Wednesday, November 21
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

The Be$t Bet. It’s everyone’s dream in life to win the lottery. For some, it has even become their ‘lifetime career’ to make this dream come true. Richard (Richard Low), Shun (Christopher Lee) and Huang (Mark Lee) are best of friends. Richard, a white-collar executive, aims to be a good father and a good husband. However, indecisive and wimpy, he is easily influenced by the people around him. Unlike Richard, Shun is ambitious, outspoken and full of ideas. However, persistently down on his luck, Shun seldom succeeds in what he does. Huang owns a Bak Kut Teh stall. A ‘super gambler’, Huang not only places heavy bets on 4D, he also works part-time as a debt collector for the ’4D King’. The Be$t Bet revolves around Richard, Shun and Huang whose friendships are put to a test when one of them strikes 4D and decides to keep the winnings all to himself. What consequences will his choice have on this friendship? A satirical comedy, which explores the greed, deceit and also the triumph of the human spirits, The Be$t Bet is about the consequence of our choices, and the path it will take us once we cross that threshold.

Thursday, 15 November 2007 at 12:00 PM
Presented by Professor Bonnie Bererton, University of Michigan

Thai shadow theater (nang talung) has long been associated with southern Thailand, where it is a famous hallmark of local identity. It is also found in parts of the northeast, where it is known as nang pramo thai. Although its presence there probably dates from no earlier than the twentieth century, nang pramo thai is a vibrant form of entertainment with a loyal following. This talk explores the status of this dramatic form in the central Isan provinces and contrasts it with that of the traditional shadow theatre of southern Thailand. Despite its low profile, nang pramo thai in many ways embodies the essence of the local culture of the Northeast. This can be seen not only in its robust music, high spirited puppetry, and inclusion of women puppeteers; but also in the performers’ ingenuity in adopting an “imported tradition” and transforming it into a local one when faced with financial hardship.

Dr. Bonnie Brereton went to Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1965 and in 1969. After
working as an outreach coordinator at the University of Michigan’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, she received a Fulbright as a consultant at Khon Kaen University where she began research on local shadow theatre and village temple murals. Her most recent publications include “Traditional Shadow Theater of Northeastern Thailand (Nang Pramo Thai) Hardy Transplant or Endangered Species?”, Aseanie, forthcoming, and a book in progress on Isan murals.

Wednesday, 14 November 2007
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Ashite Imasu is a romantic story of love, treason, collaboration, rebellion and revenge set in a small Filipino town during the Japanese occupation. Inya (Judy Ann Santos) just married her childhood sweetheart, Edilberto (Raymart Santiago). Her best friend, Ignacio, (Dennis Trillo in in a career-making performance) is secretly in love with Edilberto and is also a transvestite spy for the partisans. Trillo’s portrayal of a “comfort gay” for the Japanese garnered every major acting award in the R.P and propelled him to stardom. Joel Lamangan, who started as an actor for Lino Brocka, directs.

IMDB Website

Wednesday, 7 November
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

“Denias,” says his mother, “if you go to school everyday, even the mountain will be afraid and pay respect on you.” But nothing is simple in this touching story of a poor villager from the remote province of Irian Jaya in Indonesia. Alone, Denias walks for days to get to the nearest school only to be amazed by his first glimpse of life in the big city and then to face discrimination and rejection at every turn. Can Denias study like any other kid?

Denias screened at the 2007 Hawaii International Film Festival and won the grand prize at last year’s Jakarta International Film Festival. It was Indonesia’s official selection for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for the Academy Awards.

Review

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November 2, 12:00 p.m.
Presented by Lance Nolde, M.A. Candidate at the University of Hawai′i at Mānoa

The Sama-Bajau are a semi-nomadic, sea-centered people who live in small communities throughout the littorals of Eastern Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Southern Philippines. While it is clear that they were integral to the growth and success of many great early modern maritime polities in the region, the histories of this ethnic group are, for the most part, still relatively unknown. The speaker’s research is an effort to increase our historical understanding of the Sama-Bajau people of Indonesia. Largely based on interviews with communities in Southeast Sulawesi conducted between May and August of this year, this talk will try to locate articulations of Sama-Bajau identity in the histories and memories of the period between the 1930s until the present, as well as in religious and cultural practices. It will also explore Sama-Bajau experiences with national development, creation of national parks, and environmental conservation efforts.

Lance Nolde is currently a Master’s student in the History department at University of Hawai′i at Mānoa. His research focus is on Southeast Asian history, specifically Indonesia. He has recently completed fieldwork for his Master’s thesis which will explore the history and memory of the Sama-Bajau people of Southeast Sulawesi. His publications include “West Papua: An Exception to Unity in Diversity.” I.D.E.A.S. Journal: 3 (2004).