Curated and organized by the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, the AAS 2024 Film Expo will feature 22 recent documentary and independent films on issues and experiences reflecting contemporary life in Asia. Film screenings and discussions with selected filmmakers will be held from March 14 through March 16, 2024 at the Seattle Convention Center (SCC), Level 3, Room 309 and Room 310, during the Association for Asian Studies 2024 Annual Conference. All screenings are free and open to the public.
DAY 2 (March 15) Screening Schedule
Shadowlands
Friday, March 15, 2024, 8:30 AM
A film by Dostain Baloch and Nida Kirmani.
2023. Pakistan. 31 minutes.
Country/region featured: Pakistan
Shadowlands follows the stories of two residents of the area of Lyari in Karachi, Nawaz Laasi and Amna Baloch. Both have lost family members to gang violence in the area. Nawaz has lost four sons, two to gang violence and two at the hands of the police, and Amna’s husband was killed by the police. Through telling their stories, this documentary sheds light on the on-going ramifications of violence and questions whether peace has truly been achieved for the people of Lyari.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker
Contact: Nida Kirmani, nidakirmani@gmail.com
https://shadowlandsthefilm.org
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We Are Human!
Friday, March 15, 2024, 9:05 AM
Directed by Ko Chanyu.
2022. Japan. 114 minutes.
Country/region featured: Japan
On March 6, 2021, Rathnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali (aged 33) died in a state of starvation and organ failure following seven months of detention in an immigration detention centre in Nagoya, Japan. The horrific circumstances of her death sparked a wave of citizen protests and brought the harshness of the Japanese government's legal and institutional control of immigrants and refugees into the public consciousness. This documentary outlines the history of Japan's Alien Registration Act, established primarily to control the Korean population in Japan in the aftermath of WWII, and illustrates how the oppressive framework of control has continued through to the present day, bringing the non-
Japanese interviewees to share a common cry: "we are not animals--we are human!"
Distributed by Alexander Street
https://alexanderstreet.com
https://ningenda.jp
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All God’s Children
Friday, March 15, 2024, 11:00 AM
Directed by Robert Lemelson; co-produced by Annie Tucker
2023. USA. 67 minutes.
Country/region feature: Indonesia
In-person Q&A with scholar/filmmaker Annie Tucker.
The film tells the story of Idris, a nonverbal autistic teenager living in rural Central Java. Idris’s mother, Isti, struggles to understand Idris and meet their basic needs, especially since the two moved away from Idris’s neurotypical twin brother and biological father over thirteen years ago.
Distributed by Documentary Educational Resources
https://www.der.org
https://store.der.org/all-gods-children-p1073.aspx
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The Invisible Tong Talun
Friday, March 15, 2024, 12:25 PM
Directed by Keng-Khoon Ng & Goh Xin Le, Luke.
2023. Malaysia/Singapore. 33 minutes
Country/region featured: Semporna, Sabah Malaysia
In-person Q&A with filmmakers Keng-Khoon Ng and Goh Xin Le, Luke.
The Invisible Tong Talun depicts the publicly unknown lives of statelessness in Semporna, Sabah Malaysia, where the place was historically known as Tong Talun – the living shores of Bajau Laut boat-dwelling nomads. The three episodes render true stories of indigenous students, local youth leaders and teachers from Borneo Komrad, by excavating how a strong sense of fortitude, solidarity and resilience brings them together as a force of social change movements.
The documentary is co-produced by NUS College, the honour college of the National University of Singapore (led by Dr Keng-Khoon Ng) and Borneo Komrad, a Sabah-based NGO that advocates the right to education and nationality for the stateless children.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker
Contact: Keng-Khoon Ng, keng.ng@nus.edu.sg
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Cirque du Cambodia
Friday, March 15, 2024, 1:15 PM
Directed and produced by Joel Gershon.
2020. USA. 85 minutes
Country/region featured: Cambodia
Cirque du Cambodia follows the journey of two youths who live out every child's fantasy - to run away from home and join the circus. But not just any circus - they dream of taking the stage with Cirque du Soleil, the largest theatrical company in the world. Their home, a rural village in the ancient, faraway Kingdom of Cambodia, makes their quest even more extraordinary.
Self-distributed by filmmaker
filmhub.com
Contact: Director@cirqueducambodia.com
cirqueducambodia.com
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Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Friday, March 15, 2024, 3:00 PM
Directed by Jeanne Marie Hallacy and Rares Michael Ghilezan
2022. United States. 56 minutes.
Country/region featured: Myanmar
Padauk: Myanmar Spring takes the viewer to the streets of Myanmar during the heady days following the February 2021 military coup. Through Nant, a young, first-time protester, we meet three human rights activists whose lives have been turned upside down by the coup.
Distributed by Documentary Educational Resources
https://www.der.org
https://store.der.org/padauk-p1067.aspx
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Threads: Sustaining India's Textile Traditions
Friday, March 15, 2024, 4 PM
Directed and produced by Katherine Sender and Shuchi Kothari.
2023. United States. 58 Minutes
Country/region featured: India
Threads explores the relationship between traditional weavers and fashion designers in India. After decades of decline in a demand for legacy fabrics, collaborative relationships between designers and artisans (communicated and negotiated between social economic classes from different social positions) have led to fashion designers now recognizing the autonomy of artisan designers and the need to work with them.
Distributed by Documentary Educational Resources
https://store.der.org/threads-p1069.aspx
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Finding Vega
Friday, March 15, 2024, 5 PM
Directed by Joey Xuetong Zhao and executive produced by Fei Yan.
2023. United States. 22 Minutes
Country/region featured: United States, China
In-person Q&A with filmmakers Joey Xuetong Zhao and Fei Yan.
A 12-year-old girl who lives in a Chinatown single-room-occupancy family with her vegetative state mother has a passionate love for the starry sky. While eagerly wanting to realize her self- worth, she experiences a collision of reality and realizes what is important.
Distributed by American Film Institute
https://www.afi.com
Contact: Joey Zuetong Zhao, xzhao@alumni.afi.edu
https://www.joey-zhao.com/finding-vega
