SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHORTS
7–29 O C T | 11A M | FREE
WITHOUT MINDFULNESS By Novice Bouasy Lao PDR | Lao with English subtitles | 2016 | 7 min | PG SINGAPORE PREMIERE
DIREC TOR
AUDITORIUM ANTEROOM
By Maung Okkar Myanmar | Burmese with English subtitles | 2016 | 26 min | G INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
Without Mindfulness is a light-hearted tale about the woes of an absent-minded young monk in Luang Prabang. To gain self-mastery and learn mindfulness, he must turn to meditation. However, sitting alone in the forest—with only mosquitoes for company—proves no mean feat for the little novice.
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THE GONG: MADE IN TEMPAWADDY
Novice Bouasy was born in the Laotian countryside. Without Mindfulness, which is his first film, won Best Film at the 6th Vientianale Short Film Competition (Lao PDR, 2016).
The Gong Factory in Tempawaddy is one of the few remaining forges in the world where bronze gongs are still made by hand. This film is a tribute to the artisans who toil to master this craft and keep the tradition alive. DIREC TOR
Maung Okkar (b. 1987) made his first foray into film at the age of 14, when he starred in DatKhe (2002), a film by his father, the celebrated Burmese filmmaker Maung Wunna. A philosophy graduate from Dagon University, he is currently studying applied psychology in Yangon. His first documentary, Charcoal Boy (2010), screened and competed at 16 international film festivals around the world, including the 30th Munich International Festival of Film Schools (Germany, 2010).