Southeast Asian Films Shine at NZIFF for ASEAN–NZ 50th Anniversary

The initiative is a collaboration between the ASEAN Committee in Wellington (ACW), comprising the resident heads of mission from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Viet Nam and the Philippines, NZIFF organisers, and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Together, they have curated a line-up that captures the diversity and depth of the region’s cinema, using film as a bridge to strengthen people-to-people links.

Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand, Kira Christianne D. Azucena, speaking at the launch in Auckland, said the ACW sought to highlight the human side of ASEAN–New Zealand ties.

“For us at the ACW, we really wanted to highlight the people-to-people relationship. What more fitting avenue to do that than through the celebration of art through film? And so we requested to collaborate with the New Zealand International Film Festival to shine a light on Southeast Asia by featuring films from the member states.”

“For any relationship to last five decades, there has to be something more than business. It has to be rooted in something more abiding, more robust. Cinema allows us to appreciate our shared values and ambitions through a medium that is both visual and deeply emotional," she added.

Singapore’s Deputy High Commissioner, Darryl Lau, said the NZIFF’s ASEAN film showcase is more than just a cultural event, describing it as a reflection of a partnership that has “grown in leaps and bounds” since New Zealand became ASEAN’s dialogue partner 50 years ago.

With ASEAN’s population of over 600 million spread across diverse geographies—from Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic state, to the city-state of Singapore—Lau said film offers “a good window to peek into the lives and cultures of our peoples” for those who have yet to visit in person. He added that Auckland is an ideal place to screen these films, as it is home to many ASEAN communities in Aotearoa.

MFAT’s Asia Regional Division unit manager, John Riley, who helped bring the collaboration to life, said showcasing Southeast Asian films within a major platform like NZIFF serves as “a bridge” between nations. “Let’s do it again, if not next year, then soon,” he said.

Representatives from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines join NZIFF for the press conference launch in Auckland. Image: AMC

A cinematic journey through Southeast Asia

The NZIFF showcase features six distinctive films, each offering a unique lens on the region’s stories, cinematic styles, and social realities.

Magellan (Philippines): This 2025 epic historical drama from the Philippines, written and directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Lav Diaz, re-examines the fateful expedition of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (Gael García Bernal) to the Spice Islands. Known for his “slow cinema” style and long, meditative storytelling, Diaz revisits Magellan’s 1521 arrival and claimed “discovery” of the Philippines—a voyage that ended with his death at the hands of local warriors in Cebu.

Far from a heroic tale, the film offers a deeply critical, postcolonial perspective, recasting Magellan’s voyage as a violent chapter in colonial expansion. Diaz challenges the traditional Eurocentric narrative of Magellan as a heroic discoverer, instead advocating for history told through a Southeast Asian lens. In a provocative twist, he questions the historicity of Lapu Lapu, suggesting the figure may have been constructed for political purposes—a claim that has sparked national debate in the Philippines.

Image: NZIFF

A Useful Ghost (Thailand): (ผีใช้ได้ค่ะ) is a 2025 Thai film that defies easy categorisation, blending fantasy, comedy, and pointed political allegory. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke and has already achieved significant international recognition, most notably winning the Grand Prix at the Cannes Critics’ Week.

Set in a world where spirits inhabit household appliances—most memorably, a vacuum cleaner with scene-stealing presence—the film uses absurdist humour to examine consumerism, superstition, and political control. But beneath its playful surface lies a potent critique: the “ghosts” are not merely supernatural beings, but powerful metaphors for the unaddressed traumas, injustices, and suppressed memories of Thailand’s political history, from the 2010 protests to the 1976 Thammasat University massacre.

By merging horror tropes, soap opera melodrama, and biting satire, the film offers a distinctly Thai reflection on how the past continues to haunt the present, turning a whimsical premise into a deeply subversive, politically charged work.

