SeaShorts 2019 comes to Malacca on 25–29 September

Third edition of Southeast Asian short film festival makes state debut

Kuala Lumpur, 17 July – SeaShorts Film Festival is set to debut in Malacca this 25th to 29th September. Now in its third edition, the annual affair will host as usual a fresh line-up of works from emerging and established directorial talents in Southeast Asia and beyond for a celebration of short film.

The annual film festival now in its third year will feature emerging and renowned talents in South-east Asia in celebration of short films. — Picture courtesy of Next New Wave

An initiative of Next New Wave, visitors can expect a weeklong series of film screenings, forums, masterclasses, and other activities associated with movie production. SeaShorts’ diversity is evident in S-Express, a presentation of guest programmes specially curated to showcase the many local filmmaking scenes of the region. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia are the ten countries in the spotlight.

The Festival will also once again see directors vying for glory in two competition categories. Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner, Lav Diaz of the Philippines, heads the jury for the SeaShorts Award, which recognises Southeast Asian short films. Indonesian cinema stalwart Garin Nugroho meanwhile presides over the judging of the Next New Wave Award, given to the best Malaysian short film.

352 submissions were received this year with the announcement of results to be made on 1st August. Participants are in the running for a slew of prizes including Aputure lighting equipment, Zoom field recorders, as well as Deity Microphones. The three best entries to the Next New Wave Award will additionally earn their helmers places in the Finas Film Incubator Programme.

‘Halal’ by Liew Seng Tat is one of the films featured in ‘15Malaysia’ which will close the film festival. — Picture courtesy of Next New Wave

The Festival will be bookended by two omnibus films. Curtain-raiser Ten Years Thailand features four directors—Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, and Chulayarnnon Siriphol—providing silver screen interpretations of their homeland’s future a decade from now.

Closing film 15Malaysia comprises 15 productions themed around taboo issues in the country, such as racism, paedophilia, and corruption. With a star-studded cast of celebrities and politicians in principal acting roles, the anthology was a massive success upon online release in 2009 and heralded a rise in viral political filmmaking that culminated with the electoral revolution of 2018.

For attendees looking to participate rather than just spectate, they can learn the tricks of the animation trade at a two-day workshop by Rox Lee. Widely considered an elder statesman of the film industry in his native Philippines, he will impart his signature DIY style seen throughout his half-century oeuvre.

“SeaShorts represents an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to unite in their love of cinema and short films,”
said Festival founder and director Tan Chui Mui.

“From individuals directly involved in the filmmaking process to enthusiasts and audiences, it allows them to gather in enjoyment of never-before-seen releases, engage in discussion, and hopefully spark collaboration.”

The event is made possible with the support of National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), The Japan Foundation Asia Center, Purin Pictures, Aputure Imaging Industries, Deity Microphones, Zoom Corporation, Epson Singapore, CK Music, and Sinema Media. More than RM10,000 has been collected through a fundraising campaign to help filmmakers attend the Festival.

Full details of the 2019 programme will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Festival pass information is available at seashorts2019.peatix.com. For more information, visit nextnewwave.com.my.

– END –

2019 PROGRAMME

Opening Film: Ten Years Thailand
Four Thai filmmakers envisage their country a decade onwards in this second instalment of the Ten Years project, following the first Hong Kong-based anthology in 2015. Aditya Assarat, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, and Wisit Sasanatieng offer their takes on a country that has seen authoritarian restraint on creative freedom and political dissent since the military coup of 2014.

SeaShorts Award
Competitive category of 20 shortlisted entries from across Southeast Asia. Jury comprises Lav Diaz (Philippines), Bront Palarae (Malaysia), and a yet-to-be-announced judge.

Next New Wave Award
Competitive category of 10 shortlisted entries from Malaysian filmmakers. Jury is headed by Garin Nugroho (Indonesia).

S-Express
Curated collections of short films from across Southeast Asia. Featuring works from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

RetrRox Malacca Experimental Animation Workshop
Philippine auteur Rox Lee takes participants through the process of translating handmade techniques into moving images. Having first made his name with popular comic strip Cesar Asar, he has become known as a local pioneer of independent cinema through his avant-garde pieces.

Closing Film: 15Malaysia
Local filmmakers join hands with unlikely collaborators from across the political spectrum for works of commentary on the country’s sensitive subject matters. Ho Yuhang, Yasmin Ahmad, Amir Muhammad, Linus Chung, Liew Seng Tat, Desmond Ng, Kamal Sabran, Tan Chui Mui, Woo Ming Jin, James Lee, Benji & Bahir, Johan John, Khairil Bahar, Nam Ron, and the Suleiman Brothers all contribute segments to this omnibus.

About SeaShorts Film Festival

SeaShorts is an annual celebration of Southeast Asian short film 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).

fb.com/seashortsmy

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. nextnewwave.com.my | fb.com/nextnewwave

For media inquiries, kindly contact:
Tristan Toh
Publicity Manager
SeaShorts Film Festival 2019
T: 012 719 2021
E: tristantsk@gmail.com

SOURCE: PRNEWS.GOINTERNATIONALGROUP.COM