7^th Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference

THE POLITICS, PRACTICES, AND POETICS OF THE ARCHIVE

 SINGAPORE

19 – 22 JUNE, 2012

Eight years since the first Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference which heralded the resurgence of cinematic new waves in the region, we turn our eyes to the state of film archiving and the relationship between cinema and the archives. Filipino film critic Alexis Tioseco’s 2009 open letter to the Film Development Council of the Philippines mentions current holdings stored in ‘deplorable conditions’. In his letter, Tioseco praises the National Film Archive of Thailand for its work in doing so much with so little. In Indonesia, the Sinematek Indonesia which was established in the early 1970s has also seen cuts that make the archive a shadow of its former glory. It is only in Singapore that a young Asian Film Archive (est. 2005) has taken root.

The 7^th Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference (2012) emphasizes the politics, practices, and poetics of the archive. How does one define an archive? And who can be said to do archival work? Might DVD pirates, private collectors, cinephiles, film bloggers and film societies be considered film archivists of a sort when governments do not or no longer perceive the need to fund national film archives? If so, how does this change the public nature of an archive, and what implications does it have on the production of knowledge? What might film curators take into consideration when they select and preserve films for the archive? What are the social, political, aesthetic, and scholarly roles of the archive? How does the archive negotiate issues of power and accessibility?  What is the role of the archive in the digital age of new media?

At the same time, in interrogating the relationship between film and the archive, might film itself as a socio-cultural text not be regarded as an archive and as a necessary site to re-think temporalities and the reasons for nostalgia? As Derrida reminds us, “The question of the archive is not a question of the past” but rather “a question of the future itself.” Where does the archive lie in creating, defining, and constructing cultural memory or cultural heritage? This conference then invites papers that comment not only on the nature of what an archive is and the role it plays in South East Asia, but also how films and film archives ask us to think about the timeliness of cultural work.

Each year, the conference has included film practitioners in recognition of the crucial role they have played in increasing film education and discourse in the region. We have previously provided space for independent filmmakers and screenings of their works, focused on curriculum development, and highlighting alternative cultures of cinema. This year, the conference seeks to include workshops that bring together film archivists from within the region.

We invite panels that address this theme, particularly questions concerning:

• Film Archival Materials as Intertexts
• Comparative Studies of Archives or Case Studies of Specific Archives
• Role of the Academic / Film Critic / Filmmaker in Relation to the Archive
• Technology / New Media
• Production of Temporalities and Spatialities
• Politics of Taste
• Preservation and Dissemination
• Archival Research Methods
• Intellectual Property
• The Relationship between Southeast Asian Archives and the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF)
• Historiography
• Scholarly Accessibility
• Subtitling and the Archive
• Film Policy and the Archive
• The State and the Archive
• Short Films and the Archive

We also welcome submissions for the open call. Please check our website archives and conference programs for past paper topics as we are less likely to accept topics that have been covered before:  http://seaconference.wordpress.com/conference-program/

Abstract Submission Deadline: Nov 30, 2011

Please send an abstract (max. 500 words) and short bio (max. 100 words) to: Sophia Siddique Harvey (soharvey@vassar.edu), Khoo Gaik Cheng (gaik.khoo@gmail.com) and Jasmine Nadua Trice (jntrice@gmail.com). We are currently attempting to get funding for travel subsidies and accommodations but cannot offer any as of yet.

The 6th Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference was held in Ho Chi Minh City. Due to the amount of work and energy it takes to organise these gatherings (mostly done by a group of dedicated volunteers spread throughout the globe), we decided after Manila 2008 that we would hold our conferences bi-annually instead. As a result, and perhaps also because of growing interest in the field, we received over 80 abstract submissions for this year’s conference. In order to accommodate as many quality papers, the conference was spread out over 4 full days, sprinkled with short film screenings and one feature-length film and two panels with film producers and directors.

The conference went smoothly and was by many accounts, a huge success. We had about 118 people in attendance. Many participants appreciated the intimate and informal nature of the conference: since there were no concurrent sessions, the panels were well-attended and fostered an atmosphere of collegiality and closeness. The proximity of the accommodations to the conference venue also helped ensure relatively high attendance in the morning sessions—though the late night World Cup matches were probably our biggest competitor.  Although we had to relocate to another venue a month before the event, everything fell into place when we secured the alternative venue.

