These experimental and narrative short films from Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, explores myth, fantasy and growing up in a time of crisis and change.
Prioritising the personal over the scientific, these films look at how the hope of a new world wrestles with the ghosts of the past.
From journeys of return in It’s Raining Frogs Outside and Golden Dragon, to examinations of sexist superstitions in Lemongrass Girl these films explore how we bear change.
Tabula Rasa and Pyroclasts are Eloquent Storytellers are concerned with sensorial and ritualistic relationships to our environment – from the human desire to predict disaster to wandering with the ghosts of history.
The screening will be preceded by a sound performance by Zhao Jiajing, a London-based composer and interdisciplinary artist whose work seeks to evoke cross-sensory imaginations.
This is a past event. Subscribe to our newsletters to hear about upcoming events
Booking fees
£1.50 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
Programme
It’s Raining Frogs Outside (2021) | Maria Estela Paiso | 14 | Philippines
As the apocalypse looms, a young Filipino woman is forced to return to her childhood home in the province of Zambales. There, as frogs rain down from the sky, she confronts traumatic memories that condense into a surreal fever dream.
Tabula Rasa (2018) | Taiki Sakpisit | 20 | Thailand
There is an abandoned temple hidden among the hills of Chainat province, 188 kilometres north of Bangkok, which was built 450 years ago in the Ayutthaya Kingdom and burnt down during the Burmese–Siamese wars. All that remains now are the ruins on the highlands, haunted by the myth of the wandering spirits of dead soldiers from the wars and a solitary monk who seeks tranquillity within the emptiness of space. The film attempts to represent a meditative state of what John Locke called a blank canvas, or tabula rasa, while examining the nature of moving images, whilst intertwining an oral history of a mother recalling her husband’s series of strange dreams.
Golden Dragon (2023) | Boren Chhith | 17 | Cambodia
When Vicheka wakes up in a hospital in the coastal town of Sihanoukville, he tries to piece together the reason for his visit. Overwhelmed by his dreams, memories and the rapidly urbanising landscape of his birthplace, a conversation with a local nurse helps him to begin navigating this pivotal moment in his life.
Lemongrass Girl | Pom Bunsermvicha | 2021 | 17 min | Thailand
According to Thai superstition, a virgin can ward off rain by planting lemongrass upside-down underneath an open sky. This belief remains prevalent to this day. As clouds begin to gather, a young production manager on a film set is tasked to carry out this tradition. As her fellow female co-workers shy away from the duty, she is left with no choice but to take on the burden of becoming the lemongrass girl.
Pyroclasts are Eloquent Storytellers (2022) | Riar Rizaldi | 21 | Indonesia
The film observes the notion of prediction—where humans always have their own methods and apparatus in constructing their predictions for the future. In this context, this film focuses on the eruption forecast of one of the most active stratovolcano in the world: Mount Merapi. For many humans who live around the volcano, Merapi as a geological entity is a symbol of a contingent future. The film delves into the psyche of the mountain as well as examines the practice of prophecy performed by people who live around the volcano with their multimodal approach to worldviews.
Let our screens bring you closer
Cinema 3
Location
Barbican Cinema 2 & 3 are located on Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance. From Silk Street, you’ll see a zebra crossing that will take you across the road to the venue.
Address
Beech Street
London
EC2Y 8DS
Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.
We’ve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus
Access
Cinemas 2 & 3 are located at Beech Street, a short walk from the Barbican Centre’s main Silk Street entrance. There are a couple of steep, dropped kerbs and an incline to negotiate between the two sites. Level access from Beech Street.
Mobility
Each auditorium has three permanent wheelchair spaces (two in the third row and one in the front row) and 153 fixed seats with capacity for a further three spaces in the front row. Access to each auditorium is up a ramp. There are also a number of seats with step-free access.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the cinema – please tell us when booking to ensure your seat has enough space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the foyer staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
An infrared system for hard of hearing customers is provided in each auditorium; headsets or neck loops can be collected from foyer staff. The ticket desk counter is fitted with an induction loop.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.
