SeaShorts 2019’s Exciting Line-up Of Programmes To Look Out For8 min read
Reading Time: 6 minutesThe 3rd edition of the SeaShorts Film Festival, taking place in Malacca from 25th to 29th September, boasts not only a fresh line-up of films from talented directors across Southeast Asia, but also a series of exciting programmes that will take place during the festival itself!
MASTERCLASSES
Directing Masterclass by Garin Nugroho: Making Films Is Like Growing A Plant
For aspiring directors, the Directing Masterclass presented by Garin Nugroho, a prominent Indonesian filmmaker who was at the forefront of the liberation from New Order era industry regulations, might just be your thing!
With a portfolio that encompasses 19 feature films, 30 docu-series, five documentaries and three short films, Garin is a seasoned filmmaker that has expertise in various forms of productions. If you want to learn more about the nitty gritty of filmmaking in various landscapes, Garin Nugroho’s masterclass may give you the nudge in the right direction.
Acting Masterclass by Fatimah Abu Bakar: An Actor Prepares
Fatimah Abu Bakar is an established actor and acting coach. Culled from her experiences in theatre, television and film, she aims to lead participants through the process of discovering, developing, and living various roles.
This one is not only for budding actors, but is also open to directors! Through learning about acting from the actor’s perspective, directors will learn how to better engage with their actors in their future cinematic endeavours.
Editing Masterclass by Lee Chatametikool: Revised Final FINAL Final Version Revised
Known for being Apitchapong’s (Blissfully Yours, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) editor, Lee has worked on various films with various filmmakers, both budding and established. In 2007, he won the Best Editor award for Syndromes and a Century at the inaugural Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, and in 2010, he won Best Editor for the second time from the Asian Film Awards for his work on Malaysian director Chris Chong’s Karaoke.
The list of films under his repertoire include Apprentice, Manta Ray, and Ten Years Thailand. Through this masterclass, Lee will shed light on how a film is shaped during the post-production process, by using his experiences as a film editor.
Learn more about these masterclasses here.
FILM INSTALLATION
Night Bell Film Installation
Curated by Gertjan Zuilhof, this Night Bells installation is composed of the works by three participants. Aimed to encapsulate atmosphere of historical Malacca and the festival as a whole, this exhibition is joined efforts of Lav Diaz (Philippines), Sherman Ong (Malaysia) and Shireen Seno (Philippines).
Lav Diaz is a renowned filmmaker in Asia, with ten years of experience in the industry that has culminated in a series of works which include Batang West Side and Norte, the End of History. He is also a rock musician.
Sherman Ong is a award-winning photographer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He is the winner of the Prudential Eye Awards for Photography in 2015, and the ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu Photography Award in 2010.
Shireen Seno is an artist and filmmaker. She is a 2018 recipient of the Thirteen Artists Awards from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and her award-winning film, Nervous Translation, was screened at MoMA for New Directors/New Films and at the Tate Modern as part of their Artists’ Cinema programme.
Learn more about the film installation here.
FILM FORUMS
Night Bells: A Panel Discussion of the Film Installation
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.
Creating Dossiers for International Applicants
Applying to international labs, project markets, or film funds can be a daunting task, especially for young filmmakers from Southeast Asia without prior overseas experience.
In this forum, SEAFIC Lab Manager Komtouch “Dew” Napattaloong will provide a walkthrough for each of the standard requirements of international submission, as well as tips for increasing the success rate.
Joining the talk will be the director of the short film Dossier of The Dossier and SEAFIC 2nd edition alumni Sorayos Prapapan. He will share his experiences with SEAFIC.
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?
Moderated by Prof. Khoo Gaik Cheng, who has organised the Association for Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference since its inception in 2004, the panelists for this forum includes Ho Hock Doong, director of content for Southeast Asian in MUBI; Bront Palarae, distinguished Malaysian actor; and Chia Yee Wei, award-winning Singaporean film director, writer, producer, and founder of Mocha Chai Laboratories and A Little Seed — an authorised Apple iTunes aggregator.
