Despite the multitude of film cultures and variations in the conditions of film production, Southeast Asian cinema is collectively shaped by colonial history, political regime change, nationalistic-oriented film policy, volatile film industry, and the dominance of global (Hollywood) films in the domestic market. Moreover, the advent of digital technology and current COVID-19 pandemic have posed new challenges and problems for the future of Southeast Asian cinema in the global arena. Meanwhile, contemporary Southeast Asian cinema shares common characteristics such as enduring film censorship, emerging regionalism in film production, vitality of independent film practices, and recurring theme of identities in filmic narratives. However, such contemporary developments of Southeast Asian cinema should be understood contextually and historically without being entrapped in the ‘presentism’ perspective. Therefore, this session will explore and examine new developments as well as challenges of Southeast Asian cinema in the light of the evolving digital technology and current crisis while carefully taking into account the distinctive socio-political, cultural and historical contexts of the region.
Budi Irawanto is the Head of Doctoral Programme of Performing and Visual Arts Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada. His works are on topics in the field of film and cultural studies, media and communication, and South East Asian studies. Outside of his academic work, he also actively participates in film festivals as a jury and even as the Festival President of Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF).
Kamila Andini is an Indonesian film director known for her critically acclaimed debut, The Mirror Never Lies. She completed her degree in sociology at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia and began to work on her career as a director, as well as writer and producer. Her movies have been nominated on several awards, including the award from Indonesian Film Festival
Thomas Barker is the Head of the School of Media, Languages, and Cultures of University of Nottingham Malaysia, as well as the Associate Professor of Film and Television. He works on topics related to South East Asia, with the emphasis on Indonesia and Malaysia, in the fields of communication, media, creative industries, cities, and cultural studies. Other than his academic achievements, he also has written for Asian Cinema, Plaridel, The Conversation, Cinema Poetica, The Diplomat, The Malay Mail, and The Jakarta Post.