Cinema Under the Stars Blue Chair Film Festival returns in December

Words and images by Blue Chair Film Festival

What may be Asia’s most unlikely international film festival returns this December to Luang Prabang, as Blue Chair and its partners bring the best of contemporary Southeast Asian cinema to the idyllic UNESCO World Heritage town, where the last movie theater closed in 1985.

Entirely free of charge, this year’s event, from 5 to 9 December, will showcase a range of feature and short films, both fiction and documentary — everything from Thai blockbusters to Singaporean experimental shorts to award-winning arthouse offerings from Vietnam. Additional activities include live performances, public discussions, and filmmaker Q&As.

Founded fifteen years ago as the Luang Prabang Film Festival, with a mission to support the nascent Lao film industry by providing Lao filmmakers the opportunity to connect with and experience work by their regional peers, the Blue Chair’s focus on films from the ten-country region has made it a favorite among filmmakers as well, many of whom are eager to attend for networking, meeting with audiences, and brainstorming their next projects over a cold Beerlao on the banks of the Mekong.

In 2022, Director Martina Escobar and Producer Monster Jiminez, both from the Philippines, shared their film Leonor Will Never Die at the festival; afterward, they explained to the audience that they had in fact met in Luang Prabang at the 2016 festival — that Leonor wouldn’t exist without the event.

“People sometimes ask if we do awards,” says Sean Chadwell, Executive Director at Blue Chair. “We don’t. Luang Prabang is the perfect atmosphere for connecting with fellow filmmakers, planning the next project, and appreciating what’s in front of you. Why get in the way of all that?”

The festival’s main night venue routinely hosts more than 1,200 guests, who show up for the town’s biggest screen, while it lasts. “As a free festival,” Chadwell explains, “this is part of the point: doing what we can to build an audience for domestic cinema.”

“Presenting the festival for free is a challenge, though,” says Vone Liosakoun, Blue Chair Programs Manager. “But a big reason we can is the support of the Luang Prabang hospitality community.” Indeed, this year, more than 20 local hotels are partnering with Blue Chair to host filmmakers and VIP guests for the festival.

For more information about ECCIL and how to become a member, visit eccil.org.

Getting there

Lao Skyway has regular flights to Luang Prabang from Vientiane.