The conference kicked off with Adam Knee’s plenary speech on the complexities of the term and field of cinema in “Southeast Asia.” Knee outlined the problematic of the term as a historical Cold War construct for the region but at the same time also pointed out similar social themes that cinemas from the various countries in the region share: among them rural versus urban concerns, gender and sexuality, as well as the impact of political and traumatic events.  This was inevitably reflected in some of the individual papers. This year however there were no papers on cinema from Malaysia (one had been selected from the submissions but the presenter could not come), and although participants were treated to excerpts and short films from Vietnam, as well as a few papers on Vietnamese cinema, unfortunately we did not get as many local Vietnamese students attending as compared to previous years (though we had two Vietnamese academics from Hanoi attending).

Nevertheless most people came away with the knowledge that indie filmmaking here was beginning to catch up with other parts of SEA.  Marcus Manh Cuong Vu introduced us to YxineFF, the first online Short Film Festival for the Vietnamese Speaking Community, and the strong presence of Vietnamese and Vietnamese American filmmakers who are making films in Vietnam testified to a burgeoning interest. In fact, the filmmakers‘ panel which featured Sherman Ong (Malaysia), Pepe Diokno (Philippines) and filmmakers like Victor Vu, Doan Minh Phuong, Charlie Nguyen  and Nguyen Trong Khoa attracted a surprising number of local Vietnamese (including media) who showed up for this wrap up session.

For me as organiser and someone who had only missed one conference (Manila), it was good to see interesting papers that focused on the history of cinema in the region (as part of circuses, as Nadi Tofighian’s paper shows), film aesthetics (Philippa Lovatt’s paper on the work of Apichatpong Weeresethakul—fresh from his win for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives in Cannes) and a serious study of Filipino indie filmmaker Raya Martin’s works in relation to history. This year’s focus on theory and practice saw the use of theoretical concepts like the Parergon (Teh) and Derrida’s specter (Manzanilla) and from Christian theology (Zulueta). Brett Farmer’s paper introduced the concept of “vernacular queerness” in Thai cinema which might easily be applied to cinema in the Philippines too. In future, however, we would like to have conversational dialogue sessions on theory, nationalisms and cinema rather than straight paper presentations as we have been doing with the academic panels.

Gaik Cheng Khoo - ASEACC organising committee member

At this conference, we paid tribute to the memory of two larger than life contributors to contemporary Southeast Asian cinema who passed away in 2009: Malaysian filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad (July 2009)

and fellow ASEACC organiser and film critic Alexis Tioseco who was murdered together with his lover, another film critic Nika Bohinc in early September.

This year though, sadly, two weeks after the conference wrapped up, we lost another ASEACC organiser, film writer and lecturer Benjamin McKay, in Kuala Lumpur. He was 46. I had invited both Alexis and Benjamin to the first conference in Singapore in 2004: Alexis in 2004 had been a writer for a website indieFilipino.com  but he went on to start up Criticine.com, became a well-travelled film programmer, critic as well as film lecturer.

Benjamin, then a PhD student working on his dissertation on Malay cinema of the 1960s at Charles Darwin University(Australia),

moved to KL and lectured at Monash there. His Malaysian cinema course was packed to the brim with loyal (and I’m sure royally-entertained) students. Benjamin consistently contributed articles on Malaysian cinema.

He played a major role in organising ASEACC in KL (2006) and Alexis, in Manila (2008). Both will be sorely missed: Alexis for his passionate struggle to highlight the region’s art cinema, and Benjamin for his wit, vim for life and critical recognition that popular cinema for other reasons also merits study. We hope the affectionate dialogue between them continues in a place unencumbered by the coils of mortality.

