Film Fanatic: An Interview with A Land Imagined (幻土) Director Yeo Siew Hua and Composer Teo Wei Yong

When we watched (and reviewed) A Land Imagined last year, it had just made history as the first Singaporean film to win the prestigious Golden Leopard, the highest accolade at the 71st Locarno International Film Festival. Fast forward a year later, and at Taiwan’s 56th Golden Horse Awards (the ‘Oscars of the Mandarin-speaking world’), A Land Imagined received four nominations, for Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Film Score, … Continue reading Film Fanatic: An Interview with A Land Imagined (幻土) Director Yeo Siew Hua and Composer Teo Wei Yong

Exhibition Extravaganza: Johnny Quek’s My Brush at the Merlin Gallery

In his inaugural exhibition, gallerist, entrepreneur, art collector, and calligrapher Johnny Quek presents My Brush at the Merlin Gallery. In My Brush, the exhibition honors the private collection of calligraphy works by the 72-year old Quek, who is also a long-time director of Merlin Gallery, besides being known as a key collector and promoter for works by Singapore’s pioneering artist Dr Chen Wen Hsi. From an early … Continue reading Exhibition Extravaganza: Johnny Quek’s My Brush at the Merlin Gallery

Exhibition Extravaganza: Emerging: Collecting Singapore Contemporary – Selections from the DUO Collection at The Private Museum

This January, The Private Museum (TPM) presents Emerging: Collecting Singapore Contemporary – Selections from the DUO Collection, an exhibition of works by the DUO collectors, who have been semi-anonymously collecting the art of Singapore-based emerging artists over the past 5 years. Held alongside Singapore Art Week 2020, the exhibition will showcase 20 artworks from 16 emerging artists. As part of TPM’s 10th anniversary, the museum revisits its … Continue reading Exhibition Extravaganza: Emerging: Collecting Singapore Contemporary – Selections from the DUO Collection at The Private Museum

Exhibition Extravaganza: Hello /enter by Divaagar (SG) x Ryosuke Tanaka (TYO) at UltraSuperNew Gallery

For their first ever inter-gallery collaborative exhibition, UltraSuperNew Gallery in Tokyo and Singapore present Hello /enter this January. In an effort to aid local artists in building networks outside of the country, UltraSuperNew Gallery has initiated the programme Hello /enter, leveraging on thee relationship between both galleries in Tokyo and Singapore. Gallery coordinators help connect local artists with each other across countries, and over an … Continue reading Exhibition Extravaganza: Hello /enter by Divaagar (SG) x Ryosuke Tanaka (TYO) at UltraSuperNew Gallery

SGIFF 2019: 30th Edition Draws To A Close with Over 110,000 Audiences and 35 Sold-Out Screenings

The 30th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) culminated on Sunday (1st Dec) after two weeks of film screenings and off-screen programmes that celebrated and showcased the best of independent cinema. The Festival brought together a record attendance of more than 110,000 festival-goers to engage with filmmakers from Singapore and the region in film screenings, panels, talks, exhibitions and masterclasses. This year, the SGIFF presented a … Continue reading SGIFF 2019: 30th Edition Draws To A Close with Over 110,000 Audiences and 35 Sold-Out Screenings

SGIFF 2019: The Truth (La vérité) dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (Review)

Palme d’Or winner Kore-eda’s non-Japanese debut is a subtly moving portrait of complex familial relationships while celebrating the film industry and legacies left behind.  While The Truth marks the first non-Japanese film Hirokazu Kore-eda had directed, it remains a project that has his name stamped all over it. Known for his mastery over subtle, understated family dramas, The Truth follows prima donna actress Fabienne (French film icon Catherine … Continue reading SGIFF 2019: The Truth (La vérité) dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (Review)

SGIFF 2019: Revolution Launderette dir. Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen (Review)

More experimental shenanigans from the team behind Cannonball sees them contemplating big, philosophical questions of fate, reality and the meaning of life.  For all their talk about their new film having a stronger narrative than their last, Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen’s Revolution Launderette still follows very much in the same vein as their debut feature Cannonball, with plenty of experimental, indie filmmaking techniques and stylistics rarely seen on … Continue reading SGIFF 2019: Revolution Launderette dir. Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen (Review)

Film Fanatic: Anthony Chen’s Wet Season Wins Best Screenplay at 37th Torino Film Festival In Italy

Following its premiere at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival and its recent Golden Horse 2019 win, Anthony Chen’s sophomore feature film Wet Season《热带雨》, about a Chinese language teacher, whose marriage and school life are fraying apart, continues to impress international audience at the 37th Torino Film festival in Italy. Wet Season was awarded Best Screenplay (Anthony Chen) with its delicate and moving story of a Chinese … Continue reading Film Fanatic: Anthony Chen’s Wet Season Wins Best Screenplay at 37th Torino Film Festival In Italy

SGIFF 2019: Southeast Asian Film Talents Recognised at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards

The 30th Singapore International Film Festival announced the winners of its Silver Screen Awards today, celebrating the best of filmmaking in the region.  This year saw 14 awards being presented at the National Museum of Singapore, with the crowd-favourites Asian Feature Film Competition and Southeast Asian Short Film Competition awarding nine of them. Scales (Sayidat Al Bahr) by Saudi Arabian filmmaker, Shahad Ameen, emerged as the Best Film under the … Continue reading SGIFF 2019: Southeast Asian Film Talents Recognised at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards

Film Review: Wet Season dir. Anthony Chen (SGIFF 2019)

Anthony Chen’s sophomore feature draws out a storm of a performance from Yeo Yann Yann deserving of thunderous applause.   For many Singaporeans, the tropical monsoon season is a time of contradictions. While the drop in temperature offers a welcome respite from the year-round equatorial heat, the need to remain indoors or brave the torrential rains often leads to dour, reflective moods at the same time.  Playing on … Continue reading Film Review: Wet Season dir. Anthony Chen (SGIFF 2019)