Events & Screenings
2023 November 14, Vientiane, Laos
Along with ten short Lao films, MEKONG 2030 will screen as part of EEA Laos Environmental Film Night at the National Culture Hall.
2021 September 3-4, Kulturhuset Longyearbyen
MEKONG 2030 continues a successful run at international festivals; most recently, LPFF’s anthology project has been nominated for an award based on Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, at the Arctic Film Festival, quite a long way from the river valleys of Southeast Asia.
On 9 November 2020, directors Anysay Keola (Laos) and Sai Naw Kham (Myanmar) participated in Q&A sessions about the anthology at the Five Flavours Film Festival.
On 9 November 2020, director Kulikar Sotho (Cambodia) participated in a Q&A at Tokyo International Film Festival about her short film in the anthology.
On 23 October 2020, director Anysay Keola (Laos) and producer Alex Curran-Cardarelli took part in a virtual panel at the Asian Film Archive’s World Online Symposium. The panel was based on based on both the selected films and texts that address ecological, environmental, and public health issues represented in cinema of Asia.
On 28 September 2020, directors Anysay Keola (Laos), Kulikar Sotho (Cambodia), Pham Ngoc Lan (Vietnam), and Sai Naw Kham (Myanmar) participated in a virtual panel discussion with Painting with Light programmers, Pauline Soh and Natalie Khoo. In this dialogue, the filmmakers discussed the genesis of the project, its relation to their artistic practices, and the thinking behind their individual films.
On 10 September 2020, Cambodian director Kulikar Sotho partook in CINEBALU’s ON-LINE webinar “Rivers of Life: A Conversation of Challenges.” Hosted by the Borneo Eco Film Festival, Sotho discussed her MEKONG 2030 short “Soul River” and the issues around rivers and water with other panelists from Sabah.
The complete MEKONG 2030 anthology screened on Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival’s online platform from 9-13 September.
On 3 February 2020, MEKONG 2030 screened to a room of Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand members in Bangkok’s Patumwan neighborhood.
Following the screening, four members of the project team — Executive Producer Gabriel Shaya Kuperman, Lao director Anysay Keola and Myanma director Sai Naw Kham, and Associate Producer Sean Chadwell — participated in a panel discussion about the film, moderated by FCCT member Michael Mackey.
On 2 February 2020, MEKONG 2030 had its first public screening at Bangkok Edge, an ideas festival held at Museum Siam and Chakrabongse Villas.
The screening was preceded by a panel discussion with three filmmakers from the project –– Kulikar Sotho (Cambodia), Anysay Keola (Laos), and Sai Naw Kham (Myanmar) –– moderated by acclaimed Thai film critic Kong Rithdee.
Following the discussion, the audience proceeded to the gardens of Museum Siam for the evening screening of the anthology.
Exclusive Preview at Major Cineplex Vientiane
On 10 December 2019, The Asia Foundation supported an exclusive preview for MEKONG 2030, at Major Platinum Cineplex at Vientiane Center.
The launch kicked off with brief introductory remarks by Executive Producer Gabriel Kuperman and Todd Wassel, the Asia Foundation’s country representative for Laos. After the remarks, the anthology screened to a room of over 250 engaged attendees. Following the screening, LPFF’s Executive Director Sean Chadwell led a panel discussion and Q&A session with the project’s five filmmakers — Kulikar Sotho, Anysay Keola, Sai Naw Kham, Anocha Suwichakornpong, and Pham Ngoc Lan.
After the Q&A, the filmmakers and attendees continued their exchange about the film’s themes at a catered reception, and posed for photos in front of a red carpet backdrop.
Bangkok Screening Room Sneak Peek
On 17 October 2019, a select group of journalists, environmentalists, filmmakers, and NGO workers, gathered at the Bangkok Screening Room for a glimpse into this exciting new film anthology.
The night consisted of screenings of short clips from each film and a behind-the-scenes video, as well as a Q&A session with the directors.
With approximately 60 members in attendance, the audience actively engaged with the screenings, the Q&A, and with each other during the cocktail hour that followed.
