CounterArchive: Screening & Sharing

About

Join us for a sharing session by CounterArchive: Fictional Healing Collective Filmmaking Lab 2024. The group convened earlier in June a Malaysia Design Archive to propose alternatives to the record of official history on the Malayan Emergency (1948-60), a guerilla war arising after communist forces attempted to overthrow the British colonial administration. Undertaken by Western powers during the Cold War, the Malayan Emergency was fought using extensive psychological warfare and propaganda that continue to influence race relations in present day Malaysia.

The 3-day workshop developed by Jo-Lene Ong, Michelle Williams Gamaker, and Sabine Groenewegen facilitated participants in developing their own protagonists in redressing the absences and biases in archival materials sourced from National Archives, UK. Collectively - Ali Alasri, Kevin Bathman, Julien Chen, Yih-Wen Chen, Sabine Groenewegen, Jakob van Klang, Joshua Kok, Anthony Ngoya, Jo-Lene Ong, Xu Jen Teo, Dahong Hongxuan Wang, Michelle Williams-Gamaker, Eddie Wong, Saubin Yap, Ben Yau - shot 8 vignettes on 2 locations on the last day of the workshop.

During this sharing session, the facilitators will introduce the archival materials, methods of interrogating the archive, and approaches to using fiction and film as forms of reparation.

2 of the film vignettes will be screened:

• ‘Ghosthead’ dir. Eddie Wong (film still, slide 1)

• ‘I Wonder Who’s Tapping Your Line’ dir. Dahong Hongxuan Wang (film still, slide 2)

The filmmakers along with other participants including Yvonne Tan, Jakob van Klang, Julien Chen, and Saubin Yap will join us virtually to reflect on the project's processes and how to nurture what has been collectively made.

CounterArchive: Fictional Healing Collective Filmmaking Lab 2024 is supported by British Council Connections Through Culture Grant, Malaysia Design Archive and Mondriaan Fund.