Wednesday, April 29
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Directed by Joko Anwar
Indonesia, 2004, 82 minutes
Indonesian w/E.S.

Joni is a young man of 22, living and working in Jakarta as a delivery boy, carting film reels from theater to theater so that the owners can save money on prints by running the same copy at multiple theaters simultaneously. Joni has never had a girlfriend but he doesn’t mind. He’s happy with his life and takes pride in his work, particularly with the fact that he has never been late on a delivery. But that all changes when he spots a beautiful young woman in the theater lobby one day and screws up the nerve to approach her. She seems friendly enough, and flattered by his attention, but she agrees to give him her name on 1 condition only: Joni must make sure that the film she is watching plays uninterrupted until the final credits roll. Surely this is a simple thing? Joni has never been late before, but on this day he will have to deal with motorcycle thieves, birthing mothers, rock bands, and a menacing artist rumored to have magical powers. – Twitch Film

official website

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Friday, April 24, 12:00., Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)
Presented by Sutraphorn Tantiniranat, Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the University of Hawaiʻi

This is a study of images of Thai women presented in a Thai TV drama series shown in 2004 entitled “Saloeybaab”. Broadly, the study explores how the drama presents its female antagonist as well as the protagonist. Both characters fall into the binary opposition of the “bad” and the “good” woman stereotypes respectively. More specifically, the researcher discusses the purposes and the meanings of the presentations. Negative images of the female antagonist reflect that Thai society still values the notion of “kulasatri” or the “ideal” woman as can be seen from ideologies on women attached to the story. The attitudes towards Thai women reinforce the power structure of Thai patriarchal society where women have been controlled by social rules and norms through the process of socialization including the mass media.

Sutraphorn Tantiniranat earned an M.A. in English from Chiang Mai University, Thailand. She has been teaching English at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai Thailand. Her areas of interest are Foreign Language Teaching and Women Studies. She is currently a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the Thai Language Program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Wednesday, April 22
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Directed by Prince Chatrilacherm Yukol
Thai, 1987, 136 minutes
Thai w/E.S.

This environmentally themed movie is pretty sad, but powerful. It’s about an activist forestry chief named Kamroom who is waging war against the corrupt local police and an influential local timber baron who is conducting illegal logging on the forest. Caught between these two forces is a man (Sorapong Chatree), with an elephant. With Thailand’s forests being rapidly depleted and more tightly controlled, it is difficult for the elephant keeper to find work. The more work he finds, the less there will be for him to do. It’s a sad paradox. Directed by Prince Chatrilacherm Yukol, The Elephant Keeper also features songs by the original songs-for-life band, Caravan, and the current kings of the songs-for-life movement, Carabao. An official selection for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film!

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Friday, April 17, 2:30 p.m., Saunders Hall (Friedman Room, Level 6)
Presented by Dr. Benny Widyono, Professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut

Benny Widyono will discuss his five years of international service in Cambodia from 1992 to 1997, first as a member of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), and later as the UN Secretary-Generalÿs Representative in Cambodia. From his perspective as part of UNTAC’s top administration, he observed the mission’s ultimate failure. Prior to UNTAC, Dr Widyono was stationed at the UN headquarters in New York where he witnessed the Cold War manipulations of the Cambodian tragedy by the big powers. Cambodia’s experience with the United Nations shows that the latter’s capability to solve world problems continues to be distorted by the dominance by the five powers who won World War II sixty four years ago.

Dr. Benny Widyono, an Indonesian, served as a United Nations civil servant in Bangkok, Santiago, New York and Cambodia between 1963 and 1997. In 1992-93 he served as UNTAC’s Provincial Director of Siem Reap; subsequently in 1994-97 he served as the UN Secretary-General’s Political Representative to the Royal Government of Cambodia. His recently published book, Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United Nations was written while he was a visiting scholar at Cornell University. Dr Widyono holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas and is currently a professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut at Stamford, CT.

Copies of the book will be available for sale.

book launch | official site

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Friday, April 17, 12:00 p.m., Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)
Presented by Dr. Benny Widyono, Professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut

In February 2009, the long awaited trial of remaining Khmer Rouge leaders began in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In this talk, Professor Benny Widyono will analyze why these trials against the Khmer Rouge, who killed 1.7 million Cambodians during their reign of terror between 1975 and 1979, were delayed for thirty years. The answer to this question, Widyono will argue, can be found within the international political dynamics of the cold war, Hence, instead of putting the Khmer Rouge on trial after they were driven from power by the Vietnamese army in January 1979, the United Nations, instigated by the United States and China, continued to recognize the genocidal Khmer Rouge as the legitimate government of Cambodia for another eleven years. In his analysis, Prof. Widyono will draw heavily from his recently published book, Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United Nations in Cambodia, his personal chronicle of five years in Cambodia during the peace process (1992-97).

He will end on a cautiously optimistic note that the trials, though late, herald a long awaited process of healing and national reconciliation.

Dr. Benny Widyono, an Indonesian, served as a United Nations civil servant in Bangkok, Santiago, New York and Cambodia between 1963 and 1997. In 1992-93 he served as UNTAC’s Provincial Director of Siem Reap; subsequently in 1994-97 he served as the UN Secretary-General’s Political Representative to the Royal Government of Cambodia. His recently published book, Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United Nations, was written while he was a visiting scholar at Cornell University. Dr Widyono holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas and is currently a professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut at Stamford, CT.

Copies of the book will be available for sale.

Wednesday, April 15
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Directed by Mark Meily
Philippines, 2003, 110 minutes
Filipino w/E.S.

