People Like Us!

It felt great to mingle with like-minded people.

I just came back from “International Film Festival in Vientiane”. Film Festival in Laos! What!?

Yup. This is really happening. Check out the details here: www.vientianale.org

I didn’t expect much from this, really. I didn’t expect there would be many films made by Lao being submitted for/shown at this ‘festival’. I didn’t expect, even with some films submitted by Lao filmmakers, there would be any good ones. But guess what, there were really some good films and made in and by Lao! [Though there were not many of them. Lots of films shown were about development issues-education, AIDS, people with disabilities, UXO...produced for development projects, rather than made specially for this event]. And two really good ones were made by two filmmakers from Savannakhet (my province!); one of them is from my hometown (Seno!). What really cool was I had a chance to have a long talk with one of them, Mr Nith Lacroix (director of a documentary ‘Pierre-Pierrot’). I wanted to talk to another filmmaker who is from my hometown, Ms Thivon Muonghane (animator), but she was occupied with other thing. Both of them are French-educated.

Savannakhet’s got talent!

I joked with Nith about his next feature film (he is planning to make one) having to have protagonists performed by Savannakhet actors with Savannakhet accent! (Normally, Savannakhet people are always villains in the movies/dramas, because of our dark skins and strong accent; and the government now requires that those who work for national television and radio have to speak with ‘central’ accent, that is Vientiane accent!). Well, if he doesn’t do that, I will.

Having attended two nights of the 3-day event, I started to realize that there are actually many Lao (aspiring) filmmakers around. Two of short-films submitted for a competition with the theme “Laos, a happy country” were made by Lao students, studying at Lao National University’s Mass Media Faculty (the newly-established course!). And many Lao filmmakers are women!

Now, what we really need is space and ‘enabling’ environment.

[I know I should have done something to submit to this festival. I wanted to. I had an idea or two but didn’t manage to materialize them, again. I have promised myself (again!) to produce something while I’m in Aussie. Maybe, I will see my film being seen and talked about at the festival next year.]

A Lao feature film 'Want to be a soldier' premiered at the fest. It was supposed to inspire viewers. But it failed to do so, miserably. Too slow and with too many unnecessary sub-plots!

"Pierre-Pierrot", one of the best documentary shown at the event. Unfortunately, the last part of the doc. was censored! Damnit! [When Pierre who has been living in France was asked if he wanted to return to Laos. He replied that there was nothing to return to...CUT!]


An animated short film by Thivon Muonghane (a lady from my hometown, Seno).




A tee I got from the festival. I had to 'work hard' for this. "Oh I had to travel from Xiengkhouang, about a thousand miles, to be here specially for this event!" I explained while looking at the tee. "For that, I'll give you this t-shirt,'' an organizer responded. [Too bad, it is an L size. So I can't wear.]