#feffcampus2018

FEFF CAMPUS 2018 - LUKASZ MANKOWSKI

Coming from the coldest region of Poland – Suwałki city - that is famous not only thanks to its cold temperature (and alcohol) but also warm-hearted people, my name is Łukasz Mańkowski and I’m a Japanese Studies and Film Studies student from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Thorn, Poland.

Since as long as I can remember watching films at some point was my escape from reality, but also the reason for willing to come back to it. The exquisite journey with Asian cinema, which I hope won’t end in Udine, started with inspiring sessions provided by Japanese classics.

Experience of Asian cinema shaped the way I am now. It was the reason i have pursued further efforts in the sphere of culture and self-exploration. For that reason I decided to give Japanese and Cultural Studies (sp. Film) a shot and during that time I have managed to go to Japan for the Ashinaga Foundation Internship twice, living there half a year in total. The breakthrough in my film journey was undoubtedly Warsaw’s Five Flavours Film Festival where I managed to be a part of People’s Jury. That experience moulded some ideas in my mind – that I want to create my own festival. Co-running a blog about Asian cinema is also the thing I’m really proud of (れferat Filmowy on Facebook), and I also plan to post about FEFF’s ongoing films.

FEFF CAMPUS 2018 - ALFONSE CHIU

My long and winding journey with Asian cinema started fairly early, but came mainly in the form of anime - I was weaned on a diet of Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii and, naturally, Hayao Miyazaki - which gave way to the Japanese masters like Keisuke Kinoshita, Akira Kurosawa, and Yasujirō Ozu. I moved further away from cinema in general during my formative years to focus on literary criticism, but I moved back into film (South East Asian cinema in particular) after being selected for the Singapore International Film Festival's own Youth Critic Programme, the first edition of which I participated in. I have gone on to head SINdie.sg,

Singapore's oldest independent film publication, and also contributed to other organisations and magazines, like the National Museum of Singapore film journal Cinematheque and Art Republik.

I am mainly interested in regional cinema now, because I feel that it is an area where vibrant storytelling and storytellers are emerging with films that are beyond the confines of an “Asian kitsch” canon: with filmmakers like Anocha Suwichakornpong, Mattie Do, and Mouly Surya who are dealing with cross-interpretations of the moving images that are brilliant and thought-provoking.

FEFF CAMPUS 2018 - WENDI SIA

I’d like to call myself a writer but I’m not sure if I write enough to fit that description. By profession, I have written about sports and health, arts and entertainment, travel and adventure, and advertising across various media. By passion, I am writing a novel about Indochina fables and an anthology of short stories inspired by the indigenous people of Southeast Asia.

At the FEFF Campus, I hope to discover and collect new perspectives and stories from people of varying cultures and backgrounds, and experience the exchange of ideas and build potential collaboration for future efforts between East and West cinemas.

Films intrigue me mostly with their variety of storylines; the very fact that there are diverse ways to write and tell a story from many different points of views. Watching and studying films and literature, both from the East and West, I noticed that there exists a distinct narrative structure between the hemispheres. It’s known as the East-West dichotomy - the popular form of Western narrative model of the “hero’s journey” and the Eastern narrative model of kishōtenketsu. I love to dissect and deconstruct how different cultures affect the way a story is told and interpreted.

FEFF CAMPUS 2018 - GENTIANA KOLNREKAJ

I graduated in Public Relations at the University of Udine almost two years ago and during my time at university I attended a cinema course about the process of filmmaking that allowed me to develop valuable skills such as screenplay writing, production, direction and editing.

During the FEFF Campus I really hope I can learn more about the field of production which is something which I’m very interested. What I like most about films is that they make me feel emotions. They leave me thinking about the theme and the plot and I enjoy nothing more than talking about movies with my friends.

So, in this way, cinema is not just entertainment but also a way to explore different issues such as identity, politics, society and the meaning of life itself. In terms of Asian cinema, I like that is different from what I am used to - from the culture and traditions to the way people interact with each other - and that I can learn so much by just watching a film that was created so far away. But I believe that the power of films transcends culture and geographic locations, and that the best films are universal.