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This is my reflection on watching the films as a jury member for the NETPAC Award at the recently concluded 19th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival. I'm particularly interested in how contemporary Asians view themselves on screen. Eighteen years ago, I noted a trend in Asian films I watched at international festivals: a pervasive gloominess, portraying powerless characters trapped in their circumstances. I wondered if Western programmers, who often selected these films, enjoyed seeing Asia this way—as exotic, othered, and vulnerable. However, there's been a significant shift. More Asian films are now co-produced within the region, leading to more diverse and nuanced self-representations.

The first film I watched in the main competition program at JAFF was Breaking the Cycle (Aekaphong Saransate & Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn, 2024), a Thai documentary about Thanatorn Juangroongruangkit, a young tycoon who tried to win the 2019 election with his new party, hoping to overthrow the military regime. He failed at the election, but Thanatorn succeeded in making millions of Thais politically aware and realizing that they have the right to voice their opinions and choose parties that are more pro-people than pro-power. Breaking the Cycle made me interested in underlining the word 'cycle' when watching the other films at JAFF. And interestingly, this year's JAFF opened with a silent film by Garin Nugroho titled Samsara (meaning 'wandering' or 'world' in denotative terms, but signifying the cycle of life, death, and rebirth in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs). Everything in life is related to cycles of time: birth-life-death, beginning-middle-end, but what really intrigues me is the extent to which we can shape our destinies within these cycles. Does acceptance and sincerity, the understanding that life is a series of highs and lows, empower us? Or does it inadvertently perpetuate a sense of passivity, making us submissive to the West's relentless pursuit of progress and innovation?

Most of the films I watched showed characters trying to break free from feeling powerless. May in Tale of the Land (Loeloe Hendra, 2024), for example, is a young woman who's traumatized by her parents’ death caused by a land conflict. She's adrift at sea with her grandfather. It's only after her grandfather passed away that she can go back to land. In Yukiko a.k.a (Naoya Kusaba, 2024)., we meet a young teacher named Yukiko in Tokyo who's secretly into rap. She's been dealing with self-doubt her whole life. Besides trying to be more honest with herself and others, Yukiko also has to help her student who's being bullied. In the end, both the teacher and the student overcome their insecurities by expressing themselves through music.

Crocodile Tears (Tumpal Tampubolon, 2024) is a gripping film about Johan, a young man stuck living in a crocodile farm with his overbearing mom who thinks a white croc is her dead husband reincarnated. After a ‘bloody’ struggle, Johan finally breaks free, although in the end it seems like he can't fully leave his past behind. While the three films mentioned above conclude with a glimmer of hope, showcasing the protagonists breaking free from their constraints, most other films depict how circumstances continually obstruct the characters' attempts to seek a better life.

Both Việt and Nam (Trương Minh Quý, 2024) and In the Belly of a Tiger (Jatla Siddartha, 2024) depict the arduous struggle to escape poverty and powerlessness (Vietnam grappling with post-war trauma, India with its caste system and overpopulation). Both films intertwine tales of love and the complexities of family relationships, particularly the impact of parental absence on children (a theme also explored in Crocodile Tears). While the latter two films, in my opinion, are a bit overdramatized, Ma – Cry of Silence (The Maw Naing, 2024), the winner of the Netpac Award at JAFF 19, offers a more realistic portrayal and emphasizes the resilience of its characters. Ma tells the story of female factory workers in Yangon who face injustice at the hands of their superiors and the factory owner. These workers, many of whom support their families in the village, decide to protest and go on strike to demand two months of unpaid wages. Their fate is tragic, and the cycle of oppression for the sake of profit continues.

Every film has its own tone and voice, and almost all the films in the main competition program I watched had a somber tone, some with a louder voice. Ironically (or perhaps not so ironically), there was one film about an interracial couple that was made in a comical and witty tone, but for me, it was the most dragging and uninteresting to watch. Does the weight of the world inevitably lead to a sense of gloom? Asia is facing genocide, and the world is increasingly leaning towards money and power. This is what makes the role of film even more important to continue giving voice to the marginalized, because besides being entertainment, I believe film has the power to break the cycle of broken systems and unjust power.

 
Written by Ariani Darmawan

Ariani Darmawan is an artist working across video, film, and writing. Her work spans short films, documentaries, installations, and multimedia theater. She also founded Kineruku bookstore and library in Bandung in 2003. After studying architectural engineering and fine arts, she blends architectural logic with artistic emotion in her storytelling through moving images. Her early work explored power and identity, exemplified by Dragons Beget Dragons (2006), a documentary on Chinese- Batavian culture in gambang kromong music. Her short film Sugiharti Halim (2008) won awards and international recognition. After an 11-year hiatus, she returned to filmmaking with A Sip and A Bite (2022) and is currently preparing her first feature film.

