Onsite report from Libay Linsangan Cantor, Isis International Manila
02 July 2004, Mahidol University, Salaya Campus, Thailand

The mini-film festival that caps every session day of Asia-Pacific NGO Forum participants concluded last July 02, 2004 in Viengtai Hotel, Bangkok.

The mini-filmfest drew a crowd of women interested in seeing their issues highlighted on the audiovisual medium of film/video. The works were a mixture of productions shot using the film format and different video and digital video formats. Countries represented by the films include Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Philippines, India, Laos, Bangladesh, Iran, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. The genres ranged from experimental short films, documentaries, to narrative fiction.

The mini-film festival commenced on June 30 and was opened in Mahidol University by the Iranian feature-length film entitled Zendan-e Zanan (Women in Prison). This was written and directed by Manijeh Hekmat, and she said the version that was shown here was the director's cut or the unapproved version of her government. The second film featured that day was the Bangladesh production When We Walk The Streets made by the women of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW). The women involved in this production were present during the filmfest opening and they also talked about other productions related to this one. The festival was then continued during the nighttime until July 02 in Viengtai Hotel, Bangkok.

One of the films that were anticipated by viewers was Unlimited Girls written and directed by Paromita Vohra of India. The feature-length video production (94 minutes) had a fun and postmodern approach to discussing the women's movements and how young women with or without the self-labeling of the usual "isms" (feminism, lesbianism) figure in on all these different movements today. Another film that drew interest is Say I Do written and directed by Arlene Ami. This Filipino-Canadian documentary production highlighted the story of the mail-order bride phenomenon that Filipino women from the provinces go into in order to search for a foreign husband whom they see as their "saviors" from poverty.

The other issues tackled in the films were cross-border trafficking in the Mekong region (Their Corner of the Sky from Laos, directed by Vannaphone Sitthirath), and overseas domestic workers' lives (Maid in Singapore by noted Filipino screenwriter Clodualdo del Mundo), to name a few.

Some of the filmmakers were present during the showing. They had the chance to introduce their work and entertain questions from the audience in a mini-forum. For instance, the lack of proper female representation in news broadcasts were discussed in Running with the Media in Japan by filmmakers Asuka Tomaru and Sally McLaren of Ritsumeikan University, Japan. Sri Lankan director Anoma Rajakaruna was also present to speak about her films entitled Yet Another Five… and Out of the Shadows. Both tacked gender-based abuse received by women. Chinese-Australian Hui Li was also there to entertain questions about China's persecution of Falun Gong followers, the topic of her documentary entitled Three Women. One of the women featured in the documentary was also present to talk about her experiences.

As the filmfest drew to a close, many in the audience were interested to learn how to procure copies of the film. For that information, please visit the AP NGO Forum website and contact the film festival committee through Terry Hermano (e-mail: <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>)