Meet the last of the professional mourners of Manila’s Chinatown. The street smart Stella Mate (Sharon Cuneta) who dreams of a better job to be able to get back custody of her beloved son Bong (Julio Pacheco) whom she lost to ex-husband Guido (Ricky Davao). Then there is Doray (Hilda Koronel) a.k.a. Rhodora Rivera, a bit player of the ’70′s whose life revolves around the glory days of her B-movies career. And religious and naïve Choleng (Angel Aquino) who simply cannot resist the sexual advances of her best friend’s husband. These are the crying ladies – three women who decide to accept a part-time job to be the professional mourners for a traditional Chinese funeral for the late George Washington Chua, father of Wilson Chua (Eric Quizon) in this rollicking comedy which garnered six awards at the 2003 Manila Metro Film Festival.

“Funny and heartwarming. Amazing! Brilliant script and deft direction. As close to being a masterpiece as a film can get. The actors are marvelous!”
- Dennis Ladaw, MANILA TIMES

“From its impressive opening credits, the film captivated me. An intelligent, clever, humorous and compassionate movie. Entirely deserving of the honors and acclaim, ‘Crying Ladies’ bodes well for the Philippine movie industry. A film that entertains and pays homage to our country.”
– Rina Jimenez-David, PHILIPPINE INQUIRER

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Thursday, April 9, 12:00 p.m., Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)
Presented by Dr. Barbara Watson Andaya, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawai‘i

Over the centuries Marionology, the study of the veneration of Mary, has generated an enormous body of literature. In Southeast Asia Mary’s position in local Christianity has been well documented in the Philippines, but there is now increasing interest in Marian devotion in other Catholic communities, such as Vietnam and Indonesia. Because popular belief focuses on Mary’s role as an intercessor, special value is attached to pilgrimages to sites where she is believed to have appeared or with which she has a personal association. In Larantuka, eastern Flores, Mary is regarded not merely as the town’s patron and protector, but as its Queen. However, her image is only available for viewing once a year, from Easter Friday until Easter Saturday, and during this time thousands of pilgrims flock to view “Bunda Maria,” Mother Mary. While including some comparative remarks, the presentation will offer some historical explanations for the special status of Mary in Larantuka, and for the veneration accorded her during the Easter celebrations.

Barbara Watson Andaya is Professor of Asian Studies and Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hawai‘i. She is currently working on a history of the localization of Christianity in Southeast Asia.

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April 3, 12:00 p.m., Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)
Presented by Victor Paz, Director of the Archaeological Studies Program at the University of the Philippines

Study of the human past in the Philippines can not be done in any substantial depth without meshing archaeological, historical and time-depth sensitive approaches. In the wake of the confluence of inter-disciplinary study of the Philippines, we are in a better position to understand the role of human agency. This talk will present a periodization of the history of archaeology within the framework of Philippine historiography. This event is sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Center for Philippine Studies, and the Luce Asian Archaeology Program of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii.

Victor Paz received A.B. and M.A. degrees in History from the University of the Philippines Diliman and a Mphil and Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. His research interests are focused on the intersections of history and archaeology of the Philippines and Island Southeast Asia, and advancing archaeobotanical studies in the region with the objective of elucidating human-plant and human-landscape relationships in the past. His dissertation dealt with the archaeobotany of Wallacea and its place in studies of Austronesian dispersal. He is now the director of the Archaeological Studies Program at the University of the Philippines.

Wednesday, 1 April 2009
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Directed by Dang Nhat Minh
Vietnam, 1984, 90 minutes
Vietnamese w/E.S.

A haunting portrait of one woman’s struggle with loss and personal sacrifice during the war, When the Tenth Month Comes is considered by many critics to be the greatest Vietnamese movie ever made. In the final days of the war, a beautiful young widow, Duyen, faces a daily struggle to take care of her young son and ailing father-in-law, all the while hiding from them the fact that her husband has recently been killed in battle. Keeping her secret burden to herself, she is befriended by the village schoolmaster, Khang, who agrees to fabricate letters from her dead husband in order to spare her family sorrow. As their friendship deepens, Duyen and Khang find themselves drawn closer to intimacy—a dangerous relationship if Duyen is to maintain her charade. The title of the movie refers to the month in which the Day of Forgiveness occurs; a time when, it is said, that departed souls may visit loved ones still living. The film resonates beautifully with the traditional Vietnamese precepts of duty and sacrifice, combined with aesthetic influences from centuries of traditional poetry, literature, and theater.

more info | interview with the director

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April 1, 12:00 p.m., Moore Hall 319 (Tokioka Room)
Presented by Dr. My Lien Thi Nguyen, University of Hawaii

Hearing the words “refugees,” “the Ho Chi Minh Trail,” or “the Iron Triangle” in the context of Vietnam may create a miasma of images for a listener, perhaps evoking the terrible depictions of war on American television news. Rarely, however, are those phrases understood fully in relation to the history of Vietnam. This presentation about three research projects in Vietnam will create new images and a better understanding of those words – and further cultivate that understanding through an exploration of ethnobotany and conservation in that country.

The discussant, My Lien Thi Nguyen, received a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Nguyen has conducted ethnobotanical research in her hometown of Bien Hoa, Vietnam, as well as in collaboration with Vietnamese scientists in the northern, central and southern regions of Vietnam. Her presentation will introduce three of these projects and the scientists.

This Speaker Series is co-presented by the Department of Botany at the University of Hawaii and the students of Botany 498 (Mekong Ethnobotany).