Mek◊ng Sci-Fi: Toward Fut◊rity

Charting an emergent vision, a new cinematic energy is stirring across the Lower Mekong Basin. Whether set amidst the kinetic streets of urban centers, the quiet intensity of rural landscapes, or against the backdrop of historical wounds – elements present across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam – storytellers are increasingly turning to the language of science fiction to articulate their realities, anxieties, and aspirations.

This burgeoning field, which I’ve explored through the Mek◊ng Sci-Fi series, represents more than just a novel genre trend; it’s a vital space where culture, history, spirituality, and technology converge, creating narratives that are uniquely resonant both within the region and beyond.

Over the course of this series, we delved into five distinct cinematic journeys: Thailand’s ambitious Girl’s Love space romance Uranus 2324, Laos’ haunting exploration of time and karma in The Long Walk, Thailand’s historical sci-fi epic Taklee Genesis, Cambodia’s poignant tale of memory and displacement Karmalink, and the collaborative anthology Mekong 2030, which offered speculative visions from all five nations focused on their shared riverine lifeline.

These films served as crucial case studies, revealing a landscape rich with narrative diversity and profound cultural significance, deeply rooted in local cosmologies and histories yet grappling with undeniably emerging global forces.

Through this exploration, a framework began to take shape—one I call Fut◊rity.

This article seeks to synthesize the insights gathered throughout the Mek◊ng Sci-Fi series, examining the challenges and immense potential of this field, and proposing Fut◊rity not just as an analytical tool, but as a creating framework for navigating the path toward a self-determined speculative future for the Mekong region.

The paradox of potential defines the landscape for Mek◊ng sci-fi. Despite the creative vibrancy evident in Mek◊ng sci-fi, its emergence is fraught with tension highlighted throughout this series. There’s palpable excitement in seeing distinctly Southeast Asian stories reach the screen, employing speculative tools to explore our unique cultural contexts. Yet, this excitement is consistently tempered by significant structural limitations and systemic challenges. The regional filmmaking infrastructure often remains underdeveloped, marked by a scarcity of local investment willing to take risks on unconventional genres like sci-fi.

This leads to a heavy reliance on international collaboration and funding, which, while offering crucial resources and global exposure, simultaneously raises profound questions about narrative sovereignty.

As starkly illustrated in the case of Karmalink, a film deeply embedded in Cambodian language, spirituality, and social reality can ultimately have its intellectual property owned and controlled by a US-based production company.

This dynamic reflects a persistent pattern, echoing neo-colonial structures where local resources—in this case, cultural narratives and creative labor—are extracted, processed, and controlled elsewhere, potentially diluting indigenous voices to fit perceived global market demands.

Furthermore, even when films are produced, internal challenges persist. Ambition can sometimes outpace execution, leading to narrative shortcomings or imbalanced themes, as critiqued in Uranus 2324 and Taklee Genesis.

The pressure to secure funding can lead to compromises, like excessive product placement that detracts from the narrative impact, also noted in Uranus 2324.

And critically, as seen with Mekong 2030, films that resonate on the international festival circuit may struggle to connect with the very local communities whose lives and futures they depict, revealing a troubling disconnect between representation and reach.

Why Mek◊ng sci-fi matters extends beyond mere genre novelty?

Focusing on science fiction within the Mekong context is not arbitrary; the genre provides a uniquely potent lens through which to process the region’s intricate tapestry of experiences. The Lower Mekong Basin Region, home to 254 million people, is a crucible of rapid transformation, grappling simultaneously with the ghosts of colonialism and Cold War interventions, the pressures of globalization and uneven development, and the deep currents of ancient spiritual traditions navigating modern complexities.

Science fiction, with its capacity to imagine alternatives, extrapolate trends, and estrange the familiar, becomes an ideal vehicle for exploring these dynamics.

