"When the rooster crows" is a voice of diversity reaching for change. Brillante Mendoza, Eric Khoo, Garin Nugroho, and Pen Ek Ratanaruang give voice to a region rich with traditions, ethnic groups, languages, politics, and religions. It is cinema in its purest form, fighting for freedom of expression, documenting the real lives of ordinary people, giving voice to the underdogs and the outcasts. The amalgamation of these aspects gives birth to an ultra-neo-realistic cinematic language currently unique to films from this region. Through their words, each director candidly shares their experience working and producing independently, all of them, breaking barriers and challenging norms. They discuss the issue of censorship, both state and self-imposed and how to navigate through it. The largest part of their work is both a reflection on and a critique of today's society in their country, from cultural preservation, fundamentalism, society-induced malaise, to ethnic favoritism. They ponder on the future of the region and the prospect of working together.