This screening will be introduced by Hilary Yeo, curator of the programme

BASS BOSS (2025)
Director: Rana Ghose
Runtime: 18 minutes
Country: Canada, UK, India
Language: Bengali with English subtitles
Rating: PG

Synopsis

Step into the thunderous heart of Bengal’s dek bass scene through the lens of DJ Khobir. BASS BOSS immerses viewers in the monumental sound system battles that define the region, where streets and warehouses erupt with bass that reverberates through body and space. Ghose’s film balances intimacy and humor, revealing the people, practices, and DIY ingenuity behind the booming setups, and the subcultural roots that drive Khobir and his community. A sonic journey into one of India’s loudest, most fiercely creative music movements.

Budots: Budots: The Craze (2019)
Director: Jay Rosas, Mark Limbaga
Runtime: 23 minutes
Country: Philippines
Language: Cebuano, Bisaya with English subtitles
Rating: PG13

Synopsis

From the streets of Davao City to global internet virality, Budots traces the explosive rise of the Philippines’ most unpredictable dance craze. Driven by uncoordinated, freestyle movements and a chaotic mix of electronic beats and digital noise, this documentary uncovers the grassroots origins of a national phenomenon through the eyes of an internet bum and his local community. It’s a kinetic portrait of a sound and dance culture that defies conventional rhythm, yet pulses with infectious energy.

COSMOS Embassy: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2023)
Director: Zach Sch
Runtime: 60 minutes
Country: Vietnam
Language: Vietnamese with English subtitles
Rating: PG13

Synopsis

Shot on VHS and early 2000s handheld cameras scavenged from Saigon’s secondhand markets, Cosmos Embassy maps Ho Chi Minh City’s vibrant musical ecosystem through intimate conversations and fragmented performances. From experimental band Rắn Cạp Đuôi to traditional masters like Châu Minh Tâm and Hoàng Tuấn, the film captures the collision of contemporary and ancestral sounds, the pressures of daily life, and the rhythms of communal customs. A tactile, immersive reflection on the sonic and cultural currents flowing through Vietnam’s vibrant city.

For more screenings of the programme Pulse/Drift, please click here. 

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