What makes Mek◊ng sci-fi particularly compelling is its potential for a distinctive fusion—the blending of speculative tropes like time travel, advanced technology, or parallel universes with the region’s rich philosophical and spiritual heritage, particularly Theravada Buddhism, animism, and diverse local cosmologies. This isn’t merely window dressing; it’s foundational.

We see this vividly in practice: The Long Walk ingeniously uses a ghost not just as a specter, but as a time machine, inextricably linking the sci-fi conceit to regional spiritual beliefs and Buddhist concepts of karma and attachment.

Karmalink grounds its neural-linking technology directly in the Buddhist understanding of Saṃsāra, allowing access to past lives.

Taklee Genesis ambitiously connects Thailand’s 3,500-year-old Ban Chiang civilization, the very real history of US military bases during the Vietnam War, and a dystopian future vision, all within a sci-fi framework.

Uranus 2324, while a commercial romance, explicitly references the Buddhist calendar in its title and taps into the burgeoning global “Sapphic economy.”

And the anthology Mekong 2030 directly employs speculative scenarios to confront the urgent ecological and social threats facing the Mekong River, rooted in lived realities and spiritual connections to the water.

The growing number of ambitious projects securing international distribution (Taklee Genesis, Uranus 2324) and achieving festival acclaim (The Long Walk, Karmalink, Mekong 2030) signals that this unique blend is gaining traction, underscoring why this burgeoning field warrants close attention and critical support.

My engagement with Mek◊ng sci-fi throughout this series stems from my positionality as both a filmmaker and AUTHOR deeply rooted in Thailand and invested in the cultural narratives of the Southeast Asian region. This perspective inevitably shapes my analysis.

The tears I shed at the premiere of Uranus 2324 weren’t just an overly dramatized reaction of the film’s quality, but about the sheer possibility of a $2 million Thai Girl’s Love space romance existing—a testament to evolving market forces but also a symbol of a certain kind of progress within creative industry.

The themes of loss, attachment, and the struggle to let go explored through Buddhist philosophy in The Long Walk resonated profoundly with my own personal experiences of grief.

Conversely, grappling with Taklee Genesis involved confronting my own complex relationship, shared by many Thais and SEAsians, with the pervasive influence of American pop culture and the historical weight of US intervention in the region.

These personal connections inform a worldview grounded in several core beliefs that have surfaced repeatedly in these essays: the paramount importance of local voices shaping and owning their own stories; a critical vigilance towards historical and contemporary external influences, be they geopolitical or cultural; a profound respect for the region’s unique spiritual and cultural heritage as an invaluable source of narrative power and distinctiveness; and an unwavering commitment to the principles of narrative sovereignty and cultural self-determination.

I believe deeply in the transformative power of narratives, particularly speculative fiction, as a space to confront uncomfortable truths, foster essential dialogues, and dare to imagine radically different futures.

This belief fuels a critical approach that celebrates genuine achievements and milestones while simultaneously pushing for greater artistic rigor, ethical production practices, and increased autonomy for Mekong storytellers.

Across the diverse films examined in this series, a rich tapestry of recurring themes emerges, showcasing how Mek◊ng sci-fi engages with the region’s specific concerns while touching upon universal questions.

History and memory are central preoccupations. Taklee Genesis confronts the enduring legacies of conflict—the Vietnam War, Cold War interventions like the US presence at Ramasun Camp, internal political violence such as the Thammasat University Massacre—and the lingering shadows of colonialism.

Sci-fi here becomes a tool not just for remembering, but for actively re-interpreting and challenging dominant historical narratives, sometimes by literally weaving past traumas into present or future timelines.

Spirituality and cosmology are not treated as mere background elements but as fundamental operating systems within these narrative worlds.

The principles of Theravada Buddhism—karma, reincarnation, the nature of suffering (dukkha), the importance of letting go—are explored with nuance and depth, particularly in The Long Walk and Karmalink.

Animistic beliefs and the significance of local spirits inform the atmosphere and plot points in The Long Walk and Mekong 2030’s “The Line” and “Soul River.”

