On 11 December 2012 in Singapore, EFA BOOKS 5 “Inside/Insight Festivals. 9 Festival Directors – 9 Stories”, published by the European Festivals Association in co-production with CultureLink Singapore, will be presented. The Singapore book launch takes place in conjunction with the Forum “Shaping Arts Festivals: Whose Role Is It?” organised by LASALLE College of Arts and CultureLink. It follows two previous presentations on 18 October in Ljubljana, Slovenia in the framework of EFA’s Atelier for Young Festival Managers, and in Shanghai, China in the context of the Annual General Assembly of the Association of Asian Performing Arts Festivals (AAPAF). Inside/Insight Festivals In “Inside/Insight Festivals” nine renowned festival directors from all over the world share their insights into festival making in the past decades and invite for a journey of artistic and thought-provoking encounters around the globe: Robyn Archer is a key figure in Australian festival life; Maria Magdalena Schwaegermann has left marks on the German, Swiss and Australian festival landscapes; Serina Chen has been a fireball of activity on the Taiwanese cultural scene; Belgian Frie Leysen is one of the most experienced personalities on the international theatre scene; Thorunn Sigurdardottir sheds light on culture in Iceland, where she works; Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal co-founded a highly successful festival in the UK that is still up and running; Carla van Zon looks at the arts and cultural exchanges in New Zealand; and Ching-Lee Goh has contributed immensely to further the place of Singaporean artists and festival networking. “These nine directors from four continents who have headed or are still at the head of festivals share their thoughts; their dreams and dilemmas; the problems they have encountered, and how they succeeded or failed to solve them. And above all: how they established artistic landmarks in the times and environments that were their own,” explains Ching-Lee Goh, Executive & Artistic Director CultureLink Singapore. “Inside/Insight Festivals” is the fifth edition in the EFA BOOKS Series. “EFA BOOKS puts in the spotlight the role of the arts, culture and festivals in the society of today and highlights contemporary challenges. With EFA BOOKS 5 we gathered a wealth of insights into artistic festival making in different times and places all over the world,” stresses EFA Secretary General Kathrin Deventer. Previous editions in the EFA BOOKS Series include “Dialogue. Festivals Act for an Intercultural Society” (2009), “Cahier de l’Atelier. Arts festivals for the sake of art?” (2008), “Give, Get or Get off! Challenges of cultural networking today” (2008) and “Still so much to be done. Challenges for Culture in Europe” (2006). All editions of the EFA BOOKS Series can be purchased on the EFA eShop at www.efa-aef.eu. Forum “Shaping Arts Festivals: Whose Role Is It?” Arts festivals have become part of the cultural, social, and economic landscapes of cities around the world. Increasing demands and expectations are placed on festivals. The Forum will explore questions, such as: who leads a festival? The artistic/ festival director? The board or committee? The public funder? The audience? The artist? What makes or breaks a festivals? What are the qualities desired for the mature conduct of a festival? The Forum invites veteran festival participants from Singapore to debate what shaping a festival means, providing a timely reflection on the current review of the Singapore Arts Festival. Speakers include: Graham Berry, currently a board member of The Substation and former CEO of the Scottish Arts Council; Chew Boon Leong, arts journalist with Lianhe Zaobao; Ching-Lee Goh, Executive & Artistic Director, CultureLink Singapore, Former Director, Singapore Arts Festival; Janice Koh, currently a Nominated Member of Parliament representing the arts; and moderator Audrey Wong, Programme Leader, MA Arts and Cultural Management Programme at LASALLE and a former Nominated Member of Parliament. The Forum is part of INTERACTIONS, a series of talks and lectures organised by LASALLE’s School of Arts Management, Faculty of the Creative Industries, that brings practitioners and professionals from the arts and business worlds to share their knowledge and expertise.