UPDATE on 6th ASEACC Meeting at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 1-4 July, 2010

Dear participants,
We have a few changes and some information for you regarding the upcoming meeting:

Venue change

It is no longer at the IDECAF. The new venue is on the same road as the 2 A&Em Hotels:
Golden Central Hotel Saigon,
140 Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1
http://www.goldenhotelsaigon.vn/

Information about money changers:

The best exchange rate usually if you just use your bank debit card and withdraw directly from ATM machines in VN Dong.  Most exchanges in District 1 tend to be more expensive (tourists).  For safety, the best locations tend to be inside the malls, like Saigon Tax and Saigon Center.  The Highlands Cafe chain is like the Starbuck’s there.  As of Friday 18 June, the exchange rate for $100 is vnd 19,000 for a dollar.

Money changers in District 1:
Ben Thanh market (opens 10am), Le Thanh Ton and Mac Thi Buoi (opens at 7am). We recommend the money changer inside Ben Thanh.

Payment of donation for registration

We only accept cash (in US dollars) for the donation to register on the day of the event. If you have not registered already, please fill up the registration form on our website together with details of your Ho Chi Minh address/accommodations and submit to pravdavero@gmail.com Thank you.

Tourist Visas

For international guests who need visas, please apply for tourist visas.

Local contact in HCMCity

If you need any assistance when you arrive, you may contact ASEACC organisers Merv Espina at this mobile number: +84 121 225 6795 (dial 0 121 225 6795 in Vietnam) or Mariam Lam’s mobile number: +84 121 755 1198 (dial 0 121 755 1198 in Vietnam)

You can download the updated program HERE. we start at 9 am every day. Please be punctual as we have a tight schedule.

We look forward to meeting you in Ho Chi Minh City.
Thanks.
Regards,

Gaik Cheng Khoo
ASEACC organising committee member

The Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference organisers and members regret to announce the passing of one of our most well-loved and active members, Filipino-Canadian film critic, lecturer and curator, Alexis Tioseco (1981-2009) and his partner, film journalist Nika Bohinc (1979-2009), on September 1st, 2009. They were murdered by robbers in his house in Quezon City. Alexis had been part of ASEACC from the first conference in 2004, Singapore. He subsequently went on to start up one of the most respected websites on Southeast Asian Cinema, Criticine.com. He will be deeply missed for his contribution and his passion for and commitment to cinema.

Tributes to Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc:
http://www.girishshambu.com/blog/2009/09/for-nika-for-alex.html
http://www.theauteurs.com/notebook/posts/966
http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/?p=16665
http://criticafterdark.blogspot.com/2009/09/alexis-tioseco-1981-2009.html
http://www.theauteurs.com/notebook/posts/972
http://moviecitynews.com/columnists/voynar/2009/090902.html
http://www.tiff.net/blogs/post/2009/09/01/A-shocking-sad-loss-to-Filipino-and-Southeast-Asian-Cinema.aspx
http://oggsmoggs.blogspot.com/2009/09/alexis-tioseco-1981-2009.html
http://celinejulie.blogspot.com/2009/09/rest-in-peace-alexis-tioseco-and-nika.html
http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2009/09/in-memoriam-alexis-tioseco.html
http://twilightvirus.blogspot.com/2009/09/farewell-to-alexis-tioseco-and-nika.html
http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=merveillesxx&month=09-2009&date=03&group=1&gblog=192
http://www.mcnblogs.com/mcindie/archives/2009/09/for_alexis_by_a.html

Alexis’ most talked about recent essay:
http://rogue.ph/columns/entry/the_letter_i_would_love_to_read_to_you_in_person/P1/
http://alexistioseco.wordpress.com/ (Alexis’ film blog, Concentrated Nonsense)

6th ANNUAL SOUTHEAST ASIAN CINEMAS CONFERENCE

CIRCUITS OF EXCHANGE (WITH)IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN CINEMAS

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

JULY 1 – 4, 2010

In recent years, independent filmmakers from Southeast Asia, in particular from The Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia have received some support from film festivals by way of monetary awards and grants. Simultaneously there have been co-productions (Singapore’s Raintree Productions and MediaCorp for example) with film production companies outside the country, within the region, and with Hong Kong.  Diasporic filmmakers also continue to return to make films in Southeast Asia.

At other levels, individual filmmakers work across several countries within Southeast Asia or in Asia. While film practitioners have been more active on such circuits of exchange, the same cannot be said for film theoreticians in the region. Film theory in Southeast Asia seems haphazard and is applied on an ad hoc basis since its foundations in other bodies of knowledge (continental philosophy, for example) may sometimes provide inadequate ways of framing and theorizing films from Southeast Asia.

