Call for papers
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 â?¨that
homogenize the field of SEA cinema?
* Theorizing SEAsia Through Transnational Discourses:
* Globalization theory, film
festival circuits, actor-network theory,
â?¨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
â?¨(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? â?¨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,
â?¨subgenres, Islamic film, `importance of education' subgenre of
children's films, historical/costume drama, cult status films, political
documentary, etc.â?¨
* 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 (max. 500 words) to: (Gaikcheng.khoo /at/ anu.edu.au);
(Sophfeline /at/ earthlink.net); (cvanheeren /at/ gmail.com)
