Rate My Professor Chrishandra Sebastiampillai

Dr. Chrishandra Sebastiampillai serves as Lecturer in Film, Television and Screen Studies within the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University Malaysia. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy in Film and Television from Monash University in 2019, with her thesis exploring the ‘love team’ phenomenon in 1970s Philippine cinema during Martial Law, building on her Honours Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television awarded in 2014 and her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and International Studies completed in 2012, both from Monash University. Her professional career began with sessional tutoring at Monash University Malaysia in 2014, progressing to sessional lecturing there from 2020, part-time lecturing at Sunway University in 2019, and her current full-time lecturer position since January 2021. She teaches units such as Southeast Asian Cinema and Film, Television and Screen Studies: Approaches, and supervises PhD students on topics including trauma, memory, and haunting in literature, vocational students in Thailand's political history, and place-making on Malaysia's East Coast railway.

Sebastiampillai's research focuses on film stardom and celebrity, representations of race and identity in cinema, Philippine cinema, and Southeast Asian cinema, addressing themes like independence, colonial histories, national identities, and modern traditions. Her major publications include the book Stardom, Film Couples and Love Teams in 1970s Philippine Cinema (Edinburgh University Press, 2024), the chapter “[Re]Representing the Batang Kali massacre” in The Malayan Emergency in Film, Literature and Art (2025), “One More Second Chance: Love Team Longevity and Utility in the Era of the Television Studio” in Film Stardom in South East Asia (2022), “Crazy Rich Eurasians: white enough to be acceptable, Asian enough to be an asset” in Celebrity Studies (2021), and “Nora Aunor vs Ferdinand Marcos: popular youth films of 1970s Philippine cinema” in Southeast Asia on Screen: From Independence to Financial Crisis (1945-1998) (2020). Ongoing projects examine Southeast Asian stardom, such as Henry Golding’s mixed-race identity, and representations of Malaysian heritage houses for film-induced tourism. She serves as Chief Investigator on the 2025 project “Digital Technologies as a New Agenda and Mediator of Public Diplomacy: Fostering Korea-Southeast Asia Collaboration” and contributes to public lectures and events, including the ThinkCity Institute Heritage Symposium (2022) and directing the Malaysia Video Exhibition at Seoul National University Asia Center (2023). Her work supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.