Melody of Change (ທ້ວງທໍານອງແຫ່ງການປ່ຽນແປງ)
A MALAO Studios Production (ມ້າລາວ ສະຕູດີໂອ ໂປຣດັກຊັນ)
Directed by: Ka Xiong, Cyril Eberle (ກໍາກັບໂດຍ: ກາ ຊົງ, ໄຊຣີລ ອີເບີຣ໌ເລ)
Written by: Ka Xiong, Cyril Eberle (ບົດປະພັນໂດຍ: ກາ ຊົງ, ໄຊຣີລ ອີເບີຣ໌ເລ)
Genres: drama, short (ຮູບເງົາແນວ: ລະຄອນສັ້ນ)
Duration: 16:30 mins (ຄວາມຍາວ: 16:30 ນາທີ)
Year: 2018 (ປີ 2018)

ທ້ວງທໍານອງແຫ່ງການປ່ຽນແປງ ເປັນຮູບເງົາລະຄອນສັ້ນແນວບົດກະວີທີ່ສືບຕໍ່ຈາກຂໍ້ຄວາມຂອງຜູ້ກໍາກັບ ກາ ຊົງ ຈາກຮູບເງົາເລື່ອງ ທ້ວງທໍານອງຜ່ານບັ້ງໄມ້ໄຜ່ ທີ່ກ່າວວ່າດົນຕີສາມາດແກ້ໄຂ ແລະ ປ່ຽນແປງອາລົມໄດ້. ຕົວເອກຂອງຮູບເງົາແມ່ນ ຍິງສາວທີ່ສັງເກດ ແລະ ເຫັນຄວາມລຶກລັບທີ່ເປັນຜູ້ລວບລວມຊຸມຊົນທີ່ແຕກແຍກໃນໝູ່ບ້ານທີ່ມີຊົນເຜົ່າຂະມຸ ແລະ ມົ້ງອາໃສຢູ່ຮ່ວມກັນ.

Melody of Change is a poetic short drama that continues with director Ka Xiong’s message from Melody of Bamboo that music can make amends and transform emotions. The protagonist is an observant and mysterious young woman who brings together the divided communities in a village shared by Khmu and Hmong tribes.

Inspired by his passion for music, Ka Xiong wanted to make a film about musicians that recognized traditional instruments. The film highlights six common Lao instruments: the khaen, lanat, khim, xing, sor, and bamboo flute. The musicians in the film are students from the Children’s Cultural Center and the SOS Children’s Village in Luang Prabang. Melody of Change was made possible by the Lao Filmmakers Fund and the Luang Prabang Music for Everyone School.

Filmmaker’s Profile: Ka Xiong (1988)
The third son of four boys, Ka Xiong is a Hmong-born, Luang Prabang-raised, photographer and documentary filmmaker. He studied English Language at Souphanouvong University, afterwards becoming a library assistant for several years with At My Library, an educational center and library funded by the US non-profit organization called, The Language Project. It was the creative and encouraging environment of At My Library that sparked Ka’s interest in photography. From there, he spent one year learning from, and working with award-winning Dutch photographer Adri Berger. As a photographer, Ka has exhibited his work both locally and internationally.

Ka made his directorial debut in 2014 with Save Me Save Your Life, a documentary about wildlife preservation that won first place at the 2014 American Film Week in Vientiane. In 2016, Ka co-founded MALAO Studios, a creative hub for professional artists, filmmakers, and photographers. His desire to “document culture and tradition” propels him to find the stories and the practices that deserve to be preserved for future generations.

Ka likes to watch Jackie Chan and Jet Li action films for fun and his favorite documentaries include Waste Land (2010) by Lisa Walker and Searching for Sugar Man (2012) by Malik Bendejelloul.

Filmography
2014 – Save Me Save Your Life, director, writer
2016 – Melody of Bamboo, director, writer
2018 – Melody of Change, director, writer