Nowhere Somewhere

Kick the Machine Films, in collaboration with One Bangkok Art & Culture, presents the seventh Bangkok Experimental Film Festival (BEFF7).

Founded in 1997 by Gridthiya Gaweewong and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, BEFF has been a pioneering platform for experimental filmmaking in Southeast Asia. After a 12-year hiatus, BEFF7 returns with the theme “Nowhere Somewhere,” exploring shifting notions of space, identity, and existence through an ambitious programme of screenings, installations, performances, and discussions.

BEFF7’s film screenings showcase over 120 experimental works across 29 programmes, curated by Mary Pansanga, alongside guest curators May Adadol Ingawanij and Julien Ross, Kaddukas (Anuj Malhotra, Ketan Dua, and Mahesh S), George Clark and David Teh. Highlights include retrospectives of previous BEFF editions curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, featuring filmmakers such as Daniel Eisenberg, David Gatten, Johan Grimonprez, John Smith, and Martin Arnold. Special screenings by institutions such as Canyon Cinema (California, USA), curated by Brett Kashmere; LUX (London, UK), curated by Charlotte Procter; and CIRCUIT (Wellington, New Zealand), curated by Erin Robideaux Gleeson enrich the line-up. A special selection of films by the Thai Film Archive (Public Organization) and Open-call selections by Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa and Chayanin Tiangpitayagorn, chosen from over 500 submissions, round out the festival’s diverse programme.

The festival also transforms the One Bangkok Forum into an experimental art space for expanded cinema with site-specific projects and installations curated by Mary Pansanga. COSMORAMA showcases newly commissioned works by Chantana Tiprachart, Jeanne Penjan Lassus, Domenico Singha Pedroli, Miti Ruangkritya, and Pathompon Tesprateep. In the DISSOLVING ROOM, installations will be accompanied by live performances by Jay Vatanakuljaras and John Torres, whilst Tulapop Seanjaroen will present a new work. In the hall area, Nipan Oranniwesna will present LEAVE US TO COMPLETE THE FILMS  in collaboration with the Film Archive (Public Organization) alongside UNMASKED (BOOTLEG) by artist, Yu Araki. A kinetic installation by Ruengrith Santisuk offers an additional dimension to the vast space of the Forum. 

CHANEL will support Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s first Bangkok Avant-Première, A Conversation with the Sun (VR), an augmented and virtual reality performance featuring a score by the late Ryuichi Sakamoto and visuals by Katsuya Taniguchi. CHANEL will also support An Encounter: The Last Thing You Saw That Felt Like a Movie, a unique lecture performance featuring an in-conversation between Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Tilda Swinton, moderated by Kong Rithdee. This event blends sound, light, and film into an unforgettable exploration of memory and perception. The CHANEL Culture Fund supports generations of filmmakers across Asia—from preserving Hong Kong’s cinematic heritage alongside M+ to celebrating the creative freedom and technical innovation of Apichatpong Weerasethakul at the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival. 

Performances at BEFF7 continue to push the boundaries of cinema. Night of the Dry Flowers, an experimental music performance curated by SO::ON Dry Flower, features artists Okkyung Lee, Wukir Suryadi from Senyawa, Cheryl Ong, Sato Oikawa, Koichi Shimizu, Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr, Anont Nongyao, Wuttipong Leetrakul, Adisak Poungok, Annmanee Singhanart, Paopoom Chiwarak, and Uten Mahamit in a collaborative process that creates a soundtrack for a nonexistent film, merging sound, space, and movement. In collaboration with Bangkok University and New Narratives, BEFF7 will present new stage productions by Thai filmmakers and stage directors from Puangsoi Aksornsawang, Nattapon Boonprakob and Maitree Jamroen-suksakul, Phuwarin Ponsaen (Project Manager: Romchat Thanlaphiphat), to Sivaroj Kongsakul, and FULLFAT Theater curated by Noth Thongsriphong. These boundary-defying performances reflect the themes of changing and fluid spaces and identities, where the audience becomes part of the performance and its ongoing story. 

The festival’s talks and workshops provide opportunities for audiences to engage directly with artists and filmmakers. Why (Not) Cinema?, led by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Sompot Chidgasornpongse, examines storytelling and observation. Anon Nongyao’s My Wife Told Me “You Are tsbnfsjgsjfulgfsxvjlbc” explores the sonic possibilities of everyday objects, while Rolling Wild’s workshop, Making Experimental Films with 16mm Film provides hands-on training and culminates in participant showcases during the festival.