5 Exclusive
Masterclasses
Gain insights into the ideas and working methods of 5 leading documentary festival programmers, documentary filmmakers, and key documentary producers from Asia.
Tickets now available!
Exclusive Masterclass :
Makiko Wakai
The New Asian Currents program coordinator of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF).
YIDFF is one of the world’s most prestigious documentary festivals, a destination many documentary filmmakers dream of joining. The films selected for YIDFF are highly distinctive, and in this masterclass, Makiko Wakai will share how the festival approaches film selection, which Thai documentary filmmakers have participated in the past, and why.
In addition, she has recently served as an Asian film programmer for the world-renowned International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
This is a rare opportunity to gain insight into her perspective on film selection.
Saturday, August 23 / 2:30 PM / Century Sukhumvit
Screening of the documentaries Radiance and GAMA (71 minutes), both selected by Wakai
Followed by the masterclass
Exclusive Masterclass :
Wood Lin
Program Director of Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF)
If you were to name one of Asia’s most respected and long-standing film programmers and festival organizers, Wood Lin would surely be among the top. He has served as Program Director of the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) since 2013 and is currently also a Program Advisor for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
In this masterclass, Wood Lin will share his perspective on documentary film selection and reveal how world-class festivals think and operate.
Saturday, August 23 / 5:00 PM / Century Sukhumvit
Screening of the documentaries Liberty Square and Colour Ideology Sampling.mov (71 minutes), both selected by Wood Lin
Followed by the masterclass
Exclusive Masterclass :
Kim Dong-ryung
A Filmmaker Specializing in Exploring Wounds and Spaces
A documentary filmmaker deeply experienced in exploring areas within former or current military zones in South Korea, she often revisits the same locations over long periods, presenting their stories through a distinctly female perspective.
Kim Dong-ryeong began documenting the daily lives of US military camp towns through photography and moving images in 2004. She released her first feature-length documentary American Alley in 2009, winning the Ogawa Shinsuke Prize at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF). Soon after, she co-directed Tour of Duty (2013) with Park Kyoung-tae, which won the Special Prize at YIDFF. Her most recent work is the docufiction The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin (2019).
In this masterclass, we will explore her documentary practice – how, even when revisiting the same subjects repeatedly and working without large-scale productions, her films achieve remarkable success and carry extraordinary power.
Wednesday, August 27 / 4:00 PM / Century Sukhumvit
Screening of Tour of Duty (150 minutes), winner of the Special Prize at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF)
Followed by the masterclass with Kim Dong-ryeong
Exclusive Masterclass :
Peter Yam
Hong Kong film producer and member of the AMPAS Documentary Branch.
A Hong Kong producer and member of the AMPAS Documentary Branch, he is behind a string of acclaimed documentaries that have traveled the world and won numerous awards. His works include Yellowing (winner of the Ogawa Shinsuke Award at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival), Lost Course (Golden Horse Award for Best Documentary), The Sunny Side of the Street (Golden Horse Awards for Best New Director, Best Leading Actor, and Best Original Screenplay), ROOM 404 (selected for the 74th Berlinale Forum Expanded), Another Home (winner of the Mecenat Award at the Busan International Film Festival), and his most celebrated film, Blue Island, which won the Best International Documentary award at Hot Docs, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals held in Canada.
Most recently, he produced Unrest, a Thai documentary by Thunska Pansittivorakul (co-produced with Doc Club Originals). In this masterclass, we’ll be talking about his project selection process, working methods, fundraising, pitching, and grant writing – essential knowledge for anyone in the documentary field.
Thursday, August 28 / 4:10 PM / Century Sukhumvit
Screening of Another Home (84 minutes)
Followed by the masterclass with Peter Yam
Exclusive Masterclass :
Zhang Mengqi
A Documentary Director Who Brings the “Private Sphere” to the World Stage
Zhang Mengqi is one of the few female documentary directors from China whose work has reached an international audience. What’s particularly remarkable is that over the past decade, her films have consistently focused on exploring the self, family, village life, femininity, identity, and relationships – subjects that may seem intimate and narrowly defined, yet she delves deeply and presents them with rich complexity and nuance.
Zhang is a founding member of the Folk Memory Project. She has made 11 feature-length documentaries, known as Self-Portrait series. Her films have been selected by the BFI London Film Festival, Cinéma du Réel, Visions du Réel, etc. Her films won the White Goose Award at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival; BIFF Mecenat Award at Busan International Film Festival; The Jean Vigo prize for Best Director; The Youth prize for Best Film at Punto de Vista and Best Feature Film at Festival internacional de cine independiente de cosquín; International Competition Award of Excellence at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.
How does she think, work, and push her projects forward? In this masterclass, we’ll have an in-depth conversation with her.
Friday, August 29 / 2:30 PM / Century Sukhumvit
Screening of Self-Portrait Fairy Tale in 47 KM (109 minutes)
Followed by the masterclass with Zhang Mengqi
