Asian Art Dialogue: Film Preservation and Cultural Memory in Southeast Asia

2nd November 2020
The University of Melbourne via Zoom
A panel discussion with film archivists Chew Tee Pao, Rosemarie Roque and Zakiah (Kiki) on the topic of Art and Film in the Asian Region. Moderated by Duncan Caillaird.

In 2001, film archivist Sam Ho argued that “The heritage of film in Asia is particularly fragile…not so much because of snobbish rejection of a new and popular medium but simply due to indifference” (Ho 2001, 2). Since then, the global film industry has been revolutionised by digital technologies, transforming how screen media is produced, distributed and exhibited, but also how it is preserved. Over the same period, Southeast Asian cinema has become increasingly prominent within global art cinema, famous for its daring auteurs, exciting genres and fusion of film style with contemporary art. These two entangled forces provide new opportunities for film archivists to share SEA film histories with new audiences across the world, but also new challenges to preserve media stored on increasingly volatile technologies. This panel brings together film archivists from across Southeast Asia to address some of the challenges and opportunities in this new digital environment: what is the current state of film preservation in Southeast Asia? What role does film archiving serve in preserving national memory—especially among post-colonies? How do digital technologies impact their work? And what is the future of film preservation in the region?