Outreach
The jewel in the Center's crown for the academic year 2006-07 was undoubtedly the initiation of an ambitious subtitling project for Southeast Asian film, which was conceived during our weekly screenings of Southeast Asian films on campus. The workshop was held last summer, and the special class conducted by John McGlynn (who came from Jakarta). In the first stages of this project we see the distribution of these films to universities and colleges as an important addition to the teaching of Southeast Asian languages and societies. We envisage, for example, students and teachers becoming engaged in electronically-conveyed conversations about alternative translations or the cultural significance of a particular scene and so forth.
A second aspect of this project was in terms of outreach, for by making new films available we hope to literally “reach out” to the community and attract individuals who may not otherwise have any knowledge or interest in Southeast Asia. In this context, a highlight was the screening of more than a dozen films from Southeast Asia at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) in October 2006. Supported by its NRC funding, the Center was able to bring in ten directors, producers and actors, and through arrangements with the festival, to host panel discussions after the film showings. Several SEA films won prizes, the most notable being the festival’s Golden Orchid for Best Feature, which went to Berbagi Suami (Love for Share), from Indonesia. Director Nia Dinata and actress Jajang C. Noer were our guests. Another significant film was Gubra (Anxiety), from Malaysia, written and directed by Yasmin Ahmad. Producer Elyna Shukri and actress Sharifah Amani attended the festival, and last April the Center organized a retrospective of all of Ahmad’s films at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. We were honored that Ahmad herself found time in her busy schedule to come to this retrospective, and the large audiences who attended very much appreciated her gracious and open responses to their questions.
Blogs, and the Future
In the 2007-08 academic year, we look to expand our outreach activities in film and subtitling. The Center will co-present a seminar on Contemporary Vietnamese Cinema at the 2007 edition of HIFF. Further, we continue to screen films and hold brown bag lunches and the Center's travelling photographic exhibition on Muslim Asia will continue to tour schools in Hawaii. We will soon launch a series of blogs and calendars for all of our outreach activities for the convenience of the public. Check back soon for more information.