The Southeast Asia Networks succeeds the long-running S-Express program at Minikino Film Week. While the S-Express Short Film Program Exchange remains active within this new framework, the network introduces fresh flexibility.
By opening doors for unique selections that diverge from standard S-Express technical or regulatory programming, it empowers programmers to participate and fosters deeper connections across Southeast Asia’s short film community.
Index:
- S-EXPRESS 2026 INDONESIA
- S-EXPRESS 2026 MALAYSIA
- S-EXPRESS 2026 PHILIPPINES
- S-EXPRESS 2026 TIMOR-LESTE
- S-EXPRESS 2026 VIETNAM
S-EXPRESS 2026 INDONESIA
Duration: 66:49
Programmer: Fransiska Prihadi
| DATE | SHOW TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
MALAM SEPANJANG NAFAS (A Night as Long as a Breath)
[d] Irwan Sebleku
Indonesia / 2025 / Fiction / 12:16
Meri fights for justice after her sister is sexually abused by their uncle, the village head.
–
Awards/Screenings: UNiTE 2025 Film Screening and Discussion | Festival Film Kemanusiaan 2025
[ig] @film.kupang @irwan.sebleku @minyakurut_
ALUR ALIR (Streaming)
[d] Rahmania Nerva, Ananta Wijayarana
Indonesia / 2024 / Experimental / 09:00
The masses transport under the city’s system with routes, stops, and arrival time that forming us together into a flow.
–
Awards/Screenings: ARKIPEL Garden of Earthly Delights – 11th Jakarta International Documentary and Experimental Film Festival
ANAK MACAN (My Plastic Mother)
[d] Amar Haikal / [w] Amar Haikal, Bintang Panglima, Zetta Salwa
Indonesia / 2025 / Fiction / 17:48
Living by a landfill, Eki braves rain, landslides and machinery to find a memento of his late mother.
–
[ig] @Podium.pictures
BUNGA-BUNGA DI JALA IKAN (A Mixed Blessing)
[d] Cinta / [w] Saddam
Indonesia, USA / 2026 / Fiction / 15:45
Hit by climate change, a desperate family struggles to survive by participating in the Sedekah Rawa Pening tradition.
–
Awards/Screenings: Juilliard’s Art of the Score Program 2026
[ig] @merakitpictures @terrrcinta @saddampdr
TO AN OLD HARBOUR
[d] Putu Kusuma Wijaya
Indonesia / 2026 / Documentary / 12:00
A Belgian artist visiting Singaraja’s old harbour witnesses the demolition of a historic building.
S-EXPRESS 2026 MALAYSIA
Duration: 56:28
From bird to fish to goat, these short films depict not only animals but also human and more-than-human interactions and coexistence in a world where the hierarchical structure that prioritises humans on a scale of intelligence and dominance is problematised through imaginative yet realistic cohabitation.
Programmer: ChongLee, Yow
| DATE | SHOW TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
I DUOK OM I BOHUNTUNG (The Owl and the Rainbow)
[d] Jo Luping / [w] Lynda Chanwai-Earle
Malaysia / 2025 / Animation / 10:00
When depression pulls her daughter into darkness, a mother must transform to restore hope and bring colour back to their lives.
–
[e] lionfishfilm@gmail.com
IN BETWEEN
[d] Lim Zhi Xin / [w] Lim Zhi Xin, Chuang Jo-Chu, Lim Chee Pin, Justin Huang
Malaysia / 2026 / Animation / 03:16
Within a confined mental space, Lumi exists alongside a dove and a crow, navigating her emotions in pursuit of a joyful life.
鳥，飛行中 (In the Valley)
[d][w] Lim Han Loong
Malaysia / 2025 / Fiction / 21:13
Young Lei must leave Ipoh alongside her mother, who seeks a better future. With her best friend Ze, she escapes to a limestone valley.
UMPAN: THE BETTA FISH
[d] Nelson Lau / [w] Joyce Li
Malaysia / 2025 / Fiction / 14:00
After a boy goes missing in a peaceful yet superstitious fishing village, a teenager begins to experience haunting visions, to question his sanity.
HADIAH DARI HUJAN (Gift of Rain)
[d][w] Aei Raa
Malaysia / 2025 / Experimental / 07:59
This story follows Syahir and Remi in a small town by Sungai Dara, stuck in the rain, and their sun-filled journey to the river.
