SeaShorts 2019 Debuts In Malacca on 25 to 29 September4 min read
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SeaShorts Film Festival is set to debut in Malacca this 25th to 29th September. Now in its third edition, the annual affair will host a fresh line-up of works from emerging and established directorial talents in Southeast Asia and beyond for a celebration of short film.
An initiative of Next New Wave, visitors can expect a week long 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, while Indonesian cinema stalwart Garin Nugroho presides over the judging of the Next New Wave Award, which would be 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 places in the Finas Film Incubator Programme.
The Festival will be bookended by two omnibus films. Curtain-raiser Ten Years Thailand features four directors—Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Aditya Assarat, WisitSasanatieng, 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.
Pricing information for festival passes can be found here.
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.