The first ArCuRea multievent program was organized by the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and held at its campus in Kolkata, India, in March 2024. ArCuRea, which stands for archive | curate | restore, was composed of a series of online conversations with international artists and critics, a colloquium on film archiving and restoration, several film screenings, including a festival of restored Indian masterpieces, and a cinema curation workshop.

In particular, the workshop gathered 20 participants out of 140 applicants from all around India, and from this crème de la crème, three were awarded—the best proposal and two special mentions.

For the first time, NETPAC bestowed the ArCuRea Best Curatorial Proposal Award in the name of the organization to support the growth of cutting-edge cinema curation in Asia and the Pacific. Film scholar and curator Patrick F. Campos represented NETPAC on the jury, and NETPAC’s joint president, Bina Paul, joined Patrick in handing the prizes to three awardees on 22 March.

Title of the Program: The 1^st ArCuRea Cinema Curation Workshop 

Country: India

Year, Period: 2024, March 16-22

Website: https://arcurea.in/

Name of the Jury members: 

Patrick F. Campos, NETPAC

Sanil V.

C. S. Venkiteswaran

Anindya Sengupta

1. NETPAC Awards
2. Best Curatorial Proposal

Proponent: Hou hsein

Title: WE ARE NOT WHAT WE SEE: An Exquisite Examination of the Rhythm and Ambience of an Exterminating Alternative Cinema Space - The Video Parlors

Jury Special Mention 

Proponent: Akashdeep Banerjee

Title: The Viewer as Protagonist in the Age of ‘Post Cinema’ and the Burden of Archiving the Evolution of Personal History

Proponent: Nikhilesh Mishra 

Title: All is not Lost: A Meta- Cinematic Tale of a Lost Film and Two Cyclones

Director, Prasanna Vithanage

Dear Prasanna,

I trust this message finds you well. Thank you for sharing the link to the film with me. Although it was late for El Gouna Film Festival, I did have the pleasure of experiencing your film on my return from Egypt and I felt compelled to reach out and express my heartfelt admiration for your exceptional work.

Your storytelling prowess, combined with the poignant performances of Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran, created a riveting narrative that captivated me from start to finish. The exploration of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka in 2022, intricately woven into the context of a couple's fifth-anniversary celebration, added a layer of depth and relevance that resonated profoundly.

The decision to convey the unfolding events through the lens of Kesav and Amritha's relationship was a masterstroke. It allows viewers to not only witness the external challenges faced by the characters but also to delve into the intricacies of their internal struggles. The vulnerability and strength portrayed by the characters in the face of unexpected adversity were truly commendable.

The film's exploration of societal tensions, police brutality, and the impact of a traumatic incident on a marriage was both thought-provoking and emotionally charged. The way you navigated these complex themes with sensitivity and nuance is a testament to your directorial acumen.

Furthermore, the breathtaking visuals of Sri Lanka's historical places and the captivating cinematography enhanced the overall cinematic experience. The juxtaposition of the external chaos with the serene surroundings beautifully mirrored the internal conflicts of the characters.

In essence, Paradise left a lasting impression on me, prompting introspection and admiration for the artistry involved. I wanted to take a moment to convey my gratitude for the thought-provoking storytelling, exceptional performances, and the overall impact that your film had on me.

Thank you for sharing your creative vision with the world, and I look forward to witnessing more of your brilliant work in the future.

Warm regards,

Raman

On September 7, 2023, at the Venice Biennale, I had the privilege of attending the screening of Snow Leopard, the last film by late Tibetan director Pema Tseden (1969-2023). His sudden demise on May 8, 2023, at the age of 53, left the world of cinema bereft of one of his most talented children. It was a deeply touching experience to witness the unceasing standing ovation at the end of the film, with Pema’s cast and crew (among them also his own son) receiving this heartfelt and sincere homage to the father of Tibetan cinema. During the last few years, Pema Tseden had been selected and presented three films at the Venice Biennale: his masterpieces Tharlo (2015) and Jinpa (2018) had premiered in the section Horizons, and now his ultimate artistic effort, Snow Leopard, was being presented, out of competition, at the 36th edition of the festival. The large Corinto Hall was packed with spectators who had discovered this gentle, discreet and gifted Tibetan filmmaker, gradually learning to love his films’ aesthetics and the ethics imbued in them. The hall was soon filled with emotion and a sense of great nostalgia for the loss of the artist whose literary and visual narratives on the conundrum of ‘modernity’ in Tibet had already enriched the world of Tibetan arts and global cinema at large. The bold acting and the delicate beauty of Snow Leopard’s composition reminded the audience that Pema Tseden had not been a fleeting star disappearing on an ephemeral horizon. On the contrary, he had successfully outlined his own trajectory as a shooting star who managed to fulfill the wish of projecting Tibet on screen through a new, provocative, and evocative language. 

