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Closer Apart // Jason Lee // Singapore // 14
A father does something drastic when his family members become strangers to him.

Tudung // N Thilagan // Singapore // 19
After the death of her father, a religious woman’s life is turned upside down when her long-lost sister returns home, pregnant.

The Rapist // Diane Ventura // Philippines // 16
As a young man accused of rape recalls the details of what transpired the night of his alleged assault, his therapist investigates the truth of his story.

Sunflowers // Quek Shio Chuan // Malaysia // 34
A struggling makeup artist finally lands a job only to find that she won’t be working with the living.

Revenge // Andri Cung // Indonesia // 11
Upon discovering that her boyfriend has cheated on her, a woman resorts to traditional Indonesian black magic to invoke the same pain on him.

LOLA // Kevin Ang // Philippines // 17
A grandmother spends a quiet Christmas tending to chores when the arrival of an unexpected visitor brings some deadly consequences.

Delete // Sidney Chan // Malaysia // 14
Four girls break into an abandoned bathroom at their university one night as part of their class assignment on urban legends.

My Father’s Handprint // Kesone Keola // 7’// First Prize
A young man is caught between his love for b-boy culture and his father’s traditional beliefs.

The Partner // Ka Xiong // 7′
One person’s trash is another’s treasure.

Whose Daughter? // Anoulek Douangdala // 6′ // Second Prize
A schoolgirl goes out to party and has an awkward encounter.

The Medicine Boy // Yia Xong // 7′
Children in the forest remember their heritage.

My Money // 7′ // Pouthong Luangkoth // Third Prize (Tied)
An innocent party becomes an eerie encounter with the afterlife.

Gokura Space // Nirankoon Singpraseuth // 4′ // Special Mention
A journey into space.

The Orphan // Novice Lar Saiageth // 7′
A young orphan shunned from his village proves himself.

Peace will Become True // Thavisap Khampoumy // 4′ // Special Mention
A family experiences the impacts of war.

Roots Life // Ananda Kenchan // 7′ // Third Prize (Tied)
The connection between wildlife and humans.

Revive // Chhunly Poy // 3′

Butterfly School // Phanith Norm // 6′

Distance // Sophy Pich // 8′

Last Choice // Yi Yuveakneath // 9′

AXS 13 // Ryemon Veng // 17′

Ambors // Rin Sokreth // 10′

A Fistful of Pebbles // Chap Somchanrith // 7′

Women are important storytellers and bearers of cultural heritage in Laos. However, their voices are rarely heard outside their communities, due to their traditional homebound responsibilities and their lack of confidence in participating in public forums. At the same time, traditional folktales and legends are in danger of dying out, as an older generation passes on and young people prefer entertainment from television and the internet.

With this in mind, the Luang Prabang Film Festival and the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre launched the Women and Folktales Project to empower ethnic minority women in Laos and document and disseminate traditional stories using film.

Funded by the US Embassy Vientiane, the project filmed seven women, from Hmong, Kmhmu, and Tai Lue villages around Luang Prabang, recounting 19 traditional folktales in their native languages. These films were translated into Lao and English, subtitled, and are now archived within the digital libraries of LPFF and the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre. They can also be viewed on TAEC’s YouTube Page.

Three of these folktales, one from each ethnic group, were turned into animated shorts with the creative input of the storytellers. “The Man Who Married a Dog” (Hmong), “The Spider Man” (Kmhmu), and “What the Buffalo Told the Humans” (Tai Lue) are traditional, yet vibrant, cartoons that will be used by TAEC’s Education and Outreach Team in local primary schools and distributed to libraries and children’s organizations, exposing a whole new audience to the diverse cultural heritage of Laos.

The animated films and a selection of the archival videos will be on display every day at 10am at the Short Film Venue. DVDs of the entire collection will be on sale there and at the LPFF Night Venue.

Meet the storytellers and find out more about this project on Sunday, December 6th at 10am at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre.