SPEAKERS

A filmmaker working across Asia. His debut Passage of Life (2017) won two awards in the Asian Future section at Tokyo IFF. His second film Along the Sea (2020) premiered at San Sebastián IFF, and received the Oshima Prize and the Shindo Kaneto Gold Prize. His latest film, Lost Land (2025), a drama centered on Rohingya refugees, won the Special Jury Prize in the Orizzonti section at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

Malaysian director, performing artist, and community arts project curator. In 2020, his debut feature The Story of Southern Islet won Best New Director, the FIPRESCI Prize, and the NETPAC Award at the 57th Golden Horse Awards, as well as the FIPRESCI Prize at the 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival. In 2023, his sophomore feature Snow in Midsummer premiered at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where it received the Special Mention Musa Cinema & Arts Award, earned nine nominations at the 60th Golden Horse Awards, and won the Firebird Award for Best Film at the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival. His latest film, Pavane for an Infant, premiered at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival.

Born in Jakarta in 1980, Mouly Surya is one of the acclaimed directors from Indonesia. Her feature film debut, FICTION (2007) earned her Indonesia’s Citra Awards for Best Director. In 2013, her second feature WHAT THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT LOVE competed at the World Cinema Dramatic Competition in Sundance Film Festival. Her third film, MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS (2017) premiered at the Director’s Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival. Her first North American film, TRIGGER WARNING, was released in 2024, a Netflix production starring Jessica Alba. In 2025, two films she wrote and directed released, PERANG KOTA (THIS CITY IS A BATTLEFIELD), premiered as the closing film of International Film Festival Rotterdam and TUKAR TAKDIR (TWISTED FATE), Surya's fresh take on air crash investigation drama. She is a recipient of the Kurosawa Akira Award from Tokyo International Film Festival and member of Directors' Guild of America.

Day Tai is a critically acclaimed Hong Kong film score composer. He debuted in the showbiz as a member of the band A-dAY in 2007 before transitioning to film scoring with the film The Way We Dance, and 17-time nominee at the Hong Kong Film Awards from present with won Best Original Film Song thrice for The Way We Dance; She Remembers, He Forgets; and Weeds on Fire, as well as Best Original Film Score for Band Four. He was also awarded Best Original Music for The Way We Keep Dancing in 15th Asian Film Awards.