The Last Sinh (ສິ້ນຜືນສຸດທ້າຍ)
Directed by: Mitpasa Sitthihukpanya (ກໍາກັບໂດຍ ມິດປະສາ ສິດທິຮັກປັນຍາ)
Written by: Mitpasa Sitthihukpanya (ບົດປະພັນໂດຍ ມິດປະສາ ສິດທິຮັກປັນຍາ)
Director of Photography: Kongchan Phiennachit (ກໍາກັບພາບໂດຍ ກົງຈັນ ພຽນນາຈິດ)
Genres: drama, short (ຮູບເງົາແນວ ລະຄອນສັ້ນ)
Duration: 8:23 mins  (ຄວາມຍາວ 8:23 ນາທີ)
Year: 2016 (ປິ 2016)

ພາຍຫຼັງຈາກທີ່ພໍ່ແມ່ຂອງພວກເຂົາເສຍຊີວິດ, ສອງເອື້ອຍນ້ອງ ໝອນ ແລະ ໃໝ່ ກໍ່ໄດ້ດໍາລົງຊີວິດຢູ່ຕາມລໍາພັງ. ນາງ ໝອນ ໄດ້ໃຫ້ຄໍາໝັ້ນສັນຍາວ່າ ນາງຈະເປັນທັ້ງພໍ່ ແລະ ແມ່ເພື່ອເບີ່ງແຍງນາງໃໝ່ນ້ອງສາວຂອງນາງ ແລະ ຈະຢຸດການຮຽນເພື່ອເບີ່ງແຍງນ້ອງສາວ. ເພື່ອຊອກຫາເງິນ, ນາງ ໝອນ ທໍາມາຫາກິນດ້ວຍການຮັບຕໍ່າຫູກສິ້ນໄໝລາວ, ແຕ່ວ່າລາຍຮັບທີ່ໄດ້ແມ່ນຍັງຄົງບໍ່ພຽງພໍຕໍ່ການດໍາລົງຊີວິດຕາມທີ່ ນາງ ໃໝ່ປາດຖະໜາ ຈຶ່ງເປັນສາຍເຫດເຮັດໃຫ້ເກີດຄວາມຜິດຖຽງ ແລະ ແຕກແຍກກັນລະຫວ່າງສອງເອື້ອຍນ້ອງ.

After their parents’ death, sisters Mone and Mai find themselves alone. Mone promises to be both father and mother to Mai and drops out of school to take care of her younger sister. To earn money, Mone weaves silk Lao skirts (sinh). But the income is not enough to sustain the life Mai desires, creating a rift between the sisters.

The production of The Last Sinh was a collaboration with Mitpasa and Kongchan’s classmates at the Dongdok Campus of the National University of Laos, which served as the movie set. They self-funded the film and borrowed equipment from the university. With this film, Mitpasa wanted to “open the eyes of the viewer and let them decide what they are seeing. We don’t want the story to be preaching anything.” The Last Sinh won second place at the Vientianale 2017 Short Film Festival.

Story of Dar (ລາຍຟ້ອນ)
Directed by: Mitpasa Sitthihukpanya (ກໍາກັບໂດຍ: ມິດປະສາ ສິດທິຮັກປັນຍາ)
Written by: Mitpasa Sitthihukpanya  (ບົດປະພັນໂດຍ: ມິດປະສາ ສິດທິຮັກປັນຍາ)
Director of Photography: Kongchan Phiennachit (ຜູ້ກໍາກັບພາບ: ກອງຈັນ ພຽນນະຈິດ)
Genres: drama, short (ຮູບເງົາແນວ ລະຄອນສັ້ນ)
Duration: 6:50 mins (ຄວາຍາວ: 6:50 ນາທີ)
Year: 2018 (ປີ 2018)

