Silencio, Penguin in competition at Asian Hot Shots

Film lovers in Berlin will get a massive dose of experimental indie Thai cinema at Asian Hotshots, running from January 13 to 18.

The Competition program (PDF) includes Sivaroj Kongsakul's 2007, 18-minute Silencio and the experimental 40-minute Penguin by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit.

Nawapol also has his coup-inspired Bangkok Tanks in a package from the 5th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival in the Short Asia program (PDF). Here's the BEFF lineup at Hot Shots:

• 19.09.2548, Bopitr Visenoi (4:10, 2008)
• Bangkok Tanks, Nawapol Thamromgrattanarit (5:50, 2007)
• The Duck Empire Strikes Back, Nuttorn Kangwanklai (2:30, 2007)
• 3-0, Anocha Suwichakornpong (8:00, 2007)
• Sports News, Manatsak Dorkmai (3:00, 2007)
• Escape from Popraya 2526, Paisit Punruksachat (9:00, 2007)
• Krasob, Nitipong Thinthupthai (8:00, 2007)
• The Love Culprit, Sanchai Chotirosseranee (6:30, 2007)
• Observation of the Monument, Michael Shaowanasai (5:00, 2008)
• Observation of the Monk, Pramote Sangsorn (7:50, 2008)
• Middle Earth, Thunska Pansittivorakul (8:00, 2007)
• Roy Thai Phrae, Uruphong Raksasad (3:00, 2008)
• Man With a Video Camera, Jakrawal Nilthamrong (9:00, 2007)

A further package of experimental shorts includes:

• Sinus, Thanachai Bandasak (6:20, 2008)
• Swamp, Thanachai Bandasak (2:40, 2008)
• Flesh, Lolay and Giam Eee (8:40, 2006)

The Feature Asia program (PDF) has the indie black-and-white psychological thriller The 8th Day by Chadchai Yoodsaranee.

The features program also has the B-movies For Your Height Only (1979) and The Impossible Kid (1982), starring the late great Filipino dwarf Weng Weng. And there's Indonesian trash: The Devil's Sword, from 1984 by Ratno Timoer and The Warrior from 1981 by Sisord Gautama Putra.

A separate Fokus Asia program (PDF) of features and shorts is on Indonesia, and includes such films as Rira Riza's Eliana, Eliana, the four-director omnibus Kuldesak, Ricard Oh's Lost Suitcase, Dima Djayadiningrat's Quickie Express and an Edwin Special, with six of his shorts. Singaporean films are also featured in the festival. Brian Gothong Tan's Invisible Children is included in the competition entries, as is the tantalizing-looking The Girl in a Red Sarong.

There's a Queer Asia program (PDF), but oddly it features no films from Thailand.

(Via Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit)