QUEZON CITY (PIA) — Celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Southeast Asia’s myths, legends, and folklore, the Tingin Southeast Asian Film Festival, a flagship project of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), returns this year with an interesting roster of award-winning films.
Tingin (view or look in English) is supported by the NCCA’s Culture and Diplomacy program. It is the Philippines’ longest-running and sole film festival focused on Southeast Asian cinema. The 7th edition, entitled “Enchantments for a Fragile World,” will take place August 17-18, 2024, at the Red Carpet of Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City. The festival will offer six full-length movies and four short films, as part of its goal of strengthening cultural ties between Filipinos and their Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) neighbors.
The festival theme is inspired by the region’s myths and tales, which are viewed as sources of wisdom and guidance for today’s economic, social, and environmental challenges.
“Filmmakers have time and again drawn from the rich wellspring of folklore, to revisit old paradigms, to use it as a foil to new but harmful lifeways, or to serve as anchor for a society battered by scientism. Some of Southeast Asia’s auteurs have built their most important work around the enduring tales and expositions of indigenous cultures still given to mystery,” says Tingin festival director Maya Quirino.
Enjoy these films for FREE from August 17 to 18, 2024:
- The Long Walk (Laos) by Mattie Do
In The Long Walk, an old hermit discovers that the ghost of a road accident victim can transport him back in time fifty years to the moment of his mother’s painful death.
Mattie Do, Laos’ first and only female filmmaker, debuted her film in the Giornate degli Autori section at the 76th Venice International Film Festival before showing it in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the Toronto Film Festival.
- In My Mother’s Skin (Philippines) by Kenneth Dagatan
Set in the Philippines during World War II, the movie follows a young girl who finds that her duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy.
The film made its debut at the Sundance International Film Festival. The closing program will include a talkback with the cast and crew of In My Mother’s Skin, featuring producers Bianca Balbuena and Bradley Liew, as well as director Dagatan.
- Dreaming and Dying (Singapore) by Nelson Yeo
Three middle-aged friends reunite for the first time in years. Each of them sets out to confess unexpressed feelings but their vacation takes a surprising turn when the undercurrent of their past lives threatens to resurface.
Dreaming and Dying received the Pardo d’oro for Best Feature Film in the Cineasti del Presente Competition at the Locarno Film Festival.
- Once Upon a Time There Was a Mom (Myanmar) by Lin Htet Aung
On the day after a mother’s death, the character of the father transforms back into his teenage self, becoming the same age as his son in the movie.
Lin Htet Aung, the film’s director, won the Best Screenplay award at the Singapore International Film Festival, as well as the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
- Memoryland (Vietnam) by Kim Quy Bui
The film revolves around three characters: A woman whose son does not want to carry out her burial wishes after her death; the widow of a young construction worker who brings his ashes to the village of his ancestors; and a painter who loses a love only met late in life. The connections between the fates of these characters, whose stories abruptly succeed one another, only become clear over time.
At the core of Memoryland are episodically connected stories about death and the rituals that follow the end of life. The film has been shown at international festivals in Berlin, Busan, Hong Kong, and Moscow.
- Snow in Midsummer (Malaysia) by Chong Keat Aun
Ah Eng seeks refuge in an opera troupe amid Malaysia’s deadly racial riots in 1969. 49 years later, she confronts the dramatic loss that has come to define her life.
The film made its debut at the prestigious Venice Film Festival.
- Golden Dragon (Cambodia) by Boren Chhith
When Vicheka wakes up in a hospital in the coastal town of Sihanoukville, he tries to piece together the reason for his visit. Overwhelmed by his dreams, memories, and the rapidly urbanizing landscape of his birthplace, a conversation with a local nurse helps him to begin navigating this pivotal moment in his life.
Golden Dragon premiered at both the Rotterdam and Singapore International Film Festivals.
- Worship (Thailand) by Uruphong Raksasad
The documentary offers a profound and immersive look into the influence of faith and its impact on people’s lives. It takes you on a journey, covering every corner of the globe, and immerses you in the scent of incense as it explores diverse rituals. The film delves into Buddhist ceremonies, animist traditions, shamanistic practices, flagellant processions, and the unique blessing ceremonies of guru monks. It investigates the fine line between true devotion and superstition, transcendence and decadence.
- Of Other Tomorrows Never Known (Indonesia) by Natasha Tontey
Guided by Minahasa’s influence, this speculative fiction of mystical belief interlaces care and ancestral dialogues, embracing a healing renewal across numinous, material, and technological realms.
The film premiered at the renowned Karlovy Vary Film Festival and the Singapore International Film Festival and is now making its debut in the Philippines.
- Part of Me (Brunei) by Hazrul Aizan
Follow the journey of an aspiring singer torn between chasing his dreams and meeting his family’s expectations for a stable career. (GLDG/PIA-NCR)
