Fragments of the region, in short
On Jan 2005, the Asian Film Archive (AFA) was founded by a group of film lovers and archivists in Singapore. From then on it has worked to preserve, restore, collect and promote the heritage of Asian cinema, as well as co-operate with other preservation agencies and archives to encourage research and critical appreciation of Asian films.
Earlier this month, AFA celebrated its 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, and to put an emphasis on its role in Southeast Asia, AFA commissioned 10 independent filmmakers around the region to participate in an omnibus project called “Fragment”. The 10 short films premiered at The Projector, a cinema in Singapore, with most of the filmmakers present.
The 10 films are based on an ambitious — and elusive — theme of Southeast Asian cinematic identity, which is somehow bonded deeply with cultural and political identities of each nation. Thus “fragment… a collage of 10 stories, each distinctively embracing the other’s subjectivities through the collective sentiments of vulnerability and fortitude”, according to AFA’s description.
In short, a snapshot portrait of Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines (no directors from Brunei, Myanmar and Laos) — some of them exploring the direct question of “who are we?” in these fragments while others enjoying the opportunity of cinematic freedom granted by the interpretation of the theme.
There is some heavy stuff here, too. The biggest name in the project is Filipino Lav Diaz, a master of long cinema (his films range from 240-660 minutes) who demonstrates here that even in an 18-minute short he can still pack a gut-hitting punch with his apocalyptic vision in The Day Before The End. A series of black-and-white shots show common men and women of the Philippines reciting Shakespeare as the sky threatens to crumble, and finally a big flood — Diaz gives us a glimpse of the vulnerability of civilisation, and all in a short film.
Elsewhere, filmmakers are more concerned with immediate existential questions. Sherman Ong, a Singaporean who was born in Malaysia, addresses the issue of dual identities, and dual destinies, in The Warm Breeze of Winter. Lucky Kuswandi from the Philippines has a film set in a slum next to a giant shopping mall; his Serpong combines social commentary with irreverent humour. Meanwhile, in Umbilical by Wesley Leon Aroozoo from Singapore, unborn twins inside a woman’s womb debate on the issue of citizenship and patriotism. Kavich Neang from Cambodia came with Goodbye Phnom Penh, a love story set in a shorttime motel.
Otherwise, filmmakers freely interpret the notion of “fragments” and do not worry too much about social resonance. Thai director Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit made Scene 38, a clever take on extras on a film set that shows how easily the peripheral can take over the centre. From Malaysia, veteran director U-Wei Haji Saari makes One Note One Fragment, a playful contemplation on our tiny place in the universe (on society at least).
“Fragment” gives us pieces of the puzzle — the 10 films don’t complete the pictures, but they certainly shape the contour of the region and its fates. The Asian Film Archive hopes to distribute this omnibus project to other places around Southeast Asia, and hopefully it will travel to Bangkok next year.