Odyssey 2024 x BMS x GMFF Present: Snow in Midsummer UK PREMIERE

If it suddenly snows in midsummer, there must be grave injustice somewhere - so says the ancient Chinese play Dou E Yuan. Injustice, indeed, unfolded in Malaysia on 13 May 1969: significant sectarian violence erupted after the ruling coalition’s subpar performance in the General Election, leading to the deaths and disappearances of many Malaysian Chinese. Using Dou E Yuan as a metaphor for this tragedy in Malaysian history, this film revolves around two women whose lives have forever been changed by the 13 May incident.

The director, Chong Keat Aun, based this remarkable work on his interview with 14 family members of the victims of the 13 May incident, whom he got to know from his visits to a mass grave that buried the unfortunate souls who perished that night. Food, in this film, becomes a bridge connecting the living and the dead, reminding us of the injustice over 50 years ago. -  Curatorial Notes by Chris Lau. Co-Lead Curator of Odyssey 2024.