Southeast Asia is a treasure trove of enchanting tales, woven into the fabric of its rich cultural tapestry. Passed down through generations, these stories have shaped the region’s soul, offering wisdom, inspiration, and a touch of magic. From mythical creatures to legendary heroes, folklore has been a guiding light, illuminating the human experience.
This ASEAN Month, Shangri-La Plaza invites you on a cinematic journey through Southeast Asia’s heart and soul. The 7th , happening on August 17 and 18 at the Red Carpet Cinema,
Tingin Southeast Asian Film Festival, a flagship project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), is the Philippines’ premier film festival dedicated to showcasing the cinematic artistry of Southeast Asia. On its 7th edition, slated this August 17 and 18 at the Red Carpet Cinema, it will showcase celebrated masterpieces that delve into the theme “Enchantments for a Fragile World.”
The festival kicks off with The Long Walk, a boundary-pushing film by Laos’ pioneering female director, Mattie Do. Released in 2019, this haunting exploration of grief, guilt, and responsibility follows a solitary hermit who discovers a supernatural ability to revisit his mother’s tragic demise.
Self-taught filmmaker Lin Htet Aung from Myanmar captivates with the 2023 experimental black-and-white short feature Once Upon a Time, There Was a Mom that tells the story of a man’s transformation after his wife’s death, reflecting Myanmar’s complex past and paralleling the classic Buddhist tale Vessantara Jātaka.
Continuing the exploration of grief is the 2021 Kim Quy Bui film Memoryland, which showcases Vietnamese death rituals and the slowly intersecting stories of a grieving son, young construction worker’s widow, and a widowed painter.
The region’s rich mythic traditions collide with poignant drama depicting current and historic events. In Cambodian director Boren Chhith’s 2023 debut short feature Golden Dragon, an injured man wakes up in a hospital quickly overwhelmed by the returning rush of his dreams and memories, haunted by both national and past traumas.
Meanwhile, Snow in Midsummer, the 2023 historical drama by renowned Malaysian director Chong Keat Aun, follows a young woman who seeks refuge in an opera troupe during Malaysia’s deadly racial riots in 1969 and, 49 years later, confronts the loss that shaped her life.
Southeast Asian rituals are spotlighted in the 2021 Thai documentary Worship by Uruphong Raksasad, which offers an immersion into the ritualized power of faith and its profound impact on people’s lives.
Indonesian filmmaker Natasha Tontey also delves into the realm of ancestral rituals in her speculative 2023 short, Of Other Tomorrows Never Known. This 15-minute film weaves together mysticism, heartfelt emotion, and intergenerational dialogue, creating a captivating exploration of spiritual beliefs.
Themes of friends and family remain strong with Singapore’s Dreaming and Dying. The 2023 experimental fantasy drama by Nelson Yeo features three middle-aged friends meeting for the first time in years, only for things to take a turn when long-repressed emotions, desires, and memories begin to surface.
Brunei’s Part of Me (2022), directed by Hazrul Aizan, explores the complexities of family and personal ambition. The film follows an aspiring singer torn between pursuing his musical dreams and meeting his family’s expectations for a secure career.
Tingin concludes with the Philippines’ In My Mother’s Skin. Directed by Kenneth Dagatan and starring Beauty Gonzalez, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and Felicity Kyle Napuli, this 2023 psychological horror film is set during the dying days of World War II. In a set-up sure to have audiences gripping the edge of their seats, the film tells the story of a young girl whose duty to protect her mom is jeopardized by her growing bond with an alluring, flesh-eating fairy.
Experience the enchanting tales of Southeast Asian folklore in contemporary cinematic contexts, catch the 7th Tingin Southeast Asian Film Festival on August 17 and 18 at the Shangri-La Plaza.
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