Against The Tide (ຄວາມສຸກຂອງພໍ່ໍ່)
Lao New Wave Cinema Productions ລາວ ນິວ ເວັບ ຊີເນມາ ໂປຣດັກຊັນ
Directed by: Anysay Keola, Phanumad Disattha ກໍາກັບໂດຍ ອານີໄຊ ແກ້ວລາ, ພານຸມາດ ດິດສັດທາ
Written by: Xaisongkham Induangchanthy ບົດປະພັນໂດຍ ໄຊສົງຄາມ ອິນດວງຈັນທີ
Genres: drama, short ຮູບເງົາແນວ ລະຄອນສັ້ນ
Duration: 26:53 mins ຄວາມຍາວ 26:53 ນາທີ
Year: 2015 ປີ 2015

ເລື່ອມ ດໍາລົງຊີວິດແບບລຽບງ່າຍໃນຖານະທີ່ເປັນຊາວປະມົງຫາປາໃນເຂດສີພັນດອນ ທາງພາກໃຕ້ຂອງປະເທດລາວ. ລາວໄດ້ເດີນທາງຈາກແຂວງຈໍາປາສັກໄປທີ່ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ ເພື່ອຢ້ຽມຍາມລູກສາວ ແລະ ໄດ້ນໍາເອົາປາແດກທີ່ເຮັດດ້ວຍຕົວເອງໄປນໍາ (ປາແດກຍອດນິຍົມ). ລາວມີຄວາມຊິນເຄີຍກັບການດໍາລົງຊີວິດແບບລຽບງ່າຍ, ລາວພົບວ່າເປັນເລື່ອງທີ່ຫຍຸ້ງຍາກທີ່ຈະຍອມຮັບວິຖີການດໍາລົງຊີວິດແບບສະໄໝໃໝ່ ແລະ ເຫັນວັດຖຸດີກ່ວາຈິດໃຈໃນຕົວເມືອງໃຫຍ່.

Leum lives a simple life as a fisherman in Si Phan Don in the south of Laos. He travels from Champasak to Vientiane to visit his daughter and bring her his homemade padek (a popular fermented fish). Accustomed to living a simpler life, he finds it hard to accept the modern and material ways of city living.

Directed by Anysay Keola and Phanumad Disattha, and written by Xaisongkham Induangchanthy, this short drama originated from Xaisongkham’s university thesis – a documentary on Don Det and Don Khone, two popular tourist attractions in the 4000 Islands (Si Phan Don). During the making of the documentary, Xaisongkham met and followed a local fisherman who visited his daughter in Vientiane before she moved to Australia. Against the Tide is based on this true story.

The Lao film title, “ຄວາມສຸກຂອງພໍ່ໍ່”,  translates to “father’s happiness”. Leum’s happiness is conflicting with the modern day idea of happiness which fills the void with salaried jobs, ready-made food, materialistic goods, and watching television.

Against the Tide participated in the Vientiane in Love omnibus film project and was funded by the Lao Filmmakers Fund and Lao New Wave Cinema. Xaisongkham is proud of the “journey of this story from documentary to fiction.”

A Long Way Home (ກັບບ້ານ)
Lao New Wave Cinema Productions ລາວ ນິວເວັບ ຊີເນມາ ໂປຣດັກຊັນ
Directed by: Xaisongkham Induangchanthy  ກໍາກັບໂດຍ ໄຊສົງຄາມ ອິນດວງຈັນທີ
Produced by: Xaisongkham Induangchanthy ອໍານວຍການສ້າງໂດຍ ໄຊສົງຄາມ ອິນດວງຈັນທີ
Written and edited by: Xaisongkham Induangchanthy ບົດປະພັນ ແລະ ຮຽບຮຽງໂດຍ ໄຊສົງຄາມ ອິນດວງຈັນທີ
Genres: drama, short ຮູບເງົາແນວ ລະຄອນສັ້ນ
Duration: 18:55 mins ຄວາມຍາວ 18:55 ນາທີ
Year: 2017 ປີ 2017

ເປັນເລື່ອງລາວກ່ຽວກັບ ເຈມ, ຜູ້ຊາຍຊາວອາເມລິກາເຊື້ອສາຍລາວ, ເດີນທາງໄປທ່ອງທ່ຽວທີ່ຫຼວງພະບາງ ເພື່ອນໍາເອົາອັດຖິຂອງພໍ່ຜູ້ລ່ວງລັບຂອງລາວໄປທີ່ໝູ່ບ້ານທີ່ເປັນບ້ານເກີດເມືອງນອນຂອງລາວ. ດ້ວຍຄວາມວິຕົກກັງວົນ ແລະ ຄໍາເຕືອນຈາກແມ່ ກ່ຽວກັບຄອບຄົວທີ່ອາໃສຢູ່ທີ່ໝູ່ບ້ານທີ່ມັກຂໍເງິນ, ລາວຈຶ່ງເດີນທາງໄປຕາມແມ່ນໍ້າຂອງກັບ ຈ່ອຍ ຜູ້ທີ່ເປັນລູກອ້າຍລູກນ້ອງຂອງລາວ.

James, a Lao-American, travels to Luang Prabang on an errand to bring his father’s remains to his home village. Full of anxiety and warned by his mother about family in the village soliciting money, he makes his way along the Mekong River with his cousin, Joi.

