1984, 90 minutes
Vietnamese w/E.S.
A haunting portrait of one woman’s struggle with loss and personal sacrifice during the war, When the Tenth Month Comes is considered by many critics to be the greatest Vietnamese movie ever made. In the final days of the war, a beautiful young widow, Duyen, faces a daily struggle to take care of her young son and ailing father-in-law, all the while hiding from them the fact that her husband has recently been killed in battle. Keeping her secret burden to herself, she is befriended by the village schoolmaster, Khang, who agrees to fabricate letters from her dead husband in order to spare her family sorrow. As their friendship deepens, Duyen and Khang find themselves drawn closer to intimacy—a dangerous relationship if Duyen is to maintain her charade. The title of the movie refers to the month in which the Day of Forgiveness occurs; a time when, it is said, that departed souls may visit loved ones still living. The film resonates beautifully with the traditional Vietnamese precepts of duty and sacrifice, combined with aesthetic influences from centuries of traditional poetry, literature, and theater.
more info | interview with the director
March 18, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Li Lin Wee
Singapore, 2007, 97 minutes
Mandarin w/E.S.
Clara, a forty year old 'tai tai' (wealthy lady of leisure) faces a mid-life crisis and decides to run away to the only place that has ever made any sense to her - the shopping centers. As she lives there, Clara crosses paths with Renu, an eight-year old latchkey kid who has been abandoned by her parents in a 24-hour mall and Aaron, an angst-y twenty three year old who skips work to hang out at the mall with his friends. Together, they find love, loss and liberation in the heart of Singapore. An official selection of the Hawaii International Film Festival, the Udine Film Festival in Italy and the Shanghai International Film Festival.
March 11, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Marilou Diaz Abaya
Philippines, 2001, 120 minutes
Filipino w/E.S.
Ahmad (Cesar Montano) is a Muslim who lives in Manila as a doctor. His wife Fatima (Amy Austria) and only son Ibrahim live in Mindanao with Ahmad's mother, Farida. Ahmad is devastated when he is told that Ibrahim has been killed by a stray bullet fired by vigilantes. Returning home, Ahmad finds himself opposing his family's wish to stay in their war-torn homeland. In spite of his son's death, Ahmad still wants to live a peaceful life and insists that the best solution is for his family to move to Manila with him. Musa, Ahmad's brother, disagrees. Musa believes that a war against the unbelievers is the only solution, and even trains his young son for a Muslim warrior's life. An explosion near a public marketplace thrusts Ahmad and his loved ones into the center of a bloody conflict between Christians and Muslims, the government and the Moros. Montano’s performance garnered him a Best Actor nod for a Gawad Urian, the Pinoy equivalent of an Oscar.
Macrh 4, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Tan Chui Mui
Malaysia, 2006, 90 minutes
Malay, Mandarin and Cantonese w/E.S.
Ah Peng is a Chinese-Malay girl from Penang. She comes to the capital Kuala Lumpur to work in the simple food stall run by her aunt. At first she doesn't seem to have time for the joys and dangers of the big city. She doesn't go looking for them either. She allows her new life to come at her the way it comes. And, she realizes, the way it comes is not always the way you want.
The role of Ah Peng is played by debutante Coral Ong Li Whei. The candour of the young actress matches wonderfully the way in which Ah Peng faces up to the unexpectedly harsh life of the capital. Ah Peng starts a beautiful friendship with her younger cousin Mei. They become like sisters. Mei maintains a secret correspondence with an unknown pen pal. It looks like a playful announcement of what is awaiting Ah Peng: a love that is not what it seems and is not what it should be.
