For one night only, a screening of seminal 1981 Filipino film Turumba, by Kidlat Tahimik, introduced by visiting Filipino curator Merv Espina who will also serve a sampling of South East Asian food.

Turumba

Blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, Turumba is a brilliantly crafted satire of globalisation in a small Fillipino town. Made by the grandfather of the Independent Philippine Cinema, Kidlat Tahimik, in collaboration with local craftsmen and artists, Turumba portrays the community of Pakil, a small town in Laguna province about 100 kilometres from the capital Manila. Famed for the annual Turumba procession and musical tradition, the film focuses on a family who earn their living creating paper-mache icons, renowned across the Philippines, for the annual festivities. Upon receiving a commission to mass produce paper-mache figurines for the 1972 Munich Olympic games, the film traces the changes to the town as the Filipino hamlet becomes a sweat shop, observing the effects of global trade on the centuries old traditions, reflecting the broader histories of colonialism and exploitation in the Pacific.

Merv Espina & the Green Papaya Kitchen

Filipino curator Merv Espina is program director for Green Papaya Art Projects, the oldest artist-run interdisciplinary platform in the Philippines. The Green Papaya Kitchen is a model for an alternative economy built on exchange, and in this unique screening event, attendees will sample a small range of vegetarian dishes adapted by Espina from recipes gathered during his travels around Southeast Asia. The food served at the screening will be served on a first come-first served basis.

Turumba is presented as part of the Artist Week leading up to the 2016 CIRCUIT symposium Phantom Topologies. $10 door sales only

Merv Espina's visit to New Zealand is made possible by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

CIRCUIT is the
leading voice
for artist moving image
practice
in Aotearoa New Zealand,
distributing works,
critical review and
dialogues
which reflect our unique, contemporary
South Pacific context.