What is the Future of Southeast 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.
Moderated by Singaporean independent filmmaker Ghazi Alqudcy, this forum’s panelists include Vietnamese-based filmmaker and programmer Marcus Mạnh Cường Vũ, co-director of Laos Vientianale International Film Festival Helene Ouvrard, Filipino film writer Francis Oggs Cruz, and independent film producer from Myanmar Thaid Dh.
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.
The moderator of this forum is Megan Wonowidjoyo from Singapore, who is currently Head of the Foundation programme at Multimedia University‘s Faculty of Cinematic Arts. The panelist members include: Malaysian actor and director Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri; Deputy Director at the Singapore Film Commission, a division under the Infocomm Media Development Authority – IMDA, Cynthia Chong; and Chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Mary Liza Diño.
Learn more about the film forums here.
WORKSHOPS
RetrRox Malacca Experimentation Animation Workshop by Rox Lee
Learn the tricks of the animation trade as Rox Lee takes participants through the process of translating hand-drawn artworks into moving images. Held over two mornings, the workshop will see the elder statesman of the Philippine film industry share insights and techniques from more than a half-century’s experience. All workshop materials and tools will be provided.
Rox Lee is an animator, director, cartoonist, painter, and all-around rock star of Philippine cinema. Known for cult-favourite comic strip Cesar Asar, his early works were done in Super 8mm film. His works, The Great Smoke and Juan Gapang are now considered classics of the independent film movement of the 1980s.
Learn more about the workshop here.
Here is a condensed list of the programme line-up:
25 to 29 Sept:
Night Bells Film Installation
26 Sept:
Directing Masterclass by Garin Nugroho: Making Films is Like Growing a Plant
RetrRox Malacca Experimental Animation Workshop by Rox Lee
27 Sept:
Acting Masterclass by Fatimah Abu Bakar: An Actor Prepares
Night Bells: A Panel Discussion of the Film Installation
RetrRox Malacca Experimental Animation Workshop by Rox Lee
28 Sept:
Editing Masterclass by Lee Chatametikool: Revised Final FINAL Final Version Revised
Creating Dossiers for International Applications
New Platform for Film Distribution
29 Sept:
What is the Future of South East Asian Cinema?
What is the Role of Government Policy in the Film Industry?
About SeaShorts Film Festival:
SeaShorts is an annual celebration of Southeast Asian short films featuring film screenings, forums, workshops, exhibitions, and music performances by filmmakers. The event is inspired by S-Express in Southeast Asia, an exchange of short films started in the early 2000s by Yuni Hadi (Singapore), Chalida Umburungjit (Thailand), and Amir Muhammad (Malaysia).
2017 saw the inaugural edition of the Festival held in Kuala Lumpur. 118 short films were screened over four days at three cafes within the Jalan Panggung area. SeaShorts took place in Georgetown, Penang, the following year, screening 148 short films in five days. Among the names that have been members of the competition jury include Rithy Panh (Cambodia), Philip Cheah (Singapore), Pimpaka Towira (Thailand), Mira Lesmana (Indonesia), and Sharifah Amani (Malaysia).
Learn more about them on their Facebook page.
About Next New Wave:
Next New Wave is an initiative founded in 2015 to focus on nurturing young and emerging filmmakers in Malaysia. The name Next New Wave was a play on the previously groundbreaking but short-lived Malaysian New Wave which made its appearance in 2005, when Malaysian independent films were travelling to film festivals all over the world, thus paving a new path for alternative cinema in Malaysia.
A new generation of filmmakers are beginning to find their own way with new technology and platforms, exploring new ways of filmmaking. Next New Wave is determined to help cultivate in these emerging storytellers the spirit for experimentation and perspective.
Learn more about them on the website and their Facebook page.
