Tech Tales: Digital Rights in Asia-Pacific

Register now Diverse in culture, rich in traditions, the multiethnic countries of Asia-Pacific are far from being monolithic, yet are interconnected through a common struggle for digital rights.

Be it online surveillance, gender-based violence, or disinformation, the Internet has introduced new challenges in the fight to defend human rights.

In partnership with EngageMedia, eight filmmakers have produced a series of films that highlight these growing threats in their respective countries, while also exploring possibilities that digital technology still offers.

These films comprise the Tech Tales short film collection, which focuses on human rights stories in the digital age. They employ various storytelling forms and tools, including narrative fiction, documentary, and animation.

The films cover a wide range of topics, such as data privacy and online gender-based violence in Indonesia, massive disinformation campaigns in Myanmar and the Philippines, online freedom of expression in Cambodia and Malaysia, online surveillance in Thailand and India, and digital sovereignty throughout the region.

Following the screenings of the Tech Tales films at GoetheHaus Jakarta, two filmmakers will come together for a discussion on current digital rights issues in the region. This discussion will also shed light on the artistic process involved in making films as catalysts for change.

By bringing filmmakers and audiences together, we aim to encourage meaningful conversations, probe difficult questions, and inspire collective action towards a more inclusive and ethical digital sphere.

EngageMedia is a nonprofit that promotes digital rights, open and secure technology, and social issue documentary.

Schedule

Thursday, 3 August 2023
5.30 PM – Appa & His Invisible Mundu (India)
5.55 PM – Peer-to-Peer (Australia)
6.40 PM – The Offensive Internet (Malaysia)
6.55 PM – Pattani Calling (Thailand)
7.10 PM – Defending Digital Rights through Film: Discussion with Yihwen Chen (Malaysia) – in English

Friday, 4 August 2023
     4 PM – Not Love Songs (Cambodia)
4.25 PM – Panulukan (Philippines)
5.00 PM – Black Out (Myanmar)
5.20 PM – My Clouded Mind (Indonesia)
5.35 PM – Bahaya Nyata Kekerasan Maya: Discussion with Annisa Adjam (Indonesia) & Eni Puji Utami (PurpleCode Collective) – in Indonesian
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Speakers

Annisa Adjam is an Indonesian independent filmmaker and Inteamates (@inteamates.id) chairperson, a storyteller community for social awareness. She is an alumna of IF/Then SEA Doc Lab by Tribeca, EngageMedia Tech Tales Grant Awardee, and Kingston University London graduate.

Eni Puji Utami is part of the PurpleCode Collective. Under the TaskForce for Online Gender Based Violence (OGBV) initiated by the collective, she accompanies victims across regions in Indonesia.

Yihwen “Wen” Chen is a Malaysian documentary filmmaker and journalist. In the past decade, she has worked on international documentaries for Netflix, BBC, History Channel, Crime & Investigation Network and Channel NewsAsia.

Moderators

King Catoy is a filmmaker and alternative media practitioner from the Philippines. He is the Video Manager at EngageMedia, managing and leading the creative direction of Tech Tales and the upcoming collection, Tech Tales Youth.

Pradipa P. Rasidi is the Research and Digital Rights Program Coordinator at EngageMedia. His research focus is in digital and political anthropology, with research experience with instutions such as the University of Indonesia, University of Amsterdam, and MIT Digital Currency Initiative.