★★★☆☆ Review: Tiong Bahru Social Club dir. Tan Bee Thiam

The absurd idea of controlling happiness is lost in this manmade pastel utopia.   Touted as ‘Wes Anderson meets Black Mirror’, Tan Bee Thiam’s Tiong Bahru Social Club is a decidedly bolder film, both aesthetically and ideologically, compared to the usual Singaporean fare we’re used to seeing. Set in an alternate reality Singapore, the film’s title refers to a new initiative transforming the gentrified neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru into … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Tiong Bahru Social Club dir. Tan Bee Thiam

★★★★☆ Review: Dear Tenant dir. Cheng Yu-Chieh

Love conquers all, but is that much more difficult when the odds are stacked against you.  Taiwan has often been hailed as one of the most progressive Asian countries when it comes to LGBTQ rights, ranging from having an annual Pride parade, being a mecca for gay culture in Asia, and of course, legalising same-sex marriage since 2019. But as Cheng Yu-Chieh explores in his … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Dear Tenant dir. Cheng Yu-Chieh

Arts of Malaysia: Liver & Lung Releases Soundtrack from their Award-Winning Short Film: Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)

KUALA LUMPUR – Liver & Lung, the Malaysian theatre company behind Sepet The Musical, has released their debut studio album today. A soundtrack from their upcoming musical film, the album is now available on Spotify and other streaming sites. Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales) is a six-song album that depicts the legend of Mahsuri, a Malaysian tale of a beautiful woman wrongly accused of adultery. The album blends … Continue reading Arts of Malaysia: Liver & Lung Releases Soundtrack from their Award-Winning Short Film: Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales)

Art What!: Blackboard Schemes at The Substation Gallery

An intentionally hierarchy-less all-women arts collective will be showcasing a joint exhibition at The Substation Gallery from 10th to 17th December 2020 as part of The Substation’s Associate Artist Programme. The exhibition is an exploration of collectivism in a time of a pandemic. It puts the artist before the art in a difficult time, seeking to embrace the diversity in art making in a collective … Continue reading Art What!: Blackboard Schemes at The Substation Gallery

To be a comedian during COVID-19: An Interview with Sharul Channa and Rishi Budhrani

It’s been about 8 months now since live performance venues were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. While most artists and performers have either taken this crisis to pivot to different lines of work, or adapt to digital performances, the bottom line is, almost all of them have missed being in an actual space, performing to people live. And of all the performance mediums out … Continue reading To be a comedian during COVID-19: An Interview with Sharul Channa and Rishi Budhrani

SGIFF 2020: Indian Film ‘Milestone’ wins best film at 2020 Silver Screen Awards

The 31st Singapore International Film Festival has announced the winners of its 2020 Silver Screen Awards, recognising the best in film production across the region. This year saw a total of 11 awards presented across four categories, including the Asian Feature Film Competition and Southeast Asian Short Film Competition, in ceremony that was held virtually on 5th of December. The winners of the Asian Feature Film … Continue reading SGIFF 2020: Indian Film ‘Milestone’ wins best film at 2020 Silver Screen Awards

★★★★☆ Review: Café by Wild Rice

Joel Tan’s purgatorial café gets a revival and feels more urgent than before in our very real crisis of 2020. In a year where countless F&B outlets have shut down amidst the coronavirus crisis, and the very real sense of doom continues to hang over our heads as the future remains uncertain, Joel Tan’s play Café seems more relevant than ever, as it receive a revival … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Café by Wild Rice

Arts Down Under 2020: 落叶归根 (Luò yè guī gēn) Getting Home by Cheryl Ho (Review)

Much potential in this original performance about homesickness, identity and art.  Life as a struggling artist is already hard enough. But for a young Singaporean artist, 6000 kilometres from home and all alone, that situation is enough to compound things to the point one would begin to question’s one’s choice to even pursue such a career choice, and wonder how differently life would have turned … Continue reading Arts Down Under 2020: 落叶归根 (Luò yè guī gēn) Getting Home by Cheryl Ho (Review)

★★★☆☆ Review: Mine by Wild Rice

Wild Rice opens their series of Director’s Residency programmes with a mother-daughter tale about hoarding.  When you hear the term ‘hoarder’, the first image that comes to mind is likely a person dwarfed by heaps and heaps of paraphernalia in her own home, immediately labelled as having some sort of ‘problem’. But the truth is, it’s hard to tell a hoarder from a non-hoarder, often … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Mine by Wild Rice

Singapore International Film Festival Film