ສັກດາ, ຊາຍໜຸ່ມທີ່ເປັນນັກເຕັ້ນ ຜູ້ທີ່ມີຄວາມຫຼົງໄຫຼ ແລະ ມີພອນສະຫວັນ. ແຕ່ວ່າພໍ່ຂອງລາວມີຄວາມຕ້ອງການໃຫ້ລາວເປັນທະຫານເພື່ອຮັບໃຊ້ຊາດ ແລະ ຫ້າມລາວບໍ່ໃຫ້ສະແດງການເຕັ້ນຕໍ່ໜ້າຜູ້ຄົນ. ດາ ຈະຕ້ອງຊອກຫາວິທີທາງໂດຍທີ່ຄໍານືງເຖີງຄວາມຫຼົງໄຫຼຂອງລາວ ແລະ ຍອມຮັບຕົວຕົນແທ້ຈິງທີ່ລາວເປັນຢູ່ ໃນຂະນະດຽວກັນກໍ່ເຄົາລົບຄວາມປາດຖະໜາຂອງພໍ່ ທີ່ກໍາລັງຈະຈາກໂລກນີ້ໄປ.

A young man, Sackdar, is a passionate and talented dancer. But his father wants him to be a soldier and forbids him to dance in front of an audience. Dar must find a way to realise his passion and embrace his true self while honouring the wishes of his dying father.

The Story of Dar was produced with support from OXFAM’s Many Voices, One Laos short film program that focused on Lao identity and underrepresented groups like LGBTQI+. The film is a conversation starter for a sensitive and overlooked matter. Kongchan reflects that “our country has not accepted this topic.” And Mitpasa believes this film “gave some viewers hope.” The message being, “I listen to you and I listen to myself.”

The Blanket (ຜ້າຫົ່ມ)
Directed by & Produced by: Mitpasa Sitthihukpanya (ກໍາກັບ & ອໍານວຍການສ້າງໂດຍ: ມິດປະສາ ສິດທິຮັກປັນຍາ)
Co-Produced & Edited by: Kongchan Phiennachit (ຮ່ວມຜະລິດ & ຮຽບຮຽງໂດຍ: ກອງຈັນ ພຽນນະຈິດ)
Assistant Director: Kongchan Phiennachit (ຜູ້ຊ່ວຍຜູ້ກໍາກັບ: ກອງຈັນ ພຽນນະຈິດ)
Director of Photography: Palinya Sayamoungkhoun (ຜູ້ກໍາກັບພາບ: ປະລິນຍາ ໄຊຍະມຸງຄຸນ)
Genres: drama, short (ຮູບເງົາແນວ ລະຄອນສັ້ນ)
Duration: 17:13 mins (ຄວາມຍາວ: 17:13 ນາທີ)
Year: 2022 (ປີ 2022)

ຄອບຄົວໜຶ່ງທີ່ມີສະມາຊິກ 5 ຄົນທີ່ຕ້ອງດິ້ນລົນເພື່ອການຢູ່ລອດໃນເຂດຊົນນະບົດຂອງປະເທດລາວ, ພໍ່ຂອງພວກເຂົາຕັດສິນໃຈອອກຈາກບ້ານ ໂດຍຫວັງວ່າຈະຊອກຫາວຽກເຮັດງານທໍາເພື່ອລ້ຽງດູຈຸນເຈືອຄອບຄົວ. ພວກເຮົາຈະໄດ້ເຫັນເຖີງການສູນເສຍໃນຄັ້ງນີ້ຜ່ານສາຍຕາຂອງລູກກົກ, ທ້າວ ອ້າຍ, ບໍ່ໄດ້ໄປໂຮງຮຽນ ແຕ່ວ່າລາວໄດ້ໄປຊ່ວຍວຽກແມ່ຂອງລາວແທນ, ທ້າວ ອ້າຍໂຫຍຫາພໍ່ຂອງລາວ. ໂດຍປາດສະຈາກຂ່າວຄາວ ຫຼື ຄໍາກ່າວຈາກຜູ້ເປັນພໍ່ ທີ່ຈາກກັນເປັນເວລາຫຼາຍເດືອນ, ຈົນກະທັ້ງຄອບຄົວເກີດຄວາມແຕກແຍກ ແຕ່ວ່າຄວາມຮັກທີ່ບໍ່ມີເງື່ອນໄຂແມ່ນຍັງຄົງຢູ່ ເມື່ອພວກເຂົາຍັງອົດທົນລໍຖ້າການກັບມາຂອງຜູ້ເປັນພໍ່.

