Asian and Thai film heritage intersect in the very first edition of Reciprocal, a new film programme by the Asian Film Archive (AFA). Under Reciprocal, AFA will partner with an international film archive on a yearly basis, to bring attention to local and global archival collections.
This year, AFA is kicking things off with the Thai Film Archive (TFA). Together, the two film archives have dug deep into their collections to curate 16 women-centric films from Thailand and the region. Inspired by and responding to each other, the selections aim to contextualise and interrogate female representation in Thai and Asian film.
Expect Thai classics to take the screen. Black Silk (1961), considered the first Thai film noir and among the first to be chosen for a major international film festival, follows a young woman who gets pulled into a web of deception and murder after the death of her husband. Meanwhile, the Thai classic Forever Yours (1955) will capture your heart with its free-spirited main character – a departure from stereotypical female leads in 1950s Thai cinema.
Alongside are Asian classics presented by the AFA, including The Thief (Penchuri) (1956) about an unlikely romantic friendship that develops between a thief and a strong-minded woman with no desire for marriage. Other standouts include Miss Wonton (2001) by Singaporean filmmaker Meng Ong and Ho Yuk (Let's Love Hong Kong) (2002), which won the Critics’ Grand Prize for Fiction at Figueira da Foz International Film Festival, Portugal in 2002.
Reciprocal is showing at the Oldham Theatre from July 1 to August 7. For full line-up or to book tickets, visit asianfilmarchive.org.