I’ve been teaching a video class at the Vientiane Institute of Fine Arts since Feb.2009 . On this blog we will post pics of our adventures, screen some of our films and inform you of updates and happenings.

We will start with the first film we made together: HOT COFFEE. We shot it in 3 hours and entered it in the first ever Vientiane Film festival at: www.vientianale.org  .

We won the special prize: a 3 chip DV camera. This camera will help the students at VNIA to continue making films. The prize was a donation from Gally Film GbR, a German filmmaking duo who make documentary films. ( www.gally-film.de ).  Thank You!!!

One thing you have to understand to “get” HOT COFFEE is that in Laos, at a coffee/tea place, they always ask if you want your coffee hot or cold. And hot coffee IS more expensive than cold coffee. Enjoy!

This is us at the Vientianale. We managed to pack 18 students in a TUK TUK

Souphalak and Chandaline at the festival. Souphalak(on the left) is the class translator- her English is excellent- when Ajan (teacher) Sai is not around. Ajan Sai is one of the painting instructors at the school who is also taking my class and is the official translator- out of  20 students only 2 speak English and that’s them above. He missed the festival because he was up in Luang Prabang doing a watercolor workshop. Oh, they are sitting outside because at the Festival they had 2 projection spaces: one, a small room inside and thwo, a big projection screen outdoors. (I was the projectionist for the outdoor screenings)