In Laos, a country that started making movies other than government propaganda films just about a decade ago and which has just a handful of movie theatres, filmmakers really have had no ecosystem to thrive on. The film industry is still in a nascent stage, with less than 20 independent films coming out from the country till date. Just like the country which opened its doors to the outside world only as recently as the 1980s, hardly anything is known about its film industry or the filmmakers to audience from other parts of the world. Even the capital Vientiane has only three movie theatres, while the next big city Luang Prabang has only open screens which come up during film festivals.
Things started improving with the organising of the first International Film Festival in the country in 2009, although most of the films screened were either Hollywood or Thai productions. The lack of infrastructure was so stark in those early days that budding filmmakers were borrowing equipment from neighbouring Thailand. There is still a shortage of actors.
Lone woman
Among the Laotian filmmakers, Mattie Do is the only woman to have directed a film till date.
Her third film The Long Walk , which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, will be featured in the world cinema category at the 24th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), providing the audience here a rare glimpse of Laotian cinema.
Much like most other Laotian filmmakers, she spent her life outside the country, in Los Angeles, during her younger years, returning to her native only in 2010. She has many firsts to her name. Her debut film Chanthaly , released in 2013, was the first horror film to be made in the country. Her second film Dearest Sister , released in 2016, was the first film to be submitted from Laos for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards.
As Mattie Do has gained prominence, she has pushed the boundaries of the tight censorship regime existing in the country, making the shift from traditional clothing for women, to more modern attire, and in the showcasing of violence on screen. The Long Walk is one of her more complex works, shifting timelines between the future and the past.
