Asia House Film Festival: Opening Gala Night - A Long Train Journey & In the Absence of the Sun / Selamat Pagi, Malam

Trans Mongolian: A Long Train Journey
(Rubén Sánchez and Cristina Fernandez, Spain, 2013) 4 mins
A 7500km journey from Beijing to Ulaanbataar then across Siberia to Moscow.

In the Absence of the Sun / Selamat Pagi, Malam
(Lucky Kuswandi, Indonesia, 2014)

The rapidly-developing cityscape of modern-day Jakarta plays a
major role in this tender and heartfelt drama directed by Lucky Kuswandi (Madame X), one of Indonesia’s hottest new talents. The film follows three women over the course of a single night. 32-year-old Gia returns home after a stint studying in New York to find a culture that has changed beyond all recognition, and a soulmate who is no longer the person she once was. 24-year-old Indri, a towel girl at a local gym, seeks out her Prince Charming through internet dating, while the recently widowed Mrs Surya heads out on a journey of self- discovery after learning of her deceased husband’s affair.

In the Absence of the Sun is a real gem, a melancholic evocation of the sights, sounds and smells of this modernising metropolis, which is at once vibrant and beguiling, with an adventure around every corner, and lonely, alienating and confusing.

The director Lucky Kuswandi will be in attendance.

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Asia House is thrilled to announce the full programme of its seventh annual Asia House Film Festival which will take place from 27 March to 31 March 2015, generously supported once again by Prudential plc. This year’s theme of New Generations reflects on new talents, new styles, new landscapes and new modes of film production from and about the Asia Pacific region – from Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesian, India, Japan and Uzbekistan, with a special focus and retrospective on Mongolia.

The festival includes an exciting selection of features, documentaries and shorts, including two European premieres, eight UK premieres and one London premiere, alongside a showcase of classic films.