Ramkhamhaeng University to showcase films over 3 days

Ramkhamhaeng University to showcase films over 3 days

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Ramkhamhaeng University to showcase films over 3 days
Emma. Photo © CherryBlue

Ramkhamhaeng University isn't a usual destination for film-goers. But there's good reason to be there today, when the university hosts the 2nd Ramkhamhaeng Asean Film Festival and Conference (RAFF) at its campus, with a programme of seven films from Southeast Asia.

The three-day film showcase opens today with acclaimed Indonesian film Emma, a moving tale of maternal pride and struggle in which a woman navigates a society wherein polygamy is acceptable. The film is set in Sulawesi in 1960 and is an honest portrait of the community during a time of great social change.

The director of the film, Riri Riza, is one of the best-known artists in Indonesia. This afternoon he will take part in a roundtable to discuss the state of filmmaking in Southeast Asia, and will be presented with the Raff Professional Achievement Award at the opening ceremony this evening.

Tomorrow the festival will screen You Mean The World To Me, a Malaysian film by Saw Teong Hin, which tells the story of a filmmaker who returns to his home in Penang in order to shoot a movie and reconcile with his family; this will be followed by hit Thai short film That Day Of The Month by Jirassaya Wongsutin, in which two high-school girls are bonded by the fact that they always have their period simultaneously. The last film shown tomorrow is Ordinary People, a Filipino film by Eduardo W. Roy, which tells the story of homeless teenagers in Manila.

On Friday, the highlight is Bundit Sintanaparadee's new film I Want You To Be, a coming-of-age drama about a woman and her gay best friend. The festival closes with the Vietnamese Yellow Flowers On The Green Grass by Victor Vu, a children's film about two brothers competing for the affection of a young girl.

RAFF is open free to the public and takes place at Room 322, Sukhothai Building, Ramkhamhaeng University. Visit the Rufilmfest Facebook page for details and screening schedule.

That Day Of The Month. Photo: Jirassaya Wongsuthin

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