Research and Creation amid Asian Socio-political Sensitivity

Matthew Hunt

Matthew Hunt is the author of “Thai Cinema Uncensored”, the first history of film censorship in Thailand and the first comprehensive survey of Thai political filmmaking. In addition to his academic work, Hunt has been actively involved in journalism and cultural commentary. He was editor of the current affairs magazine Encounter Thailand, and has written magazine articles on the Thai film industry. He was also a lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok, Thailand), teaching courses on journalism and society. He has a master's degree in visual culture from Coventry University (UK). Website: https://www.matthewhunt.com/.

Matthew Hunt will discuss the research process for his book “Thai Cinema Uncensored”, and the outcomes of that process. Challenges included a lack of cooperation from the Thai Ministry of Culture, and the initial reluctance of some directors to talk about their experiences of censorship. The interviews revealed a collective sense of political awakening among the directors, and a consistent set of grievances about the contemporary censorship system. However, the directors differed in their responses to censorship, depending on their commercial and ideological considerations, with some drawing attention and challenging the censors, while others worked under the radar. Previous accounts of Thai film censorship had cited the first film to be censored in the country (in 1923) and then jumped forward to 2007, ignoring the 80-year period in between. Filling in that gap involved an analysis of censorship policy over the last century, revealing its close connection to the country's modern political history.

Amir Muhammad

Amir Muhammad is a prominent Malaysian writer, publisher, and independent filmmaker known for his often-banned, satirical, and highly innovative documentaries, such “The Last Communist” (2006) and “Village People Radio Show” (2007). He is the founder of the production company Kuman Pictures as well as the book publishing company Buku Fixi. As a publisher, he has been responsible for over 300 books. Four of his novels have so far been banned in the past decade, which he recently wrote about in World Literature Today. 

Website: https://www.kumanpictures.com/

In his session, Amir Muhammad will start by sharing a 5-minute video essay, which he made to commemorate the 20th anniversary of release and banning of his documentary “THE LAST COMMUNIST” (2006). He will screen this short and then give a talk on the words and images contained in it, which represents his current thoughts on creativity and censorship in Malaysia in particular. He will also talk about previous Malaysian experiences that he is familiar with, particularly in the realm of literature and cinema. As the founder of the production company Kuman Pictures and the independent publishing house Buku Fixi, Amir has long been involved in projects that engage with cultural and societal questions in Malaysian society.

Sabrina Qiong Yu 

Sabrina Qiong Yu is Professor of Film and Chinese Studies at Newcastle University, UK. Her research and publications primarily focus on Chinese-language cinema, stardom and fan culture, and film censorship. With support from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the British Film Institute (BFI), she established the Chinese Independent Film Archive (CIFA) at Newcastle University, where she currently serves as its director. Since 2012, she has actively curated academic events, film festivals, screenings, and exhibitions related to Chinese independent cinema, and is committed to advancing research into it and its global circulation.

Website: https://www.chinaindiefilm.org/

How can a marginalised collection generate new, unforeseen historical knowledge? And how might the process of building a film archive open up new approaches to researching film culture?

In her talk, Professor Yu addresses these questions by proposing archiving as a research method. Professor Yu will draw experiences on the development of the Chinese Independent Film Archive (CIFA). She discusses key aspects of this process, including acquisition criteria and strategies, methodologies for conducting large-scale oral-history interviews, and the identification and application of keywords across films and interview videos. She also reflects on her hybrid identity as a scholar, curator, and archivist, highlighting both the strengths and limitations of her role as a cultural gatekeeper.

Hajar Mehrani

Hajar Mehrani is an Iranian animation director based in Brussels, with over fifteen years of experience in the field of animation. She has received her master degree at Re:Anima – European Joint Master in Animation; M.A degree in animation from the Art University of Tehran, Iran and her B.A degree in painting from the School of Fine Arts of Tehran University. She has directed various short films and series for which she earned multiple rewards both in her own country and abroad.

Her work primarily focuses on themes of women and freedom, and through her films—particularly those created for international festivals—she seeks to address social issues and challenges, especially in Iran. Drawing inspiration from folkloric and local narratives, she uses a poetic and metaphorical language to express complex ideas in a way that is both evocative and accessible. Her aim is to create works that transcend cultural boundaries and resonate with international audiences on a deeper, more tangible level.

Website: https://hajarmehrani.com/

The session by Hajar Mehrani will include the screening of two of her short animated films, followed by a discussion of the ideas and motivations behind them. Mehrani will also reflect on her creative process, from conceptual development to visual storytelling, and explain how metaphor, symbolism, and narrative structure shape her work.

Through this presentation, she will explore the role of the artist not only as a creator but also as an engaged voice in society, demonstrating how art can function as a powerful medium for expressing social concerns and inspiring reflection and change. Drawing on folkloric and local narratives, Mehrani employs a poetic and metaphorical visual language to convey complex social and political realities. She will discuss how animation can communicate sensitive topics in ways that are both evocative and accessible, allowing stories rooted in a specific cultural context to resonate with audiences across cultural boundaries.

Trương Minh Quý

Trương Minh Quý (Vietnam, 1990) creates films at the intersection of documentary and fiction. He graduated from Le Fresnoy, National Studio of Contemporary Arts in France, in 2021. His narratives and images balance the personal and the impersonal and draw on the landscape of his homeland, childhood memories, and the history of Vietnam. His films have been selected for international film festivals and exhibitions such as Cannes, Berlinale, Locarno, IFFR and the New York Film Festival. Việt and Nam (2024) premiered at Cannes and was selected for Un Certain Regard. His latest film Tóc, Giấy và Nước… [Hair, Paper, Water…] (2025), a sensorial and poetic documentary co-directed with Nicolas Graux, premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, where it won, among other prizes, the Golden Leopard in the Filmmakers of the Present competition.

Trương Minh Quý will reflect on his personal and artistic journey in developing a distinctive avant-garde and low-key filmmaking practice within the context of Vietnam. Known internationally for his poetic and experimental cinematic language, Quý’s work often blends documentary, fiction, memory, and personal reflection to explore themes of history, identity, and landscape.

Quý will discuss how his filmmaking approach emerged outside conventional industry structures, a filmmaking process that embraces minimal production conditions. He will also reflect on his experience working with 16mm film, a medium that offers unique aesthetic qualities but comes with increasing technical and logistical complexities.

Phạm Quang Trung (Việt Vũ) (Phd Researcher)

Phạm Quang Trung (Việt Vũ) is a filmmaker and researcher in the Arts. He has completed a series of films and audio-visual projects across Vietnam, Portugal, Hungary, and Belgium. Working in experimental cinema, docufiction, and alternative narratives, his films uncover forgotten stories within shifting socio-political contexts, foregrounding queer themes and underrepresented communities. His practice often embraces first-person intimacy, fragments, found footage, and disrupted forms of representation. His works have been presented at major European and Asian film festivals, including Locarno, Rotterdam, and Tampere.

Phạm earned a Master’s degree in Documentary Film Directing from DocNomads in 2021 and was also selected as a Berlinale Talents alumnus the same year.  Since September 2022, he has been doing a PhD in the Arts at Sint Lucas Antwerpen (KdG) / ARIA (University of Antwerp), entitled "Queering the Censorship: (Self-)Investigations of an Experimental Filmmaker in Vietnam."

Website:  www.midfieldfocus.com

Phạm Quang Trung (Việt Vũ) is the organizer of this seminar.