S-EXPRESS 2026 PHILIPPINES
Duration: 71:03
The City Is Dying By Its Own Hands
Programmer: Jason Tan Liwag
| DATE | SHOW TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
TUMATAWA, UMIIYAK (Laughing & Crying)
[d][w] Che Tagyamon
Philippines / 2023 / Animation / 08:00
A young boy’s afternoon walk with his grandfather in search of flowers brings him to the more upscale part of the city that frowns upon them.
SUNOG SA SUGBO (Inferno in the South)
[d][w] Jon Owen Lepiten
Philippines / 2025 / Fiction / 18:36
Teenager, Koy, is desperate to rebuild his family’s life after a fire. His friend, Chito, offers him a dangerous job that forces him to set another slum ablaze.
CITY’S LAUNDRY AND TAXES
[d][w] Diana Galang
Philippines / 2025 / Fiction / 18:33
In a small town outside of Manila in 2017, a laundromat owner’s son finds his missing classmate’s ID in a police uniform’s dirty laundry.
NANANAHAN (Dwelling)
[d][w] Dwein Baltazar
Philippines / 2024 / Fiction / 21:06
In the heart of Metro Manila, there is an ordinary thrift shop with a supernatural story of loneliness.
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT
[d][w] Joanne Cesario
Philippines / 2024 / Experimental / 04:48
A mixed-media meditation on land and body. Through images, videos, and text, the work explores the filmmaker’s guilt over her inability to follow the path taken by her closest friends.
S-EXPRESS 2026 TIMOR-LESTE
Duration: 35:30
The Timor-Leste Segment is curated by Lena Lenzen, Director of the Dili International Film Festival, celebrating fearless and emerging voices from Timor-Leste’s growing film scene.
Programmer: Lena Lenzen
| DATE | SHOW TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
NOYLISTA
[d] Adi Pereira
Timor-Leste / 2023 / Documentary / 04:59
Meet a bold young girl with big dreams and massive talent – the new hero of Asia’s youngest country.
FREEDOM 21
[d] Memo Santos
Timor-Leste / 2021 / Fiction / 02:05
A poignant glimpse into life during COVID. What does freedom mean through the eyes of Timor-Leste’s older generation?
GRANDE HEROI
[d] Woles Production
Timor-Leste / 2024 / Fiction / 04:00
A tribute to the quiet strength of everyday heroes in the capital, Dili.
KBIIT BUIBERE
[d] Adi Pereira
Timor-Leste / 2020 / Fiction / 05:21
Confronting the past with courage – a heavy yet hopeful story. (Contains explicit scenes/ violence)
KULTURA MATEBIAN
[d] Glorya’s Film
Timor-Leste / 2023 / Fiction / 05:05
A carefree hiking trip takes an unexpected turn, prompting young friends to reflect on values, culture, and legacy.
TAMA HO FIAR-AN
[d] Teatru Filteda
Timor-Leste / 2024 / Fiction / 05:00
A slapstick comedy set in Baucau, blending family values, generational change, and progress – with a light touch.
ECHO OF THE WASTE
[d] Lisboa Gusmão
Timor-Leste / 2025 / Fiction / 04:00
You can throw away your garbage, but can you escape it?
SILENT DROP
[d] Adi Pereira
Timor-Leste / 2024 / Fiction / 05:00
A supernatural take on a serious issue. This standout short has screened in Indonesia and Thailand, and Darwin.
S-EXPRESS 2026 VIETNAM
Duration: 74:52
Losses, memories and transformation are the main topics of this year’s S-Express Vietnam which aims to introduce
fresh voices of Vietnamese cinema.
Programmer: Marcus Manh Cuong Vu
| DATE | SHOW TIME | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
FIRESTORM (Bão Lửa)
[d][w] Trang Anh Bảo
Vietnam / 2026 / Fiction / 16:31
Mistaken for her son, the grieving mother silently accepts Dũng, a survived soldier, as family.
HÀ NỘI 2050
[d][w] Phạm Đình Thiện
Vietnam / 2026 / Fiction / 20:32
Thanh races to relocate the residents, but meets his match in Mr. Suu – an alcoholic living alone who stubbornly refuses to leave his house.
WE USED TO TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME
[d][w] Ân Nguyễn
Vietnam / 2025 / Fiction / 13:35
Returning to Vietnam for the first time since middle school, a teenage girl reunites with old friends
NO LONGER HUMAN LAND (Đất Mồ Côi)
[d][w] Đức Minh Đoàn
Vietnam / 2026 / Documentary / 24:14
Journeying back to his father’s hometown, a filmmaker captures the final traces of a land on the verge of disappearing due to urbanization.