These spiritual frameworks provide ethical and philosophical grounding for the speculative elements.

Issues of identity and society are also prominent. Taklee Genesis delves into the complexities of hybrid Thai-American identities and the tensions between tradition and rapid modernization.

Gender dynamics are explored through the lens of female empowerment and queer representation in Uranus 2324, while The Long Walk offers a stark critique of toxic masculinity and the male savior complex.

Furthermore, pressing social commentaries on development pressures, corporate exploitation, land rights, environmental degradation, and social inequality frequently surface, in Karmalink, The Long Walk, and across the Mekong 2030 anthology.

Finally, these films leverage sci-fi concepts—time travel, parallel dimensions, consciousness-altering technology—to probe profound philosophical questions about the nature of reality, the meaning of connection across time and space, the burdens of attachment, and the essence of the human condition itself.

Beyond the narrative content, the Mek◊ng Sci-Fi series sheds light on the complex material conditions shaping the production, distribution, and reception of these films.

The reliance on international collaboration and diverse funding models is a recurring reality, sourcing capital through various channels. These range from mixed domestic approaches, like combining Thai government soft power grants with private investment fueled by fan economies (Uranus 2324), to backing from ambitious local studios (Taklee Genesis). Funding structures also involve intricate regional and international co-productions, exemplified by The Long Walk‘s partnership between Lao Art Media and companies like Singapore’s Aurora Media Holdings and the global 108 Media. Additionally, capital comes from Western foundations and intergovernmental organizations (Mekong 2030) and direct foreign investment, notably from US production companies (Karmalink).

While these collaborations provide essential resources, expertise, and pathways to global visibility, they simultaneously embed structural dependencies and raise critical concerns about intellectual property ownership and the potential dilution of cultural specificity, as discussed regarding Karmalink.

Distribution patterns reveal further complexities. Some films, like Taklee Genesis and Uranus 2324, secure impressive international distribution deals across dozens of countries, signaling growing global interest. Yet, domestic box office performance can be modest against ambitious budgets, highlighting the financial risks involved.

Different production and reception models reveal industry complexities. The potent market force generated by global fanbases, particularly for Thailand’s Boy’s Love and Girl’s Love content (Uranus 2324), or backed by ambitious local studios (Taklee Genesis), offers one route for project realization, though its specific dynamics may be hard to replicate broadly. In contrast, projects like Mekong 2030, often initiated with institutional backing to address regional concerns, possibly with a geopolitical agenda, tend to gain limited traction on the festival circuit. However, this festival’s success often fails to translate into widespread regional distribution or meaningful engagement with the local communities depicted, pointing clearly toward significant gaps in the region’s distribution infrastructure.

The role of external institutions, like the former Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF) and its associated Talent Lab supported by Tribeca, is significant. While initiatives like these provide invaluable training and pitching opportunities, their existence, often reliant on Western leadership, partnerships, and funding, underscores the region’s dependence on external validation and gatekeeping structures, even when fostering local talent.

Emerging trends, such as the specific niche of Girl’s Love sci-fi (Uranus 2324) and the increasing scale and ambition of productions (Taklee Genesis), indicate a dynamic and evolving landscape, but one still navigating these fundamental industry realities.

Bringing together the rich thematic explorations within Mek◊ng sci-fi and the complex industry realities surrounding its creation, a clearer picture emerges.

The undeniable power and unique potential of this emerging field lie precisely in its capacity to filter universal speculative questions and pressing contemporary issues through the distinct lenses of Mekong cultures, histories, and spiritualities.

However, this potential is frequently constrained, complicated, or even compromised by the structural conditions—the reliance on external funding, the challenges of narrative ownership, the gaps in regional infrastructure, and the lingering dynamics of historical power imbalances.

It is at this intersection of immense creative possibility and significant structural constraint that the concept of Fut◊rity finds its purpose.

