David Teh, Mentorship 2007-2008

In 2007, Sydney scholar and curator David Teh was selected to be mentored by senior Bangkok curator and producer Gridthiya Gaweewong.

This mentorship supported Teh to curate and administer the Fifth Bangkok Experimental Film Festival (BEFF5) held across five venues in Bangkok 25-30 March 2008, which subsequently toured to five regional Thai locations as well as to Australia. According to Teh, BEFF5 is important as it “plays a key role in the invigoration of Bangkok’s burgeoning independent film community, exposing local audiences to innovative, local and international work by video and new media artists, animators and experimental film makers.”

Teh followed the exhibition with a substantial catalogue that constitutes a significant contribution to the field of experimental film and video making in Asia. The mentorship was successful in transforming a relatively small injection of funding into a major project and event in Thailand, enabling the mentoree to formalise what began as a voluntary position.

David Teh's mentorship was supported by the Australia Council for the Arts' ‘Young and Emerging Artists Initiative – Youth Media Arts Mentorship’.

MAAP presented BEFF5 in Brisbane in December 2008.

The 5th Bangkok Experimental Film Festival, 2008-2009