“I’m interested in the ‘in-between’ space because it embodies the the liminality of cinema and art,” said Mary Pansanga, curator of the seventh edition of the Bangkok Experimental Film Festival (BEFF) which took place at One Bangkok Forum from January 25th to February 2nd, 2025. “I want to expand the perception and notion of moving image.” 

When I shared with her that the ambitious programming of BEFF — spanning virtual experiences, performances, art installations, workshops, film screenings, and live music — intrigues me because of the unique approach to curation towards an experimental film festival, she smiled and explained, “All of us do not have similar spaces to cultivate our thoughts and judgment. We are colored by our life experiences and the nuanced, varied programming is supposed to reflect that — my job is to make sure that both viewers and filmmakers alike have all the space that they need to cultivate.”

https://www.facebook.com/onebangkokth/videos/1130695162096057/?ref=embed_video&t=8

The cultivation of thought that Mary attempts to facilitate in her curation is admirable. The vision of this Festival’s edition is very expansive, perhaps somewhat due to its housing of Bangkok’s premiere of the coveted A Conversation with the Sun (VR) by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The Avant-Première of A Conversation with the Sun in Bangkok is supported by CHANEL. 

Mary has previously curated Orbiting Body (2024) at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center (BACC), which showcases the works of Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook, Pratchaya Phintong, Sathit Sattarasart, Sorawit Songsataya, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The curator’s execution of linking the celestial, geographical, and spatial in her exhibition last year translates to the clean-cut ability to delve into the topic of space even further in BEFF.

“I wanted to create a shift in understanding of the ‘cinematic experience.’ With A Conversation with the Sun, it’s already about this liminality in cinema that transcends the context of rigid cinematic frameworks. I think with A Conversation with the Sun being the point of departure for a lot of the viewers here into the experimental cinema, the theme of Nowhere Somewhere is only natural,” Mary smiled.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFXUtRyz9qD/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=cd9b291b-31b2-4d72-96a6-7088225c31f7

When asked about why the curator particularly agreed to work with Nowhere Somewhere for the thematic programming — initially conceived by the inputs of BEFF’s founders Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Gridthiya Gaweewong — she elaborated that the theme is nostalgic but also forward-looking. 

“I invited them [Apichatpong and Gridthiya] to guest-curate ‘Memorializing BEFF,’ which is a retrospective look at their personal favorites of the Festival’s highlights throughout the years,” she said, her eyes lit up with excitement. “So this edition is retrospective in that sense — we have former curators here like May Adadol Ingawanij who curated BEFF6 Raiding the Archives, and David Teh who previously curated BEFF5 The More Things Change… who are like family, but we also have this new crowd of emerging artists, filmmakers, and enthusiasts who will undoubtedly define the future of filmmaking. We are going somewhere with this nowhereness of limitless possibilities in each and every direction. This organic, fluid structure of what cinema could be and what the people behind and in it could be is the beating heart of the Festival.”

I explained to Mary that as a viewer, I was very touched by the wide variety of programming the Festival managed to showcase and implement. The diversity felt organic and not forced in any way, there was no tokenization of any talents in particular. Mary grinned from ear to ear, nodding along. 

“The program must speak to all regions, that to me is international. Being international is not having a primarily Western-centric approach to the Festival, that is not what I intend to achieve,” Mary pinpointed. Indeed, the Festival’s collaborators hail from all corners of the world. Night of the Dry Flowers, for example, is a special music program that features musicians, artists, and poets from South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, and Thailand.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEzbRnAIJNW/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f0dd3b3f-0e81-4d1c-8f6a-92cf8e6bfed3

It doesn’t stop there. The humongous task of curating across mediums and retaining the cross-cutting dialogue is simply impressive. Mary admits that the work is surmountable but necessary. 

“With the installation of COSMORAMA, for example, the works of five different artists are displayed on three different screens as single channel videos. Because all the artists are subjected to the same medium that is the single channel, the merging of works is inevitable. It cannot be helped. So this intentional set-up to communicate the absence and presence of what is being conveyed and by who overlaps, and this is the somewhereness in nowhere and vice versa,” Mary articulated. COSMORAMA features the works of Chantana Tiprachart, Pathompon Tesprateep, Miti Ruangkritya, Jeanne Penjan Lassus, and Domenico Singha Pedroli.

“A new film was also commissioned for the Festival, too. This was to tackle the issue of the underfunded arts and culture sector,” said Mary, who explained her thinking behind the inner workings of BEFF and why Festivals are integral to a thriving arts and culture sector. “We want to make room to support new talent, and we want to cherish the ones who paved the way for us.”

Bottom, left to right: Nittha Jirayungyurn, Plearnpichaya Komalarajun, and Valentina Giardullo. Top, left to right: Fatima Dechawaleekul, Nuttanicha Dungwattanawanich, and Jumpol Adulkittiporn. Photo Credit: CHANEL©2025

The curator explained that the Festival is similar to a family gathering of sorts, with new additions to the family each edition. “The reception of experimental films are individualistic but we have a kind of collectivism that is like a family here that allows our ideas to converge and diverge. And I think that’s beautiful,” she said.

When asked about what her curatorial expectations were, she simply put, “I don’t want people to come watch films and just leave; that is not why BEFF exists. I don’t think cinema is merely for watching. Here, we try to introduce to viewers the dismantling of the frame. I hope that we can impart this somehow.” 

The prolific curator has been with the Festival since its fifth edition. The Festival not only celebrates star studded line-up of headliners such as May Adadol Ingawanij and Julian Ross who previously curated The 69th Flaherty Seminar, Tilda Swinton, and John Cameron Mitchell, it also ensures that the spotlight is shone where it’s due. Time and again, Mary proves that all one needs to do is simply look.
Left to right: Kong Rithdee, Tilda Swinton, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Photo Credit: CHANEL©2025

Source: