August 18, 2023 - Bangkok, Thailand — Changing Climate Changing Lives (CCCL) Film Festival, operating under the umbrella of Tonkla Rak Loke Foundation, announced today 10 short film projects selected for the 2023 CCCL Film Grants Program.
This year, CCCL received 113 project proposals submitted by emerging filmmakers from Southeast Asia during the open call. The climate change-focused film festival selected 10 promising projects that artistically highlight climate issues. The 2023 CCCL Film Grants program is partially supported by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southeast Asia
The selected projects are:
AVOCADO ON PANCAKES by Chinanang Tamrongtanakijakarn (Thailand)
Jack and Rose secretly have an affair at their workplace. One day, the two go to celebrate at an izakaya restaurant privately and start an argument about the world.
About the artist
Chinanang graduated from the Faculty of Communication Arts, majoring in Motion Pictures and Still Photography and minoring in Advertising at Chulalongkorn University. She currently works as a copywriter for an advertising agency. At this time, she still enjoys writing and always looks for a way back into the movie industry whenever the opportunity arises.
DAY OF THE EVERLASTING SUN by Hans Rivera (Philippines)
The sun didn't set for a day. An independent filmmaker documents the strange activities of the people during the longest and warmest day of the year.
About the artist
Hans Rivera is a film collaborator and multidisciplinary artist from the Philippines. He directed short films which screened in both local and international festivals. He is a fellow of Cinemalaya’s Intensive Scriptwriting Workshop and SGIFF Southeast Asian Film Lab 2022. Together with his peers, he instituted Pothos Collective—a colorful group of storytellers who explore emancipative and novel approaches to filmmaking cultivated by the community’s lived experiences and struggles. His artistic endeavors center on experimental sensory approaches to the physical and metaphysical relationships between beings and places, and compassion-centric systems.
MEET THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE REGROWING A RAINFOREST IN MALAYSIA by Bryan Yong (Malaysia)
A team of Jahai indigenous people who live in Royal Belum State Park, Malaysia, assist a rainforest conservation team in protecting the rainforest through indigenous knowledge and scientific methods, one of which is selling native tree seedlings to the team to help them restore a degraded forest. The Jahai are an indigenous tribe living deep in the rainforests of Malaysia.
About the artist
Bryan Yong is a Master in Oceanography research candidate. He has an educational background in environmental science but wants to be an environmental journalist. Bryan believes it is important to bridge the gap between researchers and the general public through good and informative storytelling.
Bryan is a keen photographer but has only recently begun to venture into videography. For Bryan, the hardest part of producing a good story is to connect with the subject and empathize with them before pressing the shutter. Bryan loves to travel and eat street food. He supports minimalist spending and buying ugly but still edible fresh produce.
PAMALANDONG SA LAMAKAN (REFLECTION IN THE MARSHLAND) by Breech Asher Harani (Philippines)
'Pamalandong sa Lamakan' chronicles a day in the life of an indigenous family living in Agusan Marsh, a wildlife sanctuary in the southern Philippines affected by extreme calamities due to the changing climate.
About the artist
Breech Asher Harani is a filmmaker from Davao De Oro, Philippines. He creates films that tackle pressing social and environmental issues in the Philippines. He became the first Filipino to receive the Young Creative Award from the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the only Filipino Artist honored by FORBES Asia for the '30 Under 30' Arts 2020.
TRIP OF BETH LIHIM by Purple Romero (Philippines)
An old lesbian couple tries to find a new home after their house was destroyed by a strong typhoon in Leyte, a province in the Philippines. Since they aren’t married to cisgender men though, they couldn’t qualify for the government housing program, which only considers traditional families and heteronormative couples as its recipients or rightful beneficiaries of its climate and disaster risk reduction and management programs.
About the artist
Purple Romero is a Filipina multimedia journalist who specializes in reporting about climate change, biodiversity, and gender issues. She has completed a short film workshop conducted by Lensational, an NGO which trains migrant women in visual storytelling. She is also a 2023 fellow of the Woods Hole Film Festival Programming course. In 2021, she completed an online course on Journalism and Asian Cinema, which was organized by the Five Flavours Asian Film Festival.
