Southeast Asian cinema

Southeast Asian cinema is the film industry and films produced in, or by natives of, Southeast Asia. It includes any films produced in Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Southeast Asian cinema is a sub-section of continental Asian cinema, which in turn comes under the umbrella term of World cinema, a term used in some anglophone countries to describe any foreign language films.

The far east as a cultural block includes East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Key figures

Burma

• Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi – Burma Film director and founder of the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival. (Beyond the Dream and The Last Poem)
• Kyi Soe Tun – Burma's most prominent director. His films include Upstream and Blood.

Cambodia

• Haing S. Ngor – Academy Award-winning Cambodian-American actor (The Killing Fields)
• Rithy Panh – French-schooled filmmaker.
• Tim Pek -Australian film producer.
• Tea Lum Kun - Director of the highly acclaimed film The King Snake's Wife.

Indonesia

• Usmar Ismail – One of Pioneer of Indonesian Films ( After The Curfew )
• Teguh Karya – Director ( Badai Pasti Berlalu , Ibunda )
• Christine Hakim – Veteran actress (Whispering Sands , Tjoet Nja Dien ).
• Dian Sastrowardoyo – Popular actress (Whispering Sands).
• Garin Nugroho – Director (Opera Jawa).
• Sjumandjaja – Director (Si Doel Anak Modern).
• Aria Dewa – Director (Identitas).
• Riri Riza – Director of Gie.
• Joko Anwar – Director, Actor ( Forbidden Door, Dead Time, A Copy of My Mind )
• Teddy Soeriaatmadja – Director ( Lovely Man , Something In The Way )
• Iko Uwais - Martial-Arts Actor ( Merantau , The Raid : Redemption , The Raid 2 : Berandal )

Laos

• Som Ock Southiponh – Independent director, producer and screenwriter (Red Lotus).

Malaysia

• P. Ramlee – Leading man, screenwriter and director.
• U-Wei Bin Hajisaari - Director and screenwriter
• Abdul Razak Mohaideen – Director.

Philippines

• Nora Aunor - Internationally Award winning Actress (Himala), (Thy Womb)
• Ishmael Bernal - Director (Himala)
• Lino Brocka - Internationally acclaimed director (Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag).
• Rogelio de la Rosa - Pre-World War II matinee idol
• Gerardo de Leon - Director (Banaue)
• Mike de Leon - Director (Kisapmata)
• Maryo J. de los Reyes - Director (Magnifico)
• Lav Diaz - Internationally Acclaimed Director (Norte, the End of History), (From What Is Before)
• Eddie Garcia - Veteran actor/director
• José Nepomuceno - The Father of the Philippine Cinema
• Brillante Mendoza - Cannes prize-winning film director (Kinatay)
• Eddie Romero - Awarded National Artist of the Philippines
• Vilma Santos - Veteran Actress (Anak)

Singapore

• Eric Khoo – Acclaimed director (Be with Me).
• Jack Neo – Popular Singaporean actor and director (I Not Stupid).
• Royston Tan – Acclaimed filmmaker (15, 881)

Thailand

• Apichatpong Weerasethakul – Cannes-prize winning Thai avant garde director (Blissfully Yours, Tropical Malady).
• Chatrichalerm Yukol – Veteran director (The Legend of Suriyothai, King Naresuan).
• Nonzee Nimibutr – Director and producer who influenced the Thai industry's pan-Asian directions (Nang Nak, Jan Dara).
• The Pang Brothers – Although born in Hong Kong, these twin-brother filmmakers got their start in Thailand and made Bangkok Dangerous in 1999 and The Eye, a pan-Asian co-production in 2002.
• Pen-Ek Ratanaruang – "New wave" director (Last Life in the Universe, Invisible Waves).
• Tony Jaa – Action star (Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Tom-Yum-Goong).
• Wisit Sasanatieng – "New wave" director (Tears of the Black Tiger, Citizen Dog)

Vietnam

• Tran Anh Hung – French-trained expatriate director of Cyclo and other films.
• Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh – (Buffalo Boy)
• Dang Nhat Minh – (Girl on the River, Guava Season)
• Tony Bui – (Yellow Lotus, Green Dragon)
• Ringo Le - Vietnamese-American film director ("Saigon Love Story")
• Dustin Nguyen – Vietnamese-American actor.
• Johnny Tri Nguyen – Vietnamese-American stuntman and actor (Tom-Yum-Goong, Saigon Eclipse)

See also

• Cinema of the world
• World cinema
• Asian cinema
• East Asian cinema
• South Asian cinema
• Middle Eastern cinema

Further reading

• Contemporary Asian Cinema, Anne Tereska Ciecko, editor. Berg, 2006. ISBN 1-84520-237-6
• Southeast Asian Independent Cinema, Tilman Baumgärtel, editor. Hong Kong University Press, 2012. ISBN 978-988-8083-61-9

External links

• Criticine.com - Manila-based scholarly journal on Southeast Asian cinema.
• Asian Film Archive - Singapore-based organization founded to preserve the film heritage of Singapore and Asian cinema.
• EngageMedia - Social and environmental focused documentary film in Southeast Asia.