A HARSH dose of reality can be expected at this year's Southeast Asian Film Festival as regional politics and identity are explored across many of the works that will screen in this year's edition. Close to half of the line-up will consist of documentaries as the grim issues of communities living through instability and hardship come under the microscope of filmmakers from across the region.

"To understand this region, the documenting of reality is as important as the telling of stories," explains film critic and festival director, Philip Cheah.

Sam I-shan, programme manager at the Singapore Art Museum, where the festival will be held, adds, "Documentaries allow directors to tell very intimate stories. Audiences can readily engage with the sometimes thorny and topical subjects raised."