The character of James was created by Xaisongkham to accommodate a friend, an aspiring actor, who happened to be travelling in the region. The friends took the opportunity to work together on A Long Way Home. It is a self-funded film about family ties, cultural divide, and the perspective of the Lao diaspora. From his studies in Australia and America, Xaisongkham met many Lao-Americans who missed Laos, “but every time they returned, they were treated as a mobile ATM.” With this film, Xaisongkham conveys that, “We’re happy to see our relatives home – not because of their money.” A Long Way Home was screened at the 2019 Open Doors Screenings, Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. It was also officially selected for the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2018, one of the largest short film festivals in Asia.

Music Saves My Soul (ສຽງຈາກຈິດວິນຍານ)
Directed by: Xaisongkham Induangchanthy ກໍາກັບໂດຍ ໄຊສົງຄາມ ອິນດວງຈັນທີ
Produced by: Chairat Polmuk, Xaisongkham Induangchanthy ອໍານວຍການສ້າງໂດຍ ໄຊຣັດ ພົລມຸກ, ໄຊສົງຄາມ ອິນດວງຈັນທີ
Edited by: Xaisongkham Induangchanty, Phouthasone Soulath ຮຽບຮຽງໂດຍ ໄຊສົງຄາມ ອິນດວງຈັນທີ, ພຸດທະສອນ ສຸລັດ
Genres: documentary, short ຮູບເງົາແນວ ສາລະຄະດີສັ້ນ
Duration: 28:42 mins ຄວາມຍາວ 28:42 ນາທີ
Year: 2019 ປີ 2019

ນາງ ຄໍາເຫຼັກ ໄຊຍະສິດ ນຳພາຊີວິດຄູ່ໄປດໍາລົງຊີວິດຢູ່ຫຼວງພະບາງ ໃນຖານະເປັນ “ຄົນທຳຄວາມສະອາດກາງເວັນ, ຕົກກາງຄືນນາງກໍ່ເປັນນັກຮ້ອງ”. ນາງໄດ້ແບ່ງປັນເລື່ອງລາວທີ່ໜ້າຕື່ນຕາຕື່ນໃຈທີ່ສຽງດົນຕີສາມາດເປັນແຮງບັນດານໃຈ ແລະ ປ່ຽນຊີວິດຂອງນາງໄປຄືແນວໃດ.

Mrs. Khamlek Xayasith leads a double life in Luang Prabang as “a cleaner by day, singer by night.” She shares the uplifting story of how music inspired and changed her life.

Though it took some time spent in Luang Prabang to discover the story of Mrs. Khamlek Xayasith, Xaisongkham is happy that he is “able to tell a Lao story of someone who is not otherwise acknowledged.” Khamlek had an unstable childhood and did not receive a proper education. She found refuge from a predatory step-father in nearby temples, and fell in love with the music at temple fairs. The music known as “khub thoum arn nung seu (ຂັບທຸ້ມອ່ານຫນັງ​ສື​)” is an obscure style where lyrics to a known tune surface naturally to the singer. Khamlek was illiterate until her fifties, when music moved her to become a songwriter.

The self-funded Music Saves My Soul was screened at 2019 film festivals in South Korea (DMZ International Documentary Film Festival), Thailand (Thai Short Film & Video Festival), and Malaysia (SeaShorts Film Festival).

Filmmaker’s Profile: Xaisongkham Induangchanthy (1978)
Born in a rural village in Savannakhet, the fourth of nine children, Xaisongkham Induangchanthy (Kham) lost both his parents by the time he was 16 years old. In an effort to broaden his world, Kham focused on studying English. After some attempts, he was overwhelmed to receive a 5-year scholarship to study mass communications in Singapore. With some gaps in between degrees, he also studied documentary filmmaking in Sydney (MFA at University of New South Wales) and was a Fulbright Scholar at City College of New York.

While in Singapore, Kham attended a film festival and realised: there are no Lao films! Wanting to make a change in the Lao film industry, he reached out to Anysay Keola through YouTube. Together with eight others, they co-founded Lao New Wave Cinema in 2012, a team of filmmakers whom Kham refers to as his “second family.” In 2020, Kham founded the Vientiane short film festival, Lanxang Shorts, to provide the younger generation an outlet to display their films.

Kham’s films draw attention to conflict in family relationships and he is especially fond of stories of village life, where there are “ordinary people with extraordinary stories.” Some of his films have distinct themes contemplating the underrepresented, such as ethnic minority groups and women. Kham’s other films include At The Horizon (2011, as co-producer), The Man With A Teddy Bear (2013), Dancing On The Beach (2014), Vientiane in Love (2015), and Those Below (2015).

Filmography
2011 – Community Media Community Voice: Khoun Radio, co-producer
2011 – At The Horizon, co-producer, assistant director
2013 – Man With A Teddy Bear, director, producer, editor
2014 – Dancing On The Beach, director, producer, editor
2015 – Against The Tide, writer
2015 – Those Below, director, editor
2017 – A Long Way Home, director, producer, writer, editor
2019 – Music Saves My Soul, director, producer, editor
2022 – In a Parallel World, writer, director, editor