NEWS: SeaShorts 2019 Announces Opening Film ‘Ten Years Thailand’1 min read

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SeaShorts is a film festival dedicated to Southeast Asian short films with a programme line-up that includes filmmaking workshops, exhibitions and music performances.

This year, the 5-day event takes place in Malacca from 25-29 September. Kicking off the festival is the screening of Ten Years Thailand (2018) an anthology of shorts contributed by four Thai directors – Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng and Chulayarnnon Siriphol.

Aditya Assarat’s Sunset deals with censorship – several soldiers conduct a check on exhibitions around town to make sure there are no images that may spark conflict and misunderstanding.

Wisit Sasanatieng’s Catopia envisions a world in which cats have taken over – they walk, dress act and talk just like humans. Only one man is left in this world and he has to blend in as much as possible with the felines but is faced with unforeseeable risks put forth by a public lynching.

Chulayarnnon Siriphol’s Planetarium sees a society highly controlled by a ruler who watches over citizens via state-of-the-art surveillance systems. The New Youth are also state-trained to pick out dissidents and send them to the Ministry of VHS for a special light treatment.

Apitchapong Weerasethakul’s Song of The City is shot in Rathchadanussorn park in Khon Kaen where leisure activities take place around the statue of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat who had staged a coup to become Thailand’s Prime Minister.

Clearly, these films are underscored with commentaries on Thailand’s current political situation. Since 2014, the country has been ruled by a military dictatorship and these films explore the dangers that this entails for the country’s future.

Watch the SeaShort 2019 Programme page for updates.

Early bird tickets to the film screenings and/or other parts of the festival are now available here.