Dillon M. Banda

Written and directed by Dillon M. Banda, 'Spirit' is a celebration of the human spirit, shot on location across Nepal in Kathmandu, Pokhara, at Pashupatinath temple, and at the Nagi Gompa, Namo Buddha, Tamang and Kanying Sherub Ling monasteries. The film's action follows a community of nuns and monks, young and old, as they prepare for a major ceremony, and is based on a poem spoken from the perspective of a narrator questioning the nature of their own existence.

Richard Streitmatter-Tran was orphaned as an infant during the Vietnam war and adopted by a white American family from Massachusetts, where he was subsequently raised. After an eventful formative period which saw him join the US military, serve in desert storm, and then attend art school on the G.I. bill, Richard returned to Vietnam to teach art at university before leaving his job a few years ago to pursue a full time career as an artist. 'Belong' follows Richard as he reflects on his life, his work and his legacy, with his thoughts and memories framed by lyrics from the 5 songs that have been most significant to his journey so far. 'Belong' was filmed across Singapore during Richard's residency at the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, and is the second in the 'How We Live Now' series of short films, exploring the importance of music in people's lives.

Filmed across the Hong Kong islands, 'Ashima' follows Natacha Maboma, a young Cameroonian-American woman, as she reflects on the experience of being a young woman - and specifically, a black woman - living away from home and travelling the world on her own.

Van Ngoc Dang reflects on the end of her most formative long term relationship while wandering through Da Lat, a hauntingly beautiful town located in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, and the last place that Van (who is Vietnamese - Canadian) and her ex visited together as a couple. Her memories are framed through the lyrics of 5 songs that were especially meaningful to her during the breakup.

'Hummingbird' follows Josh, a man on the run, as he embarks on a new career as an illegal muay thai fighter in order to support his family.