This conference therefore sets out to explore the different ways in which filmmakers and film theorists have worked and can work within and beyond the limits of the region: as a product of colonialism and the Cold War, as nodes on a global network linked to economic, cultural, media and socio-cultural structures and flows, as equal and unequal partners in forging an identity that is both universal and particular.

We invite panels on Circuits of Exchange (with)in Southeast Asian Cinemas particularly questions concerning:

• Film Theory or Film Aesthetics in the Southeast Asian Context:  Modified Possibilities, Indigenous Alternatives:

What theoretical frameworks can we deploy when discussing SEA cinema? Are existing ones, mostly developed from places other than SEA, sufficient for discussing the work produced in SEA? Is there a need to develop new theories? If so, what are the challenges that arise in developing a theory specific to discussing SEA cinema? What is its place in film theory and what place does film theory have in SEA today?

• The Politics of Representation and Naming / Southeast Asian Cinema:

Despite Southeast Asia as a region being a product of colonialism and the Cold War, the term continues to perpetuate certain colonial and imperial logics and power relations. Would it make more sense to think of individual SEAsian connections to other Asian countries and cultures (such as China, India, Japan or even the Middle East)? Why or why not? When we talk about “indigenous SEA” film theories, will that homogenize the field of SEA cinema?

• Theorizing SEAsia Through Transnational Discourses:

Globalization theory, film festival circuits, actor-network theory, co-productions and diasporic filmmaking in Southeast Asia.

• Historical Connections:

Examples include Filipino and Indian directors working in the studio system in Malaya during the 1950s and 1960s; the role of Indian/Chinese film producers in the early cinema histories of Indonesia, Malaysia/Singapore, Thailand, Burma, etc.; the impact of Indonesian films in Malaysia during the 1970s, etc.

• Religion and Censorship:

In recent years, films that are deemed to be disrespectful of the religion of specific countries have either been censored or banned: in Thailand, Apichatpong Weeresethakul’s Syndromes and a Century (for portraying monks playing with airplanes), Yasmin Ahmad’s Muallaf (2008) in Malaysia, and in Indonesia, Muslim clerics had a role to play in the withdrawal of films such as Kiss Me Quick (Buruan Cium Gue 2004). What are the repercussions and effects of such censorship regimes on civil society and filmmaking communities? How are films and film production reflective of social and political transformations (for example desecularisation) in these countries?

• Complicating Genres:

Asian horror, film noir, melodrama, action, the teen flick, subgenres, Islamic film, `importance of education’ subgenre of  children’s films, historical/costume drama, cult status films, political documentary, etc.

• New Media and its Impact on SEAsian Film:

Blogosphere (film bloggers), Youtube, the Internet in general.

• Additional Panel Topics:

Intertextuality, Folklore, Gender & Sexuality

We also welcome submissions for the open call.

Abstract Submission Deadline: October 30th, 2009

Please send an abstract and short bio (max. 500 words) to:

• gaikcheng.khoo@anu.edu.au,
• sophfeline@earthlink.net,
• cvanheeren@yahoo.com

We are currently attempting to get funding for travel subsidies and accommodations but cannot offer any as yet.

Posted in Uncategorized ]]> http://seaconference.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/103/feed/ 0 seaconference http://seaconference.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/states-of-independence/ http://seaconference.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/states-of-independence/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:03:09 +0000 seaconference http://seaconference.wordpress.com/?p=94 Continue reading »]]>  

5th Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference (ASEACC)

STATES OF INDEPENDENCE

The first decade of the 2000s has seen a stunning upsurge of independent cinema in a number of Southeast Asian countries. This development has been one of the motivations of the Annual Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference (ASEACC), and this year we want to focus completely on the issue of identity. We invite contributions that address the somewhat contentious notion of “independent cinema” from different theoretical and methodological angles. The concept of “independent cinema” means something very different in the emerging countries of Southeast Asia than in the US or Western Europe, and we want to tease out some of the particular qualities of independent cinema in the region.

