Following its successful run in 2011, the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is proud to present the second Southeast Asian Film Festival. The Festival is one of the largest dedicated offering of Southeast Asian films, showcasing 20 challenging works by filmmakers from the region, 19 of which are Singapore premieres. This year’s Festival will see the inclusion of Myanmar for the first time, alongside films from Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, amongst others.
Organised by SAM, the Southeast Asian Film Festival 2012 is curated together with prominent film curator and critic Philip Cheah as well as veteran arts administrator Teo Swee Leng. Featuring Southeast Asian films produced within the last two years (18 created in 2011, two in 2010), the Festival is a timely showcase of the new wave of Southeast Asian cinema. The selection of films reflect and bring to the forefront a range of pertinent issues facing the region through the medium of the moving image. Many of the 20 films are also being shown outside their home country for the first time.
Baby Factory (Bahay Bata) by Eduardo W Roy, Jr (Philippines)
As part of the museum’s aim to bring artists and audiences together, the Festival will offer the public greater insight into the art of filmmaking and the Southeast Asian wave. A Directors’ Panel on 3rd March will bring together directors Adolfo Borinaga Alix, Jr. (Philippines), Clodualdo Del Mundo, Jr. (Philippines), Kongdej Jaturanrasamee (Thailand) as well as actor Sunny Pang (Singapore) and curator Philip Cheah to discuss their views on Southeast Asian cinema. The Festival will also feature 12 post-screening discussions with directors, producers and actors. Both the Directors’ Panel and post-screening discussions are free for Festival ticket holders.
The Collector by James Lee (Malaysia) featuring Singapore's Sunny Pang
In line with SAM’s efforts to provide an avenue for the works of local film makers to be presented to a wider audience, this year’s Festival includes four Singapore films. Besides Jeevan Nathan’s short film The Legend of the Impacts and Water Hands by Serbian-born, Singapore-based director Vladimir Todorovic, Eric Khoo’s animated feature film Tatsumi, which debuted at Cannes and is Singapore’s official entry for the 2012 Academy Awards, will also form part of the local offerings for this year’s edition of the Festival. Joining the Singapore entourage are young directors Jeremy Boo and Lee Xian Jie, whose compelling documentary Before We Forget examines the under-discussed topic of dementia and the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Tatsumi by Eric Khoo
The Southeast Asian Film Festival will run from 2 to 31 March 2012 at the Moving Image Gallery at SAM at 8Q. In addition to free admission to the Director’s Panel and the relevant post-screening discussions, film festival ticket holders will also enjoy one-time free admission to SAM in the month of March. For more information and the full film schedule, please visit www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/seaff.
Trailer of the opening film, Fable of the Fish, by Adolfo Borinaga Alix, Jr (Philippines)