Jeremy Colson

Bangkok ~ The second Luang Prabang Film Festival will take place on 3-10 December 2011 in Luang Prabang, the former Royal Capital of Laos, and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ongoing project is dedicated to harnessing the power of film to foster cultural development and plurality in Laos, build regional understanding in Southeast Asia, and support sustainable development.

The festival will present over 30 Southeast Asian films and other curated events throughout the week. All screenings and activities will be free and open to the public. The primary venue will be the outdoor Handicraft Market, at the main intersection in town. Other screenings and exhibitions will take place in non-traditional venues, as Luang Prabang has no working cinemas. The festival will feature films that showcase Southeast Asia’s cultural traditions, artistic heritage, and contemporary socio-political issues from a broad range of filmmakers and countries.

Exhibitions, panel discussions and children’s workshops during the festival, and the year leading up to it, will target Lao residents and Southeast Asian filmmakers, but also benefit international visitors. Notably, LPFF is working closely with UNESCO, the French Cultural Center, and the Department of Cinema to curate special exhibitions in venues around town that reflect the history of film in the country and region. There will also be a showcase of contemporary short-form works of talented Lao filmmakers.

LPFF plans to hold lectures and workshops during the festival to encourage more domestic filmmaking and regional collaboration. The official Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be open to the public, each followed by VIP parties for invited guests, featuring performances by local artists and attended by regional celebrities.

After the festival, a selection of the films will tour several other provinces in Laos, exposing a larger segment of the population, especially those in more rural communities, to this form of cultural expression.
By the end of 2011, the project will have screened over 60 indigenous Southeast Asian films reaching 18,000 in audiences, supported the production and screening of 30 local student-produced films, and provided the government with professional training in international cultural activity planning.

The Luang Prabang Film Festival is organized in partnership with the Department of Cinema (of the Ministry of Information, Culture & Tourism), with the support of the Lao Journalists’ Association, and is endorsed by UNESCO Bangkok.