It's not solely Filipino, but I thought I'd put it in this section anyway. Please pass to friends and others who might be interested.
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http://www.criticine.comIt's been an exhausting past few months. I apologize for the delay in putting this issue out, but it is with great pleasure that I introduce it to you.
A hot-topic of late has been Martyn See's Singapore Rebel, a documentary on Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Singapore's Democratic Party leader. Banned in Singapore, the film's mere existence appears to outweigh its actual content. It's director See has become somewhat of a cause celeb because of the film, challenging the Singapore censors. He has recently completed another film that is sure to stir up talk-- Zahari's 17 Years, about left-wing journalist Said Zahari, who was arrested in 1963 and imprisoned for 17 years for allegedly being a communist. In this issue Vinita Ramani examines the Singapore government's reaction to Singapore Rebel and their implications, while examining the content of the film itself-- something that most commentators have neglected to do
Short films have played a vital role in the development of Southeast Asian Cinema in recent years, but unless you hound filmmakers themselves for copies (I've had to do this on many occasion) or catch a rare public screening, chances are, you won't get to see them. This is something the Asian Film Archive is trying to change. Ben Slater examines the contents of their recently released Singapore Shorts Collection.
Still in Singapore, Khoo Gaik Cheng samples Be With Me, the new film from director Eric Khoo after an 8 year absence, which opened the 2005 Cannes Director's Fortnight.
The buzz in Malaysia in 2005 was Yasmin Ahmad's Sepet ("Slanted Eyes"). Reaping awards abroad and box office success at home; it is a film many in Malaysia consider to be an important breakthrough work. Little discussed, however, is Yasmin's previous work, Rabun ("My Failing Eyesight"), a made-for-television movie that some, Malaysian filmmaker Amir Muhammad included, claim is better than Sepet. Hassan Muthalib offers a review.
Indonesian cinema has counted a strong year in terms of numbers, but have the works fulfilled their promise? Tag-team Paul Agusta and Lisabona Rahman give a month-by-month blow of the past twelve months in Indonesian cinema.
On the Philippine front, Noel Vera guest programmed a selection of Filipino films for the Rotterdam International Film Festival. He sends in a piece on his experience presenting the works, and the reactions of some prominent critics to it, ending on a moving personal note. In a review of Vera's Critic After Dark, the book that launched the idea for the program in Rotterdam, I appraise the unique position he occupies as a critic in the Philippines.
Raya Martin's journal was a popular piece from the first issue. Also writing from abroad, he checks in with his second journal entry as part of the Résidence du Festival de Cannes. Sit with the old and young: my extensive interviews with the sage, Lav Diaz and the upstart, Ato Bautista are also up for reading.
Lastly, but certainly not least, Benjamin McKay thinks out loud: "Are there indeed possibilities for new ways of writing about Southeast Asian cinema?” Read the article to understand why he's asking. And then write us to let you know what you think.
Until the next issue...
Alexis A. Tioseco
Editor, Criticine
