This is the second installment of an ongoing series of posts where I highlight some of the documentaries from East and Southeast Asia, offered on the most popular streaming platforms around the globe.
Read part 1, The Criterion Channel
DaFilms/Doc Alliance
Founded in 2008, Doc Alliance is a partnership of seven European documentary film festivals: CPH:DOX, Doclisboa, Docs Against Gravity FF, DOK Leipzig, Marseille Festival of Documentary Film, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, and Visions du Réel. The streaming platform is called DAfilms and if you are interested in discovering the broad spectrum of documentaries made in all parts of the globe, this is by far the best streaming service available.
As the name indicates, the platform is dedicated exclusively to non-fiction, here to be understood on its broader sense, and although the service is mainly focused on European cinema, the East and Southeast Asian section is well represented.
The list is long, I’ve divided the movies by country, adding here and there few lines of comment.
West of the Tracks (Wang Bing, 2003) China
One of the most important and influential documentaries of this century, and a mesmerizing masterpiece. Revolutionary.
Double Happiness (Ella Raidel, 2014) China, Austria
Double Happiness (Otsuka Ryuji, 2014) China
P. J. Sniadecki is one of the most interesting directors working between documentary and experimental cinema today. Watch all of his movies if you can, my personal favourites are Demolition, Yumen, People’s Park and The Iron Ministry.
Songhua (P. J. Sniadecki, 2007) China, United States
The Yellow Bank (P. J. Sniadecki, 2010) China, United States
Bailu Dream (Nicolas Boone, 2012) China, France
Demolition (P. J. Sniadecki, 2008) China, United States
Yumen (Xiang Huang, Xu Ruotao, P. J. Sniadecki, 2013) China, United States
People’s Park (Libbie D. Cohn, P. J. Sniadecki, 2012) China, United States
The Iron Ministry (P. J. Sniadecki, 2014) China, United States
Open 24 Hours (Xavi Camprecios, 2004) Spain, China.
A Hundred Patients of Dr Jia (Wang Hongjun, 2014) China
Disorder (Huang Weikai, 2009) China
731: Two Versions of Hell (James T. Hong) China, Taiwan, United States.
Ta’ang (Wang Bing 2016) Hong Kong SAR China, France
Alone (Wang Bing, 2012) France, Hong Kong SAR China
Few years back I wrote a short post on the movie
Silent Visitors (Jeroen Van Der Stock, 2012) Belgium, Japan.
August (Mieko Azuma, 2011) Japan, Germany.
Peace (Soda Kazuhiro, 2010)Japan, South Korea, United States.
Sofa Rockers (Timo Novotny, 2000) Austria, Japan.
Haiku (Naomi Kawase, 2009) Japan.
Most of the works from the Philippines are from the past decade and by Khavn De La Cruz, once called “the most prominent member of Philippine independent cinema”.
The Muzzled Horse of an Engineer in Search of Mechanical Saddles (Khavn De La Cruz,2008) Philippines.
Philippine New Wave: This Is Not a Film Movement (Khavn De La Cruz, 2010) Philippines.
Can and Slippers (Khavn De La Cruz, 2005) Philippines.
Son of God (Khavn De La Cruz, Michael Noer, 2010) Denmark, Philippines.
Squatterpunk (Khavn De La Cruz, 2007) Philippines.
Kamias: Memory of Forgetting (Khavn De La Cruz, 2006) Philippines.
Our Daily Bread (Khavn De La Cruz, 2006) Philippines.
Rugby Boyz (Khavn De La Cruz, 2006) Philippines.
Bahag Kings (Khavn De La Cruz, 2006) Philippines.
Ex Press (Jet Leyco, 2012) Philippines.
State of Play (Steven Dhoedt, 2013) Belgium, South Korea.
Tour of Duty (Dong-ryung Kim Kyoung-tae Park, 2012) South Korea.
I’ve written a in-depth analysis on contemporary Taiwanese documentary a couple of years ago, and Letter #69 is to this day one of the best and more satisfying blend between experimental cinema and political non-fiction, I’ve had the chance to watch in recent years.
Letter #69 (Hsin-I Lin, 2016) Taiwan
In Memory of the Chinatown (Chun-tien Chen, 2015) Taiwan.
Face to Face (Chuan Chung, 2013) Taiwan.
Trace of the future according to Khoa Lê (Khoa Le, 2014) Taiwan.
Temperature at Nights (Yin-Yu Huang, 2103) Taiwan.
Temperature at Nights (Yin-Yu Huang, 2014) Taiwan.
Asian Docs 