Based on the journey through this series, I propose Fut◊rity as both a critical lens and a creative ethos for Mekong speculative fiction.

It embodies an approach that consciously and critically integrates deep local specificities—our cosmologies, histories, spiritual traditions, languages, and social realities—into the fabric of speculative storytelling.

It demands an engagement with power dynamics, acknowledging and critiquing the legacies of an archaic patriarchy, modernization, colonialism, Cold War interventions, as well as contemporary forces like globalization, state control, and unchecked capitalism.

Fut◊rity involves actively negotiating cultural identity within an interconnected yet unequal world, refusing simplistic binaries, and encouraging a queer framework.

Crucially, it champions narrative sovereignty, prioritizing ethical storytelling practices where local creators maintain meaningful control over their narratives and intellectual property.

Ultimately, Fut◊rity is oriented towards imagining and actively contributing to self-determined futures for the Mekong region, using the speculative mode not just for entertainment or critique, but as a tool for envisioning and building alternatives.

It is offered not as a rigid set of rules, but as a flexible toolkit and an aspirational direction—a way to consciously navigate the challenges and fully harness the unique strengths of Mekong speculative storytelling.

Analysis must catalyze action. To cultivate a truly thriving and autonomous speculative fiction scene across the Mekong, we must transcend mere observation and embrace intentional, transformative change.

This requires a collective commitment—from writers, creators, filmmakers, producers, funders, critics, institutions, and audiences—grounded in the spirit of Fut◊rity. This spirit rests upon three foundational pillars: Growth, fostering the depth and reach of our creative expressions; Connectivity, strengthening bonds within our region and projecting our vision globally; and Resilience, building the enduring capacity to sustain our narratives against external pressures and internal challenges.

Therefore, let this serve as a manifesto, guided by these pillars, toward our core objectives: to forge a global techno-spiritual vision rooted in Mekong heritage, to subvert neo-colonial paradigms and ignite a transnational movement for change, and to induce our minds with Fut◊rity as a fierce antidote to modernity, imperial legacies, and patriarchy. We call for the embrace of these principles:

1. Demand Artistic & Narrative Integrity: Ambition must be matched by rigorous execution. Prioritize compelling storytelling, thematic depth, and emotional resonance over superficial spectacle or cynical commercial demands (Uranus 2324 critique). True growth lies in the quality and impact of our work.
2. Champion Narrative Sovereignty: Relentlessly seek, develop, and support models ensuring local creators retain meaningful ownership and control over their IP and creative vision (Karmalink critique). Resisting neo-colonial dynamics builds resilience against external appropriation.
3. Build Regional Power: We must intentionally forge stronger networks within the Mekong region for collaboration, co-production, funding, and distribution, bolstering vital platforms like Purin Pictures, SGIFF Film Fund, and the Mekong Cultural Hub. Fostering this internally driven connectivity builds collective strength and reduces reliance on external validation, fulfilling the need for regional synergy highlighted by projects like Mekong 2030, but crucially, on our own terms.
4. Embrace Cultural Specificity as Strength: Resist diluting our unique cultural perspectives, languages, and spiritual frameworks. Our distinctiveness—our techno-spiritual heritage—is the source of our narrative power, contributing to global conversations and fostering resilience against homogenization.
5. Decolonize the Imagination: Consciously reject reliance on Western templates, funding structures, and validation. Foster confidence in our own aesthetics and visions. Empowering local talent across all levels cultivates growth, strengthens connectivity through shared identity, and builds resilience by centering our own narratives. This is how we inject Fut◊rity as that fierce antidote.

What does success look like when we truly journey toward Fut◊rity?

Embodying its pillars and achieving its objectives? It envisions a Mekong speculative fiction scene defined by confident self-determination, demonstrating robust growth, profound connectivity, and unwavering resilience, even as our region grapples with immense real-world pressures. The Mekong River itself, our shared lifeblood, faces existential threats from upstream damming in China, altering its flow, while our environment faces mounting pressures from climate change-induced disasters like unprecedented floods to the ever-present threat of geological hazards like the 2025 earthquakes, serving as stark reminders of our environmental precarity. Yet, it is precisely within this context of urgency that Resilience finds its meaning.

