Love makes things possible. Both rhetoric and poetic as most love letters may look like, this collection of films reflects the shared world view of young filmmakers from Southeast Asia and Japan presented in a rather creative manner. Made during the “…and Action! Asia” workshop, this annual collaborative opportunity was initiated in 2015 by the Japan Foundation Asia Center.
Programmer: Yow Chong Lee
Happily trapped in the film world, Yow Chong Lee is an academic hoping to lure more young minds and souls into it. Apart from teaching in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, he also makes films and documentaries with his friends. Since 2013, he has been directing and programming for Mini Film Festival, the longest existing students’ film festival in Malaysia.
Kenji Hayashi | Philippines | 2017 | 8 mins
A university student who faces a confusing situation in choosing the right colour for herself.
Participants Name: Kenji Hayashi (Director), Brainard Bill Barrinuevo (Producer), Anthony Saleh Ngau, Katrina Ysabel Villarosa, Herry Setyadi,Tin Chanabangkaew
Participant Country: Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand
Mentors Name: Makoto Watanabe
Attawut Intagoon | Philippines | 2017 | 7 mins
An unlikely meet-up between a food blogger and a local tour guide sees the development a relationship beyond friendship.
Participants Name: Attawut Intagoon (Director), Lorenzo Miguel B. Hilario (Producer), Evan Secunda, Nehemiah Yap Jia Sheng, Koichiro Ishii, Alphonzo C. Alegrado
Participant Country: Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan
Mentors Name: Nuntanat Duangtisarn and Yusmita Akhirul Latif
KELLY AND THE TV HEAD
Nur Ikmar Bin Sarbini | Philippines | 2017 | 6 mins
Jade brings Kelly to a local stand-alone cinema as a surprise birthday celebration. This, however, grants Kelly an unexpected cinematic experience reminiscent of her past.
Participants Name: Nur Ikmar Bin Sarbini (Director), Katrina May B. Banaag (Producer), Egha Muhammad Harismina, Supakit Sonsee, Kento Fukuda, John Peter Cadiz Chua, Gilan Paolo P. Ilagan
Participant Country: Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan
Mentors Name: Yow Chong Lee, Sari Raissa Lluch Dalena
Jirakan Sakunee | Japan | 2018 | 10 mins
As the idiom states, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, “The Image of Secrets” portrays the meaning of secrets and the importance of telling-keeping secrets by asking people to draw their personal ‘image of secret’.
Participants Name: Jirakan Sakunee (Director), Daiju Yoshida (Producer), Ryota Kusama, Moeri Hirose, Tran Huu Thanh, Kasmirul Iqmal Noruden, Wravong Phrachanh
Participant Country: Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos
Mentors Name: Makoto Watanabe, Utako Koguchi, Takuya Misawa
DAILY TRAIN
Herald Nyumbang Anak Nyulim | Japan | 2018 | 9 mins
A young couple meets in a train station and experience love at first sight. While their relationship starts easy, things aren’t going as easy for them.
Participants Name: Herald Nyumbang Anak Nyulim (Director), Kyohei Horikawa (Producer), Nguyen Diep Thuy Anh, Sarun Kositsukjaroen, Sho Fujimoto, Phoutthanome Keopaseuth, Akane Sasaki
Participant Country: Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos
Mentors Name: Makoto Watanabe, Utako Koguchi, Takuya Misawa
Ekin Kee Charles | Japan | 2018 | 13 mins
The lost-and-founds in the laundry somehow connects strangers to form a friendship, one that slowly expands out from the coin laundry to the street and the park.
Participants Name: Ekin Kee Charles (Director), Mayuko Ashizawa (Producer/Screenplay), Nguyen Le Hoang Viet, Kim Myoungyoon, Myumyu Higashiyama, Witchayoot Ponpraserd, Mayuko Okada, Xayaveth Keovilay
Participant Country: Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Laos
Mentors Name: Makoto Watanabe, Utako Koguchi, Takuya Misawa