When a family of five is struggling to survive in rural Laos, the father decides to leave home hoping to make wages so he can support his family. We experience this loss through the eyes of the eldest child, Aiy, who does not go to school, helping his mother instead. Aiy longs for his father. Without news or word from him for several months, the family unit is severed but the unconditional love remains as they patiently await his return.

The Blanket was funded by the Lao Filmmakers Fund and won 2nd prize at the RWI Asia Pacific Awards in Bali, Indonesia. Exposing human rights and gender equality issues, it is a story of cruel realities and social inequities, a silent protest to the separation of families in one of SE Asia’s poorest countries.

For Mitpasa, this film hits home, remembering when her own uncle crossed the border to find work without news for more than twenty years. The film title is a metaphor for the father. “It is cold without him,” says Mitpasa.

“This is a story about the poor in my country. We are fighting for our life, some are lucky and others are not. But, for Aiy, his father is like a warm blanket,” says Kongchan.

Filmmaker’s Profile: Mitpasa Sitthihukpanya (1995)
Mitpasa Sitthihukpanya, fondly known by her friends as Zaza, was born in Vientiane Capital, the oldest of three kids. She studied Mass Communications at the National University of Laos and has participated in film labs in various countries in the region. She currently works for the China Media Group producing news and documentaries.

Mitpasa enjoys cooking, exercise, and watching movies in her spare time. She confides she is addicted to Korean dramas. She cites the award-winning short film Bus 44 (2001) directed by Chinese-American Dayyan Eng as the film that has most impressed her. Through her filmmaking, she hopes to affect viewers in the same way with topics of morality and conscious behaviour.

Filmography:
2013 – Hold One’s Hand, director, producer, writer
2015 – The Conscious, director, writer
2016 – Dearest Child, director, producer, writer
2016 – The Last Sinh, director, writer, producer
2016 – Garbage Man, director, writer, producer
2017 – The Master Thief, director, writer, producer
2018 – Story of Dar, director, writer
2019 – Sod Sai, director, writer
2022 – The Blanket, director, producer

Filmmaker’s Profile: Kongchan Phiennachit (1994)
Kongchan Phiennachit (Dawn) was born and raised in Sayaboury Province. He is the oldest of two children; his mother is a teacher and father a police officer. He moved to Vientiane to study Mass Communications at the National University of Laos. Kongchan’s first job was as an assistant to a Korean filmmaker working with KOICA. Currently, he is a freelance filmmaker and volunteer teacher at the Dongdok campus of the NUOL.

You can find Kongchan working on his projects at the Starbucks at ViewMall in Vientiane. For fun, he enjoys watching films at the Cityplex Dongdok. The film he finds most inspirational is the classic horror film by Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho (1960). As a cameraman, Kongchan appreciates the vital role of camera angles in the film.

Kongchan and Mitpasa met each other at university and made their first film Hold One’s Hand (2013) at seventeen years old. The film was screened at the Mini-Vientianale 2014. The two friends lead a small team of filmmakers that call themselves DNAFilms13. Their current project is a horror short called The Witness. The film was awarded grants at Purin Pictures’ Short Film Camp 2022 and also from the 2023 Lao Filmmakers Fund. With their passion, creativity, and artistic development, they aim to increase interest and knowledge about the culture of Laos giving voice to socio-political issues.

Filmography:
2016 – The Last Sinh, director of photography, editor
2018 – Story of Dar, director of photography, editor
2019 – Sod Sai, director of photography, editor
2022 – The Blanket, editor, co-producer, assistant director