Imagine a vibrant, diverse ecosystem—literature, film, television, games, virtual reality—flourishing across the region, confidently exploring narratives deeply rooted in our heritage yet speaking powerfully to global audiences. This is Growth realized through artistic mastery and expanding reach. Picture stories delving into sustainable eco-futures that offer indigenous and Buddhist-inspired alternatives to the very development models threatening the river, explorations of technology subverting dominant paradigms to foster community resilience against disaster, gender inclusive utopias dismantling patriarchal structures hindering progress, alternate histories reclaiming agency from colonial narratives, and techno-spiritual journeys bridging ancestral wisdom with pathways through contemporary crises. This is the global techno-spiritual vision rooted in Mekong heritage taking vital shape.

Envision empowered Mekong creators navigating a landscape of strong regional networks, accessing regional funds, collaborating seamlessly across borders, and subverting the current distribution platforms that prioritize both local impact and global engagement. This Connectivity is not just aspirational; it’s happening now. We see sparks of this future in the present, with filmmakers like Thailand’s Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke whose techno-spiritual of a wife-in-vacuum machine film, “A Useful Ghost”, is selected for competition at Cannes’ prestigious Critics’ Week in 2025—a major achievement demonstrating our growing capacity to command attention on the world stage with our unique perspective. This signals the subversion of neo-colonial paradigms where our stories gain international traction through their intrinsic merit. Sustainable careers bloom, fostering mentorship and innovation within the region. Engaged local audiences connect deeply, seeing their multifaceted realities reflected and navigated through speculative lenses, while international interest is captivated by the authenticity born from this specific cultural matrix.

This future demonstrates profound Resilience. Mekong speculative fiction becomes a recognized global force, setting trends, not merely following them. Its unique voice, forged in the crucible of our histories, spiritualities, and contemporary struggles, contributes vital perspectives to conversations with the shared sentimentality of the Global South. It inspires generations, fulfilling the Mek◊ng Sci-Fi project’s aim by cultivating a community where Fut◊rity has taken root as a fierce antidote to external pressures and internal limitations, shaping minds and realities, proving that cultural confidence and self-determination are the ultimate markers of success in navigating the complex path ahead.

The emergence of Mek◊ng sci-fi, traced through this series, signifies more than a genre trend; it’s a critical site of creative energy, cultural negotiation, and transformative potential. Here, deep pasts inform speculative futures, local spirits interrogate global technologies, and the vital struggle for narrative self-determination plays out. The films analyzed are waypoints—some triumphant, some cautionary—on this essential journey.

This odyssey demands persistence. Significant challenges remain—funding, infrastructure, the ghosts of empire, the relentless pace and distractions of modernity, and the domination of patriarchy. Yet, the immense talent, unique perspectives, and resolute spirit within the Mekong region provide boundless hope. The power to shape our creative destiny, to tell our stories of tomorrow on our own terms, resides fundamentally within our collective will. It requires continuous critical reflection, courageous creative leaps, and sustained collaborative action—building resilient structures, demanding narrative control, and cultivating unwavering confidence in the power of Mekong voices. By fiercely embracing the principles and objectives of Fut◊rity, we continue the vital work of cultivating the thriving, self-reliant, and globally resonant speculative fiction community we envision—ensuring the futures we dare to imagine are truly, irrevocably, powerfully ours.

This essay is a part of the “Mek◊ng Sci-Fi” series by Vorakorn “Billy” Ruetaivanichkul. It is published in English billyvorr.com and Thai TheMissionTH.co and was completed as part of the 2024 ArtsEquator Fellowship. The views expressed are solely those of the author. Connect with him on Facebook, IG, X, or Discord.