ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples' Forum 2018
Empowering Peoples’ Solidarity Against All Forms of Discrimination
Film Screenings
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Tea Land (Run-time: 30min) - to be screened on 3 November 2018
Directed by Tseng Ying-Ting.
The film tells the story of five run-away migrant workers from Thailand and Vietnam who found work on a quiet high-mountain tea farm in Taiwan. They lived in a simple iron hut. While hiding from the police, they saved their earnings and took care of one another.
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One worker saved enough money to go home. He planned to let the police find him out intentionally so that he would be repatriated and reunite with his family. However, after a farewell party, he was found dead in bed. To be able to continue working on the farm, the other four workers decided to bury the dead body on the mountain. In the meantime, they realized the worker’s savings were gone…
Queer Taiwan (Run-time: 60min] - to be screened on 3 November 2018
Directed by Liling Gan.
Story 1: Marriage Equality Debates in Taiwan [30min]
The animosity between the Equality Bees and the Family Guardian Coalition has worsened since proposing marriage equality bill in Taiwan, which makes same-sex marriage become a harshly debating issue in Taiwan’s society. The supporters for gay marriage bill cannot accept opposition views, and the oppositions seem unwilling to respect LGBT groups in Taiwan to have equal rights.
Finally, what are they fighting for? As the struggle continues, the cause is starting to take a toll on everyone’s life and morals. In Documentary “Queer Taiwan,” the hosts interview representatives from supporting and opposition groups for gay marriage in Taiwan, to show that the current situation in Taiwan for same-sex marriage based on the constitutional court’s interpretation on Taiwan’s civil law of marriage chapter to limit definition of marriage only to male and female is unconstitutional. Parliament must enact or amend related laws by May 2019 to protect same-sex couples, which might make Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
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Story 2: Surrogate mother and Gay parents in Taiwan [30min]
How hard is it to start a family? This is a big question to both the homosexual and the heterosexual family. The appearance of surrogacy is supposedly a turning point for gay couples nowadays. However, the controversial figure of the surrogate remains illegal in Taiwan and most parts of Asia.
In the last section of “Queer Taiwan,” we explore issues of surrogacy for heterosexual couples and gay parents in Taiwan to rethink whether fertility is a must for marriage.
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Between Pudukkottai & Singapore: Poems by N Rengarajan (Run-time: 16min) - to be screened on 3 November 2018
Directed by Vishal Daryanomel.
Originally from Pudukkottai (India), Rengarajan works in Singapore’s construction sector.
Featuring three of his poems which subtly elucidate the realities of migrant life, this documentary short also highlights pertinent issues such as employment processes, exorbitant agent fees, financial debt, and commonly held perceptions of migrant workers.
Through Rengarajan’s perspectives, the film navigates through themes of loss, sacrifice, and the strengths and dreams inherent in all of us, regardless of occupation, nationality, race, and class.
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About the Director
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Vishal Daryanomel has spent time with various NGOs in Singapore, and has been part of the organising committee of migrant poetry events since 2014. His interests include exploring how film can be used as a tool of testimony and empowerment for minority and marginalised voices. His documentary short, Between Pudukkottai & Singapore, has been screened in various festivals in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.
Optional Tour/Film-Screening Activities
Drug$ - The Price We Pay (Run-time: 1 hr 15min) - to be screened on 2 November 2018 (as part of optional tours/film-screening) and on 3 November 2018 at 12.30pm (2nd Screening)
Directed by Jonathan Marshall Thompson.
Narrated by Academy Award® Winner J.K. Simmons, this documentary drills down deep on the deceptive and avaricious practices of the greedy drug companies, and tells real-life stories of people and families that are being hurt, and their health and even lives endangered, by the heartless profiteering of Big Pharma. Though the background and stories focus in the US only, it can certainly give viewers a closer look on drug pricing issues all over the world.
To Singapore, with Love (Run-time: 70min)* - to be screened on 2 November 2018 (as part of optional tours/film-screening)
Directed by Tan Pin Pin.
Singapore political exiles, some of whom who haven't been back for more than 50 years, ruminate about their lives away from home. As they recount their lives to us, we see a City that could have been. A love letter to Singapore, from the outside.
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About the Director
Tan Pin Pin is an award-winning director who is known for her body of work on Singapore and her histories. Her films have screened in Berlinale, Busan, Vision du Reel and the Flagerty Seminar. In Singapore, the films have received sold-out theatrical screenings and toured schools. She has won awards from Cinema du Reel, Taiwan International Documentary Festival, as well as a Student Academy Award for Moving House. To Singapore, with Love was awarded Best Director at the Dubai International Film Festival.
Special Singapore Premier
The Enforced Disappearance of Sombath Somphone (Run-time: 55min) - to be screened on 4 November 2018
Directed by Rann Quinn.
The film documents the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone, a Lao civil society development worker who received the 2005 Magsaysay Award for Community Development. It narrates the life and work of Sombath in promoting sustainable development in poor rural communities. It also delves into the motivation of why he chose to return to Laos after he completed his studies at the University of Hawaii, despite knowing that Laos since 1985 has become a one-party communist state. The film also describes the historical, political and social context of Laos under which Sombath worked, and his aspirations for more inclusive and equitable development for the ordinary people of Laos.
*Screening at the Agora, all other films to be screened at meeting venue Singapore Polytechnic Graduates' Guild