The Luang Prabang Film Festival celebrates the best of Southeast Asian cinema

DID you know that Laos has only one place to watch films on the big screen and that’s at Vientiane Center? According to Hollywood Reporter, the country’s last theatre in the city, the Sieng Savan, ceased operation in the 1980s. For close to three decades, locals have been stripped of the film-going experience.

So what do film-lovers do as a substitute? At the start of every December since 2010, the UNESCO World Heritage former royal capital of Laos is transformed into an open-air theatre during the Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF).

LPFF was founded by Gabriel Kuperman, an American expat who previously worked in the film industry and television in New York, with a strong passion for both films and the old capital city.

The city of Luang Prabang is turned into a sea of blue with the setting up of 800 blue chairs for the outdoor cinema as well as screens rigged on garden lawns, within the walls of five-star hotels, and at the central market.

Just like its geography, wherein the city lies in a valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, LPFF converge the boldest storytellers and the strongest voices from across Southeast Asia. The yearly event curates films from ten countries and spotlights a selection of films to celebrate Southeast Asian Cinema.

The sixth edition will run from 5 to 9 December, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Luang Prabang’s listing as a Unesco World Heritage site. LPFF has just recently released its line-up which includes Liew Seng Tat’s Men Who Saved the World and Woo Ming Jin’s The Second Life of Thieves as invited films from Malaysia.

Moreover, LPFF will also have multiple short film programs, including selections from the Cambodian Chaktomuk Short Film Festival and the short film competition from the Laos-based Vientianale. Furthermore, there will be a presentation of 21 videos and three animated films featuring ethnic minority women in Laos telling traditional folktales.

And the best thing about LPFF? All screenings and activities of the festival are free and open to the public!

Here are all the films of LPFF 2015:

1. Above it All (Laos)
2. The Act of Killing (Indonesia)
3. The Cambodian Space Project (Cambodia)
4. Crocodile (Philippines)
5. Dandelion (Vietnam)
6. Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere (Vietnam)
7. Gems on the Run (Cambodia)
8. Hanuman (Cambodia)
9. I Fine Thank You Love You (Thailand)
10. I Love You! (Laos)
11. The Last Executioner (Thailand)
12. The Last Reel (Cambodia)
13. The Look of Silence (Indonesia)
14. Mariquina (Philippines)
15. The Monk (Myanmar)
16. Ms J Contemplates Her Choice (Singapore)
17. My Teacher (Laos)
18. Pu Bao Tai Ban – Isaan Indy (Thailand)
19. Really Love 2 (Laos)
20. The Search for Weng Weng (Philippines)
21. Siti (Indonesia)
22. Slam! (Singapore)
23. Somboon (Thailand)
24. Still I Strive (Cambodia)
25. That Thing Called Meant-To-Be (Philippines)
26. Village of Hope (Thailand)

For more information on the festival, visit www.lpfilmfest.org or stay up to date at www.facebook.com/lpfilmfest