Mlabri In The Woods, a documentary about one of the least recognised ethnic groups living in the hills of Laos and northern Thailand, will be screened at the Auditorium, 5th floor of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Pathumwan intersection, on Sunday, at 2pm.
Presented by the Japan Foundation, in collaboration with Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre (SAC), the screening will be followed by a talk session by Japanese filmmaker and film critic Kaneko Yu and Ito Yuma, a linguist fluent in six languages including Mlabri.
Mlabri In The Woods was the fifth feature-length documentary film by Kaneko who is also an associate professor at Tama Art University. Released in 2019 and screened at the Tokyo Documentary Film Festival, it offers a rare look at the nomadic Mlabri tribe, who make temporary shelters from bamboos and banana leaves. The film is in Thai, Japanese and Mlabri with English subtitles
Conducted in Japanese and Thai, the discussion part will be moderated by Apinan Thammasena, an anthropologist at the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, and translated by Siriporn Dansakun, a lecturer from the Faculty of Architecture, Silapakorn University.
The two-part event is aimed to enhance a mutual understanding of the nomadic tribe, called by local Thais Phi Tong Lueang (Spirits of the Yellow Leaves).
It is also part of "Sound Of The Soul", a sound art exhibition that explores dialects, sounds, and cultural stories of marginalised ethnic groups in Thailand.
Running at the Studio on 4th floor until Sunday, the exhibition aims to reduce the space between "us and them" through the presentation of inequality that the ethnic groups encountered and stories of their rich culture.
There is no admission fee but seats are limited. Visit eventpop.me/e/13265.
