Oct 20–Nov 20, 2005

Whose Terror is it Anyway?

Curator: Philip Cheah

Film programme

The origins and legacy of terror in Southeast Asia are the focus of this series. In many countries in the region, state, political and individual terror have led to mass murder and terrible bloodshed. How do people come to terms with these traumatic experiences, and what effects do they have on today’s society?

The films, which have all been made in the last five years, were selected by Philip Cheah, the director of the Singapore International Film Festival. They show the entire spectrum of artists’ strategies for confronting these topics. In documentary reports and portraits, survivors and perpetrators share their memories. The feature films include adaptations of novels as well as semi-fictional family sagas, political dramas, and even comedies. In many cases, these films represent a new direction for their commercially successful film makers, who have now decided to examine the darker side of history in their works.

Another important focus of the series is evoked in the nearly eleven-hour long epic, "The Evolution of a Filipino Family", which follows village life in a jungle in the Philippines. The "Long Night of Short Films", an event in and of itself, closes with a performance of DJs. Groups of pre-eminent panellists composed of film makers from the film series will discuss the world of Southeast Asian film.


Within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Weeks, which are supported by the Stiftung Deutsche Klassenlotterie Berlin (DKLB).