THE 7TH BANGKOK EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL

EXPLORE THE BOUNDLESS WORLD OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM AT THE 7TH BANGKOK EXPERIMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL (BEFF7) UNDER THE THEME ‘NOWHERE SOMEWHERE,’ WHICH DELVES INTO THE BLURRED BOUNDARY STATES OF VARIOUS MATTERS

TEXT: SUTHASINEE SUTTHASO
PHOTO CREDIT AS NOTED

(For Thai, press  here)

How do we tend to picture a film—or, for that matter, a movie? And what springs to mind when we hear the term ‘experimental film?’ These were the questions I found myself pondering while attending the 7th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival (BEFF7), a storied event making its comeback after more than 12 years away from the public eye.

If you had asked my childhood self to define a film, I would have described it simply as a narrative told through moving images and sound, following a clear, linear path: a problem arises, a turning point ensues, and then we race toward a climax before everything resolves. Yet as I grew older and began exploring off-mainstream and experimental cinema, that once-straightforward definition evolved. So what, exactly, is the allure of experimental film? Perhaps it is the film’s ability to reject linear storytelling—or to forgo conventional storytelling altogether—giving the viewer free rein to interpret. Therein lies the sense of endless novelty, as creators often deploy any methods they please, shaping the work into a language unique to them. This personal signature is on full display at the festival.

Returning this year under the theme Nowhere Somewhere, BEFF7 embraces the liminal space between life and death, imagination and reality, and the blurred boundary between art and cinema. Staged across the 2nd and 3rd floors of the One Bangkok Form building, it broadens the conversation around experimental film by incorporating Experimental Performances, Experimental Music Performances, and Installations (featured for the first time this year). These elements sit alongside workshops, panel discussions, and a generous lineup of film screenings. Since the festival features quite an extensive lineup, I’ll share here just a few highlights from the day I attended.

On the second floor, visitors encounter an array of 16 mm film projectors—presented not as mere tools but as installation pieces. Created by Thai artist Nipan Oranniwesna in collaboration with the Thai Film Archive, these objects invite viewers to wander, observe, and ponder. It’s particularly revealing to step back to take in a wider view. From this perspective, you begin to sense the artist’s interest in how people interact with a space, prompting a fresh look at how the notion of the ‘moving image’ can extend beyond a conventional screen.

Nipan Oranniwesna’s work also evokes memories of film-viewing experiences, which for many of us are now largely associated with digital formats. Seeing 16 mm film projectors immediately brings to mind the Italian classic Cinema Paradiso (1988), a film that follows the life of a small-town projectionist in the only standalone cinema in his community—one that ultimately closes when television arrives and audiences drift away. Reflecting on these recollections, it becomes clear that this installation engages us by transporting the viewers back through the history of cinema, illuminating the existence of the people who once operated these analog machines before the modern era took over. Faint patches of peeling grey paint on parts of the projectors hint at the passage of time, underscoring the poignant inevitability of change.

At the heart of the event’s film program was Retrospective: Sasithorn Ariyavicha’s Films from 1991–2004, a collection of works by the Thai experimental filmmaker whose career straddled the transition from film to video. The selection featured three short films shot on 16mm—titles that premiered at this festival two decades ago—alongside Birth of the Seanéma (2004), her final experimental work. Shot on DV, the film is assembled from raw footage into a drifting, dreamlike seascape—soft-edged, abstract, and wordless. Without narrative or voiceover, it instead incorporates invented text into its imagery, using the sea as a vessel for memory, dreams, and emotion, its waves carrying the weight of the unsaid in a way that feels almost poetic.

Also commanding attention was Small Hours of the Night (2024) by Singaporean director Daniel Hui. Inspired by Singapore’s political history, the film explores themes of freedom through the perspective of a female prisoner, unfolding entirely within the confines of a solitary cell. Notably, we learned that the film has been banned in Singapore, its home country. During a post-screening Q&A, Hui offered a thought-provoking reflection:

“Oppression, shaped by unequal structures and power, isn’t just something imposed upon us by the state—it’s something we ourselves help sustain. I often feel that prisoners, after years of confinement, possess a deeper sense of freedom than anyone I’ve ever met. Freedom exists within us all, and we should nurture it, let it grow.”

One of the highlights on the third floor was A Conversation with the Sun, a VR installation by Apichatpong Weerasethakul in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Katsuya Taniguchi. Previously showcased at Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai 2023, the work was among the most sought-after experiences of the festival. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to see it, as tickets for the available time slots had already been fully booked.

But that was fine—just next door, Cosmorama offered a compelling immersive encounter. Created by five artists—Chantana Tiprachart, Domenico Singha Pedroli, Jeanne Penjan Lassus, Miti Ruangkritya, and Pathompon Tesprateep—the installation featured moving images projected across three large screens, each narrating stories rooted in the artists’ individual interests. Yet, when these visuals played in tandem with the low, resonant sound and reverberations seeping through from A Conversation with the Sun, a fascinating synchronicity emerged. The provided reclining beds encouraged audiences to sit or lie down as they absorbed the experience, and in doing so, it felt as though the five artists were weaving a single, unified narrative rather than five distinct perspectives.

Despite the personal imprints each artist brings to their work, the essence of BEFF is its ability to create an open space where audiences can interpret these films in their own way—free from any constraints of right or wrong, whether they fully grasp the work or not. That, perhaps, is the true spirit of experimental cinema. The constant push to break free from conventional storytelling structures in search of new possibilities not only expands the medium but also contributes to the ever-evolving landscape of film history. The definition of experimental cinema is never static; it shifts and expands with time. The real excitement comes from wondering what new directions the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival will explore in the years to come.

The 7th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival (BEFF7) was held at One Bangkok Forum from January 25 to February 2, 2025.

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