Southeast Asia

The seven young Cambodian actresses who were chosen to play the main parts of The Rice People were all born during the Khmer Rouge genocide between 1975 and 1979 or under the subsequent occupation. When they are not on the set, they are all practicing the art of choreography between the walls of the former royal palace of Phnom Penh.

Seventeen-year-old Nhâm lives with his mother, little sister and sister-in-law Ngu in a remote village in Vietnam. His father died in the war, his brother moved away to find work elsewhere. The three work day after day in the rice fields. Between Nhâm and Ngu evolves a quiet, deep relationship. But the beautiful Quyen, who has lived in the USA for years and now returns to her native village even if only for a short time, turns Nhâm's head. Quyen seems to be only marginally aware of Nhâm's growing admiration and not at all aware of Ngus' wordless jealousy. At the same time she meets her former homeland and her idyllic memories with melancholy, but also with increasing distance. Filmmaker Dang Nhat Minh opens our eyes to his Vietnamese homeland in a beautiful way and in the form of a gently told love story, in which after decades of war the normal everyday life of peace returns and ordinary relationships are formed.

Inspired by the famous story “The Abduction of Sita” from the great classic of ancient Indian and South East-Asian literature the Ramayana, OPERA JAWA is a musical like no other in cinema. It tells of a passionate love triangle that leads inexorably to conflict, violence and death. Setio and his wife Siti, run a pottery business in a small village where Ludiro, a powerful and ruthless butcher, controls all the trading activities. When the couple’s business collapses, Ludiro, who has always been in love with Siti, seizes his chance, abducts and tries to seduce her. Inevitably the two men begin to fight over Siti...