ณ ค่ำคืนนั้นทะเลได้เปลี่ยนไป by Atipat Lertkornkitja (Thailand)
A young man who recently broke up with his girlfriend meets a mysterious woman by the seawall. The conversation between two strangers continues over the night where the man realizes that everything is changing.
About the artist
Atipat was born and raised in Bangkok. He graduated from the Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, majoring in Motion Picture and Still Photography. His latest work "WHEN THE SUN SETS" is a 35-minute thesis short film. He generally has a constant interest in environmental issues, with the main focus on the impact of capitalism/consumerism on the environment.
ผีจากผ้าอ้อม (TWILIGHT WITHOUT GHOSTS) by Panitarn Boontarig
The myth of the “Phee-Tak-Pah-Aom” is coming to an end because of the death of spiders due to climate change. That's not just only about the loss of life and ecosystems, but it’s also about the disappearance of culture and beautiful local beliefs caused by human activities.
*Phee-Tak-Pah-Aom = The reflected sunlight sometimes brightens at the moment of twilight.
About the artist
Panitarn Boontarig was born in 1993. He graduated from the School of Architecture, Art, and Design at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang. After graduating, he began working in commercials as an independent and creative director and has been producing short films which were selected for international festivals such as International Thai Film Festival, Indie Shorts Awards, Sweden Film Awards, Venice Shorts Film Awards, Asian Cinematography Awards, CCCL Film Festival, One Earth Awards, and the 60 Second Film Festival
Panitarn is interested in the story of myths and beliefs including spiritual stories and local cultures of the Thai people that have been passed down from generation to generation. He thinks that the origin of these stories can reflect the individuality of the person and humanity.
ฝนแล้ง (WATSAKAN) by Pakasit Sodsri (Thailand)
A village headman organizes a rain-asking ritual that requires the villagers to release homemade rockets into the sky. But what landed on the village’s fields is not rain but it’s the rockets they lit, causing the fire in the forest.
About the artist
Pakasit Sodsri was born and raised in Ubon Ratchathani. He is currently a senior student at the Faculty of Digital Media and Film Arts, at Bangkok University. His dream is to be a film director that focuses on telling stories about the beliefs and way of life of the Isan people.
หนองน้ำพุในความทรงจำ by Nunthachai Phupoget (Thailand)
Women from the "Ban Jong" neighborhood try to restore the swamp, which is experiencing a water shortage, by planting red lotuses to help purify the water and making "Nong Nam Phu" fabric designs to educate the public about the importance of the plant.
About the artist
Nunthachai was born in 1985 in Chiang Rai. He received a Bachelor of Communication Arts in Public Relations at Naresuan University. He makes media for youths and create media about sexual well-being. His previous work includes an unscripted tv series “Ban Jong’s Workers” published on Thai PBS in 2019. He was also a Thai PBS local journalist.
ព្យុះគ្នានសំលេង (SILENT FLOOD) by Panha Theng (Cambodia)
In a village submerged by a flash flood, two young women’s lives are shattered after her sister and herself are being sexually harassed during their journey to relocate to a temporary shelter. A poignant and thought-provoking fiction drama that points out the need for action to be taken to protect women and children before, during, and after natural disasters caused by climate change.
About the artist
Panha Theng is a Cambodian-born filmmaker, editor, and producer known for her thought-provoking and impactful works. She holds a master’s degree in communication, Media, and Creative Industries from Sciences Po, Paris. She has further developed her craft through various NGOs and Media for social change projects with her startup, 606 Digital.
Her works often explore the human condition, social issues, and cultural conflicts in Cambodia and beyond. Her unique voice is informed by her experiences growing up as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a country where sexual orientation and gender identity are often stigmatized. Panha is committed to breaking down social barriers and promoting inclusion through her art. Her work represents a powerful voice for marginalized groups and a call for greater awareness and empathy everywhere.
About CCCL Film Festival
CCCL Film Festival is a platform for Thai youth and communities to share their stories of climate impact, resilience, inspiration, and innovation. Founded in 2019, CCCL aims to raise awareness about climate change through the power of short films and inspire action in Thailand and Asia. We organize year-round activities and offer a limited number of filmmaking grants and mentorship to young aspiring filmmakers.