Tropfest SEA – 25 Jan 2014
Tropfest is the world’s largest short film festival. This year was the inaugural Tropfest SEA, held in Penang, Malaysia
This first Tropfest SEA winner is RICE by Sothea Ines from Cambodia. Rice is also this year’s theme.
SYNOPSIS: When a handful of rice determines life or death.
‘A day in a children’s camp in a rural area during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Five young boys decide to have a ‘party’ with rice they have ‘stolen’ from the camp store, grain by grain day by day. In three months the rice collected is the size of a fist and the boys can’t withstand waiting any longer. They cook the rice at the lakeside taking care not to be seen. But when they see the cooked rice they are mesmerised by the scent and the taste and don’t notice that they are spotted by a Khmer Rouge cadet. As a consequence the camp Commander sends them to be ‘re-educated’ (killed) as an example to the rest of the boys.’
Click to watch Rice 2014 Tropfest SEA winner ~ Director Sothea Ines, Cambodia
Tropfest SEA Roughcut (Film Symposium) – 24 Jan 2014
Inspirational talks and discussions on the topic of films and storytelling but more important their own journey.
Some of the speakers:
1. Adam Elliot – independent Australian stop-motion animation writer and director based in Melbourne, Australia. His five films have collectively participated in over six-hundred film festivals and have received over one hundred awards, including an Oscar for Harvie Krumpet and the Annecy Cristal for Mary and Max talks about his journey to the Oscars
2. Robert Luketic – director of Legally Blonde, The Ugly Truth and 21
3. Jason van Genderen ~ winner of Tropfest NYC 2008 using just his mobile phone and Tropfest Australia mobile category 2012 and numerous other awards talks about making movies and storytelling with his mobile phone
4. Two of Malaysia and Singapore’s greatest directorial talents Saw Teong Hin and Glen Goei discuss how they tell stories about Southeast Asia in their films
5. Local comedian Afdlin Shauki and Singapore Actor Gurmit Singh discuss if comedies travel well.
For those who are interested to watch or learn more about tropfest. Here is the website http://tropfest.com/sea/
Next year’s theme for the short film is Wheel.
