All the filmmakers in the Focus will also be invited.
Geographical focus:
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Films produced between 2015 and 2024
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countries represented (Cambodia / Indonesia / Malaysia / Myanmar / Philippines / Singapore / Thailand / Vietnam)
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films premiering at the festival
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creations by digital artist NiceAunties shown for the first time at the festival
Blooming Cinema
Southeast Asia in Focus
“Cinema is not just about telling stories; it’s about finding new ways to see ourselves.” — Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Over the past decade, Southeast Asia has emerged as one of the most dynamic regions in world cinema. From the lush landscapes of the Thailand to the restless streets of Manila, from the poetic silences of Vietnam to the raw immediacy of Indonesia, a new generation of filmmakers has been reshaping the language of film. Their stories — intimate, urgent, and unapologetically personal — have found their way to major festivals around the world, earning critical acclaim and revealing a cinematic voice that is distinctly their own.
This Focus celebrates that wave of emerging talent. In a region alive with change, young filmmakers have turned the camera into a tool of reflection, resilience, and reinvention. Their films capture the heartbeat of societies in transformation: the push and pull between tradition and modernity, the search for identity, the quiet revolutions of everyday life. It is a cinema born out of energy, curiosity, and the need to be heard.
Among the filmmakers featured, Wregas Bhanuteja (Indonesia) — whose work has shone at Cannes and Berlin — stands alongside Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (Philippines), twice a Student Award winner at Clermont-Ferrand. Nelson Yeo (Singapore) continues to captivate with his multi-awarded short films, while Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Thailand) has brought his distinct vision to major European festivals. From the Philippines, Sam Manacsa’s recent selection at Venice signals another powerful voice in the region’s new wave. Amanda Nell Eu (Malaysia), whose feature Tiger Stripes was awarded at the Semaine de la Critique in Cannes, presents two shorts here and also joins the Lab jury. And Hồng Anh Nguyễn (Vietnam) brings a fresh and fearless perspective, having recently received a Queer special mention at Clermont-Ferrand.
Alongside this main Focus, brief glimpses into our Blood and Collections programmes offer a look at Southeast Asia’s genre innovation and cinematic heritage — each reflecting the same vitality that fuels the region’s creative pulse.
Together, these selections offer a vivid panorama of a cinema in full bloom. The Southeast Asian short film movement is not only redefining its own borders — it is redefining the future of cinema itself.
Come discover the voices shaping tomorrow. Feel the pulse of a young cinema finding its power.
Programmes outside Panorama section related to Southeast Asia
Since the 1970s, genre cinema has carved out a special place for itself in Southeast Asia. It has allowed filmmakers to outwit censorship and deliver barely veiled social criticism through an abundance of monsters, ghosts, and gory effects. Drawing on this legacy, here are seven fierce short films where Asian mythologies and demons mingle with a social violence that’s sometimes even more unsettling. Have a great trip to the “Extreme” East!
This special program proudly commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Thai Short Film and Video Festival, an event jointly organized by the Thai Film Foundation in collaboration with the Thai Film Archive. Holding the distinguished title of Thailand’s longest-running film event, the festival, though it began on a humble scale, quickly evolved into the nation’s essential hub for nurturing cinematic talent.
It has served as the crucial launchpad for the debut works of many of today’s most accomplished Thai directors — including masters of both mainstream blockbusters and challenging arthouse cinema. More than just a screening, the festival is the enduring creative home of the short film community, dedicated to showcasing the vital works that define the past three decades of Thai independent cinema.
This program features a curated selection of seminal short films from celebrated alumni, including Parkpoom Wongpoom, Aditya Assarat, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, Jirassaya Wongsutin, Tulapop Saenjaroen, and Anocha Suwichakornpong.
And as an added bonus…
A masterclass
Trần Anh Hùng (Vietnam) is a French-Vietnamese filmmaker. His first feature, The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes ans was selected to represent France at the Oscars. More recently, he directed The Taste of Things, presented at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. He will serve as a jury member for the 2026 International Competition and will give an exceptional masterclass — an opportunity to look back on his career, explore his unique approach to cinema and creative process, and dive into the emotion and memory that run through his body of work.
Photo credit © Marie Rouge
Some guests
Amanda Nell Eu (Malaysia) is a filmmaker and screenwriter. Her short film Lagi Senang Jaga Sekandang Lembu was presented in competition at Venice and received a Special Mention at Clermont-Ferrand. Her debut feature, Tiger Stripes, won the Grand Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2023 and was selected by Malaysia to compete in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. She will serve as a jury member for the Lab Competition.
Flavours of Southeast Asia
Just like cinema, cuisine is a living cultural practice — an art of sharing and togetherness.
To accompany this focus on Southeast Asian cinema, we invite you on a culinary journey through a region whose traditions are as rich as they are diverse. In collaboration with a partner who shares our vision of gastronomy — one that goes beyond the plate — we aim to highlight cuisine as a wonderful way to weave connections and foster community, a true social and cultural endeavor. This moment will offer festivalgoers the chance to discover other wonders to share, resonating with the films shown on screen.
Selection committee
Tim Redford, Lucas Brunier-Mestas.
Partner