Image: NZIFF

Abang Adik (Malaysia) : also known as “Older Brother, Younger Brother” is a critically acclaimed 2023 Malaysian–Taiwanese neo-noir crime drama that marks the feature directorial debut of Jin Ong. The film tells the story of two stateless brothers living in Kuala Lumpur’s Pudu district. Without official identity documents, they are denied access to bank accounts, stable employment, and basic rights, trapped in a cycle of poverty and marginalisation.

Through powerful performances and a tightly woven narrative, Abang Adik humanises the struggles of society’s invisible citizens. The film has received international acclaim for its unflinching social realism and emotional depth, resonating with audiences across Asia and beyond.

Image: NZIFF

Crocodile Tears (Indonesia): (Air Mata Buaya) is a 2024 Indonesian coming-of-age psychological thriller and the debut feature of director and writer Tumpal Tampubolon. Set on a dilapidated crocodile farm in West Java, the film follows Johan, a young boy, and his “Mama,” whose relationship is intensely co-dependent and suffocating.

Belonging to the “maternal horror” subgenre, the story uses the isolated farm setting and the eerie presence of crocodiles to explore manipulation, control, and the psychological scars of an overbearing upbringing. With a slow-burning tension and a striking visual style, the film blends the sinister with the symbolic, earning it recognition on the international festival circuit.

Image: NZIFF

Stranger Eyes (Singapore): Directed by Yeo Siew Hua, Stranger Eyes is a 2024 psychological thriller that became the first Singaporean film to compete for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival.

The story opens with the disappearance of a young couple’s toddler, Little Bo, from a public park. As the investigation stalls, the parents begin receiving anonymous DVDs containing secretly filmed footage of their lives, both before and after the abduction. In a city defined by pervasive surveillance, the film raises urgent questions: How far can security justify intrusion? Where is the line between protection and invasion of privacy? Tense, atmospheric, and socially resonant, Stranger Eyes challenges audiences to confront the unseen gaze in modern urban life.

Image: NZIFF

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Viet Nam): (Bên trong vỏ kén vàng) is a 2023 Vietnamese-language drama and the feature directorial debut of Phạm Thiên Ân. Acclaimed for its meditative pacing and breathtaking cinematography, the film follows Thien, a wedding videographer in Saigon whose life is upended by a motorcycle accident that kills his sister-in-law and leaves his young nephew, Dao, orphaned.

Tasked with returning her body to their rural hometown for burial, Thien embarks on a physical and spiritual journey through Vietnam’s landscapes—a quiet odyssey of grief, faith, and self-discovery. The film’s long, unbroken takes and contemplative style invite viewers into a deeply immersive experience.

Image: NZIFF

Festival Artistic Director Paolo Bertolin said the line-up showcases the depth, diversity, and creative vibrancy of contemporary Southeast Asian cinema.

He ssaid, “You have emerging voices alongside established masters. The films are incredibly diverse in style and narrative, yet each offers a window into the region’s realities and imaginations. It’s a menu from Southeast Asia, different tastes, different spices, just like our cuisines.”

ASEAN’s role in New Zealand’s future

The ASEAN–New Zealand dialogue partnership, established in 1975, is one of New Zealand’s longest-standing regional relationships. ASEAN’s ten member states represent a combined population of more than 600 million people, a GDP exceeding US$3 trillion, and a strategic position at the heart of the Indo-Pacific.

Under Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, New Zealand has signalled ASEAN as a priority for foreign engagement. While trade and security cooperation remain central, head of missions emphasise that the relationship’s resilience lies in its shared values and strong community ties.

Lau highlighted the high level of exchange between the regions, “We have 60,000 Singaporeans visiting New Zealand this year, about ten percent of our population, and over 100,000 Kiwis visiting Singapore. Many ASEAN nationals have made New Zealand home, creating strong familial and cultural bonds.”

This year’s showcase is not just about marking an anniversary—it is a statement of intent. For ASEAN and New Zealand, it signals that their partnership is as much about shared human stories as it is about economics and security. As Ambassador Azucena put it, it is “a celebration of art, but also of connection.”

-Asia Media Centre