With more than 20 years’ experience working on Southeast Asian cinema as a senior programmer at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Gertjan Zuilhof has developed close relationships with many of the region’s filmmakers and affinities with their works. The SEA of Sadness programme is a culmination of his curatorial experience. Previously presented at the 2018 edition of the Taiwan International Documentary Festival, the programme is now being presented for the first time in Southeast Asia at the Asian Film Archive.

The diverse range of films selected for the programme represents the high quality of original work produced in Southeast Asia over the last two decades. The sadness indicated in the title of the programme does not only mean that the films are concerned with sadness as an emotion, but also that they are sensitive, personal, and made with genuine feeling, delving deep into the memories and hopes of the people in the countries they were made in.

About the Guest Curator

Gertjan Zuilhof studied History of Art at Leiden University, where he became addicted to movies and began his career as a programmer at a small arthouse cinema. He became a film critic after graduation for a small but intellectually prestigious magazine, before becoming a programmer for the Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR) for over 25 years.

With IFFR, he created many special programmes, developed his own style of installation exhibitions, and specialised in the cinemas of Asia and Africa. One of his more ambitious film exhibitions, titled Discovering the Other, was presented in 2007 at the Palace Museum in Taipei. At the moment, he is a freelance film programmer and has worked for several Asian film festivals in Beijing (Beijing Independent Film Festival), Taipei (Taiwan International Documentary Festival), Yogyakarta (Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival), and Malaysia (SeaShorts Festival).

*BUNDLE PACKAGE*
3 tickets: $20 || 5 tickets: $30
(U.P. $10 per ticket)

The bundle ticket packages are available for purchase only at Oldham Theatre’s Box Office. Click here for opening hours. 

SEA of Sadness runs till 28 August 2019