North American Premiere
Haunting, mysterious, and mournful, Chong Keat Aun’s film explores the persecution of the Malaysian Chinese. The first part of Chong’s story concerns May 13, 1969, the day when racial mob violence in Kuala Lumpur led to many killings—mostly of Chinese people. In the second part of the film, set in 2018, middle-aged Ah Eng (Wan Fang) leaves her husband to embark on a mysterious quest. Chong deliberately keeps the story somewhat murky for much of the film’s running time, but when the connections are revealed during a graveside conversation, what emerges is clarifying and powerful. Snow in Midsummer is a film of protest, but it’s many other things as well: an examination of grief, a complex sociological portrait, a work that gracefully explores the possibilities of the long take… Perhaps best of all, it’s a loving depiction of traditional Chinese opera, with the first part of the film set among the milieu of live performance and the second part paying a wistful tribute to the art form.
Community Partner
Wan Fang, Pearlly Chua, Rexen Cheng, Pauline Tan, Peter Yu, Alvin Wong
Malaysia/Taiwan/Singapore
2023
Panorama
In Malay, Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Producer
Kew Soon Wong, Gene Yao, Wai Thong Chow, Jennifer Jao
Screenwriter
Keat Aun Chong
Cinematography
Jerry Hsu
Editor
Ai Chen Goh
Production Design
Bao Shan Chiang
Original Music
Kah Hoe Yii, Keat Aun Chong
Director
Keat Aun Chong
Chong Keat Aun is an award-winning Malaysian writer-director. His first short Cemetery of Courtesy was shortlisted for the 22nd Busan International Film Festival. His directorial debut The Story of Southern Islet earned him the award for Best New Director and the FIPRESCI Prize and NETPAC Prize at the 57th Golden Horse Awards in 2020.
Filmography: The Story of Southern Islet (2020)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Intimate Moments: Short Films by Brendan Prost
Vignettes of loneliness, desire and fleeting connection, immerse yourself in the short, bittersweet films of Brendan Prost — who will also be filming proceedings for potential inclusion in his self-reflexive doc, The Performance of a Lifetime.
Winter Kept Us Warm
Often described as the first LGBTQ+ film ever to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, David Secter's lovingly observed portrait of a burgeoning queer romance came at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in the country
Last Wedding: Jubilee Screening with Bruce Sweeney
Named the Best Canadian film of 2001 by the Vancouver and Toronto Film Critics, Bruce Sweeney's third feature took a wry look at contemporary relationships through the experiences of three thirtysomething couples whose relationships are about to implode.
Agatha's Almanac
Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is an artful documentary portrait of filmmaker Amalie Atkin’s octogenarian aunt, who has fashioned herself an endearingly simple and self-sustaining lifestyle on her Manitoba farm.
Modern Whore
In director Nicole Bazuin's cheeky, stylized documentary, Modern Whore-memoirist Andrea Werhun (Paying for It) recounts her experiences as an escort and stripper in Toronto, debunking misconceptions about the world’s oldest profession.
The Art of Adventure
The unbelievable adventure story of how painter Robert Bateman and ecologist Bristol Foster drove a Land Rover from Africa to Australia in 1957, developing a love of nature to last a lifetime. An inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.