New York Southeast Asia Network

Call for Papers – Philippine Studies Association National Conference 2026

Deadline: June 30, 2026

https://www.nysean.org/blog/philippine-studies-association-national-conference

MOONGLOW (2026) | Asia Society

Date: July 11, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Join the Asia Society and Asian CineVision for a screening of Moonglow by Isabel Sandoval.

SYNOPSIS:
Sandoval’s latest feature is a sterling representation of the dramatic themes and tendencies that have animated her work until now. The filmmaker stars in a noirish moral tale set in 1979 Manila. She plays Dahlia, a corrupt police chief's right-hand woman; her decision to betray him, in an attempt to help victims of his wrongdoing, has deadly consequences. With luxurious colors, camerawork and period design—Sandoval cites Melville and Ophuls as inspiration and will introduce screenings of their films as part of this series—Moonglow marks a milestone in a major filmography.

Followed by a Q&A with Isabel Sandoval moderated by film critic David Schwartz.

https://www.nysean.org/events/moonglow

LINGUA FRANCA (2019) | Asia Society

Date: July 11, 2026 | 2:15 PM – 4:15 PM ET

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Join the Asia Society and Asian CineVision for a screening of LINGUA FRANCA by Isabel Sandoval.

SYNOPSIS:
In her only feature to date made in the USA, Sandoval stars as Olivia, an undocumented trans Filipina woman living in Brooklyn and working as a caregiver. Shortly after her latest attempt at a greencard marriage falls through, she meets Alex (Eamon Farren), grandson of the woman she cares for, and the pair hit it off. Deepening Sandoval’s concern with the way large political currents seep into the intimacies of everyday life, Lingua Franca is one of the most trenchant onscreen depictions of the anxieties aroused by American immigration policies.

Followed by a Q&A with Isabel Sandoval moderated by film critic Genevieve Yue.

https://www.nysean.org/events/lingua-franca

APARISYON (APPARITION) | Asia Society

Date: July 10, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Join the Asia Society and Asian CineVision for a screening of Aparisyon (Apparition) by Isabel Sandoval.

SYNOPSIS:
It’s 1971 in a remote forest near Manila, where Sister Lourdes (Jodi Sta. Maria) arrives to join a cloister of nuns—in theory separated from the outside world—at the convent Adoration. A violent incident interrupts the routines of her new life and tests the faith of her and her sisters, while the Mother Superior remains in denial. The political turmoil sweeping the country trickles in on a radio and through news of a missing family member. In the months leading up to President Ferdinand Marcos’s declaration of martial law, nobody is untouchable.

Followed by a Q&A with Isabel Sandoval moderated by Asia Society Curator of Film Inney Prakash.

https://www.nysean.org/events/aparisyon-apparition

SEÑORITA (2011) | Asia Society

Date: July 9, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Join the Asia Society and Asian CineVision for a screening of SEÑORITA by Isabel Sandoval.

SYNOPSIS:
Donna (Isabel Sandoval) is a trans woman in a small town in the Philippines who takes care of her friend’s son and works as the aide to a do-gooding mayoral candidate. By night, she remains mired in the world of s*x work that she’s attempted to leave behind in Manila. When she crosses a powerful client in order to help her candidate, the consequences test the limits of her resolve. Sandoval’s debut feature is an impressive declaration of her talents (as writer, director, producer and actor) and myriad thematic preoccupations.

Followed by a Q&A with Isabel Sandoval moderated by Asia Society Curator of Film Inney Prakash.

https://www.nysean.org/events/seorita

Demographic Anomalies During Indonesia’s Years of “Living Dangerously” | ANU Indonesia Project

Date: June 23, 2026 | 10:30 PM – 11:59 PM ET

Type/Location: Hybrid / Canberra, Australia

Join the ANU Indonesia Project for a talk by Siddharth Chandra, Professor of Economics in James Madison College and Director of the Asian Studies Center at Michigan State University, who will discuss demographic changes in Indonesia during the turbulent 1960s.

https://www.nysean.org/events/demographic-anomalies-during-indonesias-years-of-living-dangerously

Hanoi Grapevine’s Finest: Audience-led Archives and Contemporary Vietnamese Art

Date: June 19, 2026 | 9:30 AM EDT

Type/Location: Virtual

Join the Southeast Asia Digital Library to celebrate the launch of their newest collection, Hanoi Grapevine's Finest, with a discussion on Audience-led Archives and Contemporary Vietnamese Art.

Speakers:
- Nguyễn Tú Hằng – Director of Hanoi Grapevine
- Emily Zinger – Southeast Asia Digital Librarian
- Đỗ Tường Linh – Director, Nguyen Wahed Gallery and Art Curator Vincom Center for Contemporary Art

https://www.nysean.org/events/collection-launch-event-hanoi-grapevines-finest

LOST LAND (HARÀ WATAN)

Date: June 9, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Join the Asia Society New York for a film screening of LOST LAND on the eve of World Refugee Day, an international day designated by the United Nations to honor the strength, resilience, and courage of people forced to flee their countries due to conflict or persecution. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Writer and Director Akio Fujimoto and Consulting Producer Eric Nyari to deepen understanding, foster empathy, and engage in meaningful dialogue about the global refugee experience.

https://www.nysean.org/events/lost-land-hara-watan

Roundtable on Authoritarianism and Intellectual Freedom: Lessons from Southeast Asia

Date: May 28, 2026 | 9:40 PM – 11:10 PM ET

Type/Location: Virtual

At the AIFIS-MSU Conference on Indonesian Studies, join NYSEAN and SEACAF for a roundtable that will explore the relationship between authoritarianism and threats to academic and intellectual freedom in a way that puts attacks on higher education in the United States in conversation with Southeast Asia. The Roundtable includes the following scholars: Bencharat Sae Chua of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University in Thailand; Herlambang Wiratraman of the Research Center of Law and Social Justice at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia; Sol Iglesias of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Political Science Department in the Philippines, Sidney Jones of NYSEAN and New York University’s International Affairs Program, and Rianne Subijanto of Baruch College, City University of New York. Margaret Scott, a founder of NYSEAN and a journalist with the New York Review of Books, will chair.

More Information: https://www.nysean.org/events/authoritarianism-and-intellectual-freedom-lessons-from-southeast-asia-aifis

Webinar Link: https://msu.zoom.us/j/91737914074

Friendly reminder that NYSEAN is hosting its last event of the school year tomorrow in person and virtually. We hope to see you there!

Democracy Under ‘Green’ Extraction: Comparative Lessons From Indonesia

Date: May 12, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Type/Location: Hybrid / New York, NY

Join NYSEAN for a talk by Dr. Eve Warburton, visiting fellow at NYU Wagner and research fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change at Australian National University. Dr. Warburton will discuss how Indonesia's declining democracy, weak state capacity, and state-business entanglements created an ideal environment for fast-paced upstream extraction and large-scale downstream foreign investment.

Democracy Under ‘Green’ Extraction: Comparative Lessons From Indonesia — New York Southeast Asia Network Join NYSEAN for a talk by Dr. Eve Warburton , visiting fellow at NYU Wagner and research fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change at Australian National University. Dr. Warburton will discuss how Indonesia's declining democracy, weak state capacity, and state-business entanglements,