From his debut film The Grassland (2004) to the emblematic The Silent Holy Stones (2005), from the soul-stirring The Search (2009)  to the tragic Old Dog (2011), from the challenging  Tharlo (2015) to the enigmatic Jinpa (2019), Pema Tseden’s cinema did not shy away from addressing the difficulties and the plight of Tibetans in a time of enforced transitions and dramatic change. As the Chairman of the Directors Association of China and one of the most respected members of China’s Filmmakers and Literary Societies, Pema worked alongside other brilliant minds with a passion and a courage matched only by his honesty and sense of dignity. He was a skillful filmmaker and an organic intellectual who operated in the experimental theatre of ‘modernity’, never falling pray to the vicious demands of politics or the pressures of commercializing his works. Gracefully taking up the challenge of bringing on screen also the arduous lives of Tibetan women caught in between religious demands and political imperatives, in his film Balloon (2019) Pema used his ability to  delicately tackle individual despair and conveyed a nuanced portrayal of a woman’s fight to reclaim agency on her own body. 

Applauding his wonderful achievements at the end of the screening of Snow Leopard (2023), possibly the most spiritual of his films, I felt a surge of uncontainable admiration for this acclaimed Tibetan director who had become an inspiration for young Tibetans dreaming of making films. Like other great Tibetan figures before him, Pema Tseden had become a master and a point of reference. Limitlessly visionary and yet pragmatic, jostling the balance between what the past teaches and the future promises, he inherited the iconoclastic but never cynical gaze of Gendün Chöphel (1903–1951) and the lyrical but never romanticized narrative style of Dhondup Gyal (1953–1985). With their roots strongly planted in the soil of Amdo and their branches and leaves reaching out for a global horizon, these iconic figures of modern Tibet lived short but intense lives dedicated to debunking the myth of a mystical Tibet. Their commitment towards finding original and path-breaking ways to write anew Tibetan history has been matched by Pema’s undaunted stance in portraying the complexity of Tibetan culture and society through his films and short stories. 

Pema shared with the renegade monk Gendün Chöphel the surgical precision of the cultural historian, while following the feral howl of Dhondup Gyal’s poetry in delivering heart wrenching narratives. Like Dhondup Gyal presaged in his celebrated poem “Waterfall of Youth”, “the sound of youthful waterfall does not fade away”. In the same manner, Pema Tseden’s film legacy and cinematic masterworks will not wane from the minds of cinema lovers. His films will continue to offer a powerful, refreshing, elegant, and intense portrait of contemporary Tibet, occupying a unique space in the history of world cinema.

- Written by Mara Matta

I first met Prasanna Vithanage in 1997 at the Fribourg International Film Festival. He was presenting "Death on a Full Moon Day," and it was, for me, an aesthetic shock. I admired Prasanna Vithanage's subtle analysis of the complexity of feelings and the subtlety of his direction. 

Since then, several of his films have been shown at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema: "Walls Within," "August Sun," "Flowers of the Sky," "With you, Without you," "Children of the Sun," where he won numerous awards: Cyclo d'Or, Jury Prize,  Netpac Prize, ... I couldn't wait to see the world premiere of his latest opus, "Paradise," at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in early October 2023. Comfortably seated in an armchair at the Busan Cinema Center, I was initially taken aback by the first images, which seemed to come out of a tourist advertising clip. Very quickly, behind the travel agency clichés, the harsh reality experienced by the Sri Lankan population was revealed. 

Director, Prasanna Vithanage

A country that declared itself bankrupt in April 2022. Prasanna Vithanage deftly chooses to tell the story of an upper-middle-class Indian tourist couple on vacation in Sri Lanka. The husband is an Indian producer, aware of his class and caste, while the wife is a journalist with a humanistic view of the world. She is the gaze of innocence on the brutality of the world. The husband seems more preoccupied with his business than discovering Sri Lanka's mystical historical sites. A cultured driver takes them from site to site. At the very start of their trip, they are attacked in their hotel room. The thieves took all the couple's audiovisual equipment. The couple went to the police station. What follows is a meticulous description of the husband's behavior: too assertive, too sure of himself, too domineering, too full of himself, confusing rigidity with rigor. In counterpoint, his wife is restrained, sensitive to the injustice that could result from a peremptory accusation. The husband's supposed identification of a group of suspects from the lumpenproletariat as the alleged thieves sets off a spiral of violence. Suspicion and unjustified brutality towards members of ethnic or religious minorities on the part of state officials fueled by class and race prejudices are analyzed with a masterly scalpel. 