Soon after her arrival in the city, Ah Peng is noticed and followed by John. The fact that she has a boyfriend in Penang does not stop him from pursuing his fairly aggressive advances. Ah Peng doesn't really resist, nor for very long. Even when John unashamedly explains to her how a pimp works, she seems deaf to any warning. And equally imperturbably, with a minimal use of means, the film follows Ah Peng's fate. - IFFR
LOVE CONQUERS ALL won the Tiger Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
"A delicate individual drama, which improves itself by the level and subtle relation that reality digital filming makes possible." - Jean-Michel Frodon (chairman), Tikoy Aguiluz, Mabel Cheung, 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival
"Classical in style and structure, it is a film which speaks to the heart." - Piers Handling (chairman), Lou Ye, Isaac Julien, Maria Kraakman, Teresa Villaverde, 36th International Film Festival Rotterdam
"The international Jury gives the award to Love Conquers All for its effective use of ambiguity and irony in constructing a surprising and subtly elliptical narrative." - Francois Verster (chairman), Chris Fujiwara, Ana Katz, Jacqueline Veuve, Freddie Wong, 21st Fribourg International Film Festival
official website | trailer | another trailer
February 25, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Song of the Stork
Vu Khuc Con Co
Vietnam/Singapore, 2002, 98 minutes
Vietnamese with English Subtitles
An anecdotal, semi-documentary reflection on the Vietnam War from the point of view of some young Viet Cong conscripts, "Song of the Stork" focuses on the human rather than political element to largely engrossing effect. Recounted by former North Vietnamese army cameraman Tran Van Thuy, the film centers on new recruits who arrive at the Xuan Mai Training Camp in summer '67. Manh is a 16-year-old farmer's son who lied about his age to enlist; May, from the same village, is a more carefree type. Also in the mix is Hanoi writer Van, who marries his student girlfriend during a few days' leave, and Lam, who becomes a spy below the border. In picture's most interesting thread, Lam marries a South Vietnamese colonel's daughter but stays on to welcome the victorious northern army into Saigon in April '75 when she and her family flee to the U.S. - Variety
February 11, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Dang Bireleys and Young Gangsters
Thailand, 1977, 110 minutes
Thai with English Subtitles
High school classmates become enemies in this action film about teen gangs in 1950s Thailand. Raised by his prostitute mother, impoverished Dang rules the school. But after he’s kicked out of class, Dang, his sidekick Piak and tough classmates Lam Dum and Pu Bottle Bomb start a criminal gang, running rackets until their past conflicts escalate into brutal confrontations. Shown at the 1997 London and Vancouver Film Festivals. Nobody predicted that a director of TV commercials like Nonsee Nimitbutr would hit the jackpot in a period of economic decline, but this film – his debut movie – broke the all-time Thai box office record, taking in over 42 million USD in just five months. Critic Sananjit Bangsaphan said the film - which uncharacteristically features no teen idols or pop superstars - owes its success to quality film-making, particularly its cinematography. Undeniably, a portion of the film's success is due in part to the controversy surrounding it. Based on actual events in 1956, the characters in Dang Bierley's are portrayals of real-life people who were once familiar to the local police - Daeng Bailey, Piak Wisukasat, Pu Raberdkhuad, and others.
February 4, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Sorry, I Impregnated Your Wife
Maaf, Saya Menghamili Istri Anda
Indonesia, 2007, 115 minutes
Indonesian with English Subtitles
Dibyo is unemployed actor obsessed with becoming famous. He's always working in the movies as a bit actor, but is still waiting for his big break. He's entangled with Mira (Mulan Kwok), who reveals that she's pregnant...and who asks Dibyo to be father to her child! Dibyo immediately agrees to marry Mira, but it's not that simple. Mira's still married, albeit to a man she never sees. She asks Dibyo to convince her husband, Lamhot - a mobster (!) - to sign her divorce papers. Things get even hotter when a misunderstanding makes Lamhot force Dibyo to marry Butet (Shanty), Lamhot's sister. Who will Dibyo marry in the end: Mira or Butet!
January 28, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Royston Tan
Singapore, 2007, 115 minutes
Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese with English Subtitles
LITTLE PAPAYA and BIG PAPAYA dream of escaping the dreariness of their everyday lives and becoming stars of the glittering, flamboyant and uniquely Singaporean musical showcase known as Getai.
Starting out the sisters struggle to make a mark, but determined to succeed they appeal to the magical Goddess of Getai who grants their wish but warns them of the price. Their success binds them to obey the rules of Getai and one rule forbids them from ever loving any man.
Blessed by the Goddess, the Papaya Sisters rise to stardom, all the while battling heartbreaking personal tragedies. Meanwhile their success infuriates their bitter, unscrupulous rivals the DURIAN SISTERS who use every underhanded means at their disposal to undermine their career. When the Durian Sister's dastardly tactics fail, they throw down the gauntlet and force the Papaya Sisters to accept a challenge, an all singing all dancing face off with the loser leaving the Getai scene for good.
Singapore's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 2008 Academy Awards and a local, record breaking box office sensation, 881 is a magical, heart wrenching, singing and dancing extravaganza from director Royston Tan, the winner of over fifty international and local awards and hotly touted as one of Asia's most promising breakout talents. - Arc Light Films
January 21, 6:30 p.m. - Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Mike De Leon, Shoji Kokami, Slamet Rahardjo, Cherd Songsri
Indonesia, Japan, Philippines and Thailand, 1992, 112 minutes
Indonesian, Japanese, Filipino and Thai with English Subtitles
A remarkable omnibus film produced by the Japan Foundation, Southern Winds features four films from four different countries. Directors Slamet Djarot (Indonesia), Mike de Leon (Philippines), Cherd Songsri (Thailand) and Shoji Kokami (Japan) offer visions of railroads and cities, video screens and garbage, high-rises and banyan trees, hot tea and salarymen. Bringing them together, they present portraits of their homelands as well of that of contemporary Asia. In Mirage, a young Indonesian woman is disillusioned by urban life; Aliwan Paradise is a black comedy about establishing a Ministry of Entertainment in Manila; a Bangkok business executive visits his birthplace in Tree of Life; and in Tokyo Game a Japanese retiree becomes obsessed with a video game. Co-sponsored by the Center for Japanese Studies!
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