LAYAR is a forum to work with the legacy of Asian cinema involving professionals from Southeast Asia and Japan who are resourceful about the region’s heritage. Each participant is invited to curate one film title or compilation and present its significance to Asian history. Each person is asked to screen one film of minimum 60 minutes and maximum 150 minutes in duration and present a background story of why this particular one was chosen to be shared in Asian context.
This forum in an attempt of opening new spaces of friendly interaction and sharing common histories, through looking back at the region’s past. Cinema acts as the vehicle that ushers this forum to explore stories beyond interactions between states and governments, creating a more pluralistic bond in Asia.
Diverse topics are covered in the discussions about history in Asia and there was time to make informal comments, reflect on similarities or differences in each cases. Several keywords on Asian history were identified from the discussion which connect different topics and give an insight to link different historical periods or subjects. These keywords will be a useful point of reference in developing future programs or discussion about heritage in Asia.
- Related Countries
- Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar
From the Organizer
The opportunity to get together between professionals related to film heritage of Asia very rarely happens in Asia. Although the professionals occasionally meet, it is usually to present their work and more often than not it happens outside of Asia. There has been very little space for deep and relaxed exchange or even a reflection. It is a sad fact and we intend to change it with LAYAR Forum. The first meeting in November 2018 was very resourceful, intimate and energizing. We are looking forward to share thoughts that have been explored during this forum with the Asian public and continue to provide this space of collective thinking in the future. The Japan Foundation Asia Center Grant Program for Promotion of Cultural Collaboration was very crucial in realizing our vision. We are grateful for their faith and support in our abstract idea, without which such close encounter would not have been possible.