Paradise movie poster

The contrast between the beauty of nature, the majesty of a mountain deer, and the corruption of society is striking. The lies and bestiality of human beings fuel their downfall. They create a revolt against the established order. The build-up of social tension is palpable throughout the film, right up to the fatal epilogue where innocence unwillingly becomes criminal in the face of unbearable injustice. This film is by the great Prasanna Vithanage, rightly awarded the Jiseok Award. 

The North East region of India is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and artistic  contributions, and the veteran film maker Aribam Syam Sharma stands as a prominent  figure in the realm of Manipuri cinema. With a celebrated career spanning several  decades, Sharma has made invaluable contributions to the world of filmmaking, capturing the essence of Manipuri culture and presenting it to a global audience. One of his seminal works, Ishanou, recently garnered international recognition when a restored print of the film was screened at the illustrious 76th Cannes International Film Festival in May 2023, thanks to the efforts of the India Heritage Foundation. It however had already the honour of being screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival in 1991, and had the privilege of being invited to a number of International film festivals at that time of its release. 

Born on July 6, 1936, in Imphal, Manipur, Aribam Syam Sharma's artistic journey began in  the early 1960s. He graduated with a degree in Political Science from St. Edmund's  College, Shillong, and later pursued a diploma in Film Direction from the Film and  Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. Sharma's passion for storytelling and his deep rooted connection to Manipuri culture fueled his drive to bring Manipuri cinema to the  forefront of the Independent Indian films of Artistic merit. 

Maestro of Manipuri Cinema Aribam Syam Sharma's movie "Ishanou" poster

Aribam Syam Sharma's filmography boasts a diverse range of films, characterised by his  distinct directorial style and a profound exploration of social and cultural issues. Some of  his notable works include Imagi Ningthem (My Son, My Precious, 1981), Ishanou (The  Chosen One, 1990), Sangai: The Dancing Deer of Manipur (2016), and Gun for Sale  (2020). Through his films, Sharma has successfully portrayed the struggles, aspirations,  and beauty of Manipuri society. 

Among his numerous works, Ishanou holds a special place in Aribam Syam Sharma's  filmography. Released in 1990, the film captures the essence of Manipuri society through a poignant story of love and sorrow set with a background of Manipur’s traditional Music, ethnic daily life of Maibi sect deeply rooted in faith and beliefs bordering on Occult and even some irrationalities. It is special because it not only showcases the entire spectrum of talents in the domains of Music, Song writing, Singing, Theatre Direction, Philosophical Explorations etc., of the film maker but also blends it into a holistic expression through organic imagery of ethnographic documentation. 

Ishanou beautifully explores themes of tradition, social hierarchy, and also the artistic possibilities of the film medium. Sharma's masterful storytelling, coupled with a rich screenplay by the famed Manipuri writer M. K. Binodini, the vibrant performances of the  lead actors, breathes life into the characters and their struggles. The film's meticulous  attention to detail in depicting Manipuri cultural practices and rituals adds to its  authenticity and emotional depth. Ishanou not only showcases Sharma's directorial  finesse but also serves as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Manipur. 

The restoration of Ishanou by the India Heritage Foundation breathed new life into the  film, ensuring its preservation for future generations. The Foundation's commitment to  safeguarding India's cinematic heritage is commendable, and their collaboration with  Aribam Syam Sharma allowed the film to reach a wider audience on a global platform after a gap of three decades. 

The screening of the restored print of Ishanou at the 76th Cannes International Film Festival marked a momentous occasion for not only Manipuri cinema but for the entire  Indian Cinema of different regions which in reality is the representative of Indian life in  plurality and cultural diversity. The film's inclusion in such a prestigious event not only  highlights the talent and vision of Aribam Syam Sharma but also emphasises the need to  spread the range and varied canvas of Indian Cinema in such global platforms. Incidentally, it is good to remember that Film Heritage Foundation’s restored version of  illustrious Malayalam film maker G. Aravindan’s 1978 film Thamp̄u was screened at the Cannes Classics section in 2022. 

By N. Vidyashankar