We want to ask what “independence” means in countries, where the commercial film industry is slowly bleeding to death, but where the distribution is often dominated by commercial chains that are rather disinclined to show independent films. We are interested in papers about the situation of independent distribution channels, be it

“microcinemas” in galleries, socio-cultural centers or people’s living rooms, or on the Internet. We are looking for contributions that address the specific aesthetics of independent films from the region. In particular, we encourage papers that study the work of individual independent filmmakers or analyse specific indie films. Finally, we will focus on the situation in this year’s host country, the Philippines. As is our tradition, filmmakers will participate in open forums and screen their works.

NEW MEDIA

Another focus of this year’s conference will be the role of technology and “new media” in the creation of an alternative “mediascape” in the region. We invite papers that examine the influence of digital technology on the film language that Southeast Asian film makers are developing.

SOUTH EAST ASIA AND EUROPE

We are also encouraging contributions that engage with historic aspects of dependence and independence, such as the colonial legacies of some European countries in Southeast Asia or more contemporary inter-dependencies between Europe and Southeast Asia (for example, the policies of European film festivals, funding bodies or production companies such as the Rotterdam Film Festival, the Hubert Bals Fund, Fortissimo, etc).

OTHER TOPICS

• Alternative funding/distribution channels and bodies
• Issues of identity and representation in independent film
• Interdisciplinary approaches in alternative media production
• Independent film and the mainstream
• Festivals and grant-giving bodies
• The Local and the Global
• Independent film in the Philippines

5TH ANNUAL SOUTHEAST ASIAN CINEMAS CONFERENCE (ASEACC). STATES OF INDEPENDENCE

Manila, The Philippines, November 18 – 23, 2008

Please send an abstract (max. 500 words) of your proposed paper to one these members of the program committee of the conference:

Dr. Rolando B. Tolentino: magpaubaya@yahoo.com

Dr. Sophia Harvey: sophfeline@earthlink.net

Dr. Gaik Cheng Khoo: gaik.khoo@gmail.com

Dr. Tilman Baumgärtel: mail@tilmanbaumgaertel.net

DEADLINE: May 21, 2008

We are currently attempting to get funding for travel subsidies and accommodations but cannot offer any as yet. Prospective participants are strongly encouraged to secure their own travel funding. We are also trying to get discounted hotel and dorm rooms for conference participants.

The conference will be accompanied by screenings of selected independent films from Southeast Asia from November 18 – 19 and on November 23, 2008.

For more information on the conference visit our website:

www.asianfilmarchive.org/aseacc/

http://seaconference.wordpress.com

JAKARTA, INDONESIA
17 > 19 DECEMBER 2007

The 4th Southeast Asian Cinemas conference (2007) emphasizes the intersection of theory, practice, and ethics. How do we, as film scholars, position ourselves within this debate / discourse? What ethical responsibilities should filmmakers have towards their subjects of representation? Is there a role for the film scholar as public intellectual? How might we begin to approach and discuss the ethics and politics of film criticism?

Each year, the conference has included film practitioners in recognition of the crucial role they have played in increasing film education and discourse in the region. We have previously provided space for independent filmmakers and screenings of their works, focused on curriculum development, the importance of film archival work, and highlighting alternative cultures of cinema. This year, the conference seeks to include workshops that bring together film activists and film critics from within the region.

We invite panels on Ethics, Social Justice, and Collective Responsibility in SEA cinemas, particularly questions concerning:

• Representations of the following: race / ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, minority groups, indigenous peoples (along the registers of power and voice)
• Human rights documentaries
• Role of the academic / film critic / filmmaker in relation to his/her text and /or subject
• Pedagogy
• Censorship
• Film piracy
• Underground media
• Film criticism
• Media activism (film, video, and new media)
• Film policy (government, NGOs)
• Film organizations, filmmaker unions, and actors’ guilds and their roles in shaping film policy
• Guerilla filmmaking practices and texts

To joint with us in the conference!

Venue:
Goethe-Institut Jakarta
Pusat Kebudayaan Jerman Jakarta
Jl. Sam Ratulangi 9-15
Jakarta Pusat 10350, Indonesia
Tel. +62 21 23550208

See maps