Asian filmmakers grace .MOV in Cebu

Internationally renowned Malaysian filmmaker U-Wei Bin Haji Saari and Singaporean short film director B.Thiam Tan graced the screenings of their films "The Arsonist" (Kaki Bakar) and "Shelter: The City of Forgetting," respectively, when the 2nd .MOV International Film Festival unreeled at SM City Cebu last March 2.

One of Asia 's most talented and respected filmmakers, U-Wei debuted as a television director in 1987 and has made 16 TV movies and four feature films so far. His debut film "Woman Wife and Whore" received five awards at the 11th Malaysian Film Festival in 1993. Two years later, "The Arsonist" was invited to Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival as well as Berlin , Montreal , Nantes , Fribourg , New York , and Pusan . It was also awarded the Grand Prix at Brussels Film Festival.

This is U-Wei's third visit to the Philippines and his first in Cebu . His third film "Jogho" (The Champion) was invited to Cinemanila in 1999 and other film festivals like Singapore (1998), Pusan (1998), and Nantes (2001). Two years ago, he came back to Cinemanila to serve as a lecturer during the Asia-Europe Scriptlab at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City .

Based in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia , U-Wei was the recipient of a financial cash grant from NHK Japan in 1997. Nantes Film Festival ( France ) held a retrospective on his work in 2001. His fourth feature "Swing My Swing High, My Darling" (Buai Laju Laju) was also screened at .MOV and Cinemanila. He is currently working on his fifth full-length film.

B. Thiam won the Best Photo Essay at the US ASEAN Film and Photography Festival 2003 in Washington DC . He also recently served as jury and advisory board member to the United Nations Association Film Festival, which promotes films on human rights issues. As chairman of nu(STUDIOS) Film Productions at the National University of Singapore, he initiated the Singapore Shorts Project between prominent filmmakers and university students. "Shelter," the first film he wrote and directed, is a result of this project. He is the executive director of the newly established Asian Film Archive.

"Shelter: The City of Forgetting ," the opening short, is a story about the little deaths that go unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of urban life. Adapted from the short story by the late Dr. Gopal Baratham, this is about an old lady, an inter-racial couple, two out-of-date gangsters, and the bus shelter that shields them all in its shade. U-Wei and B.Thiam join other foreign .MOV guests like American experimental filmmaker Jon Jost, British sound recordist Andrew Boulton, Clermont-Ferrand festival programmer Roger Gonin, and Singapore-based Malaysian cultural critic Dr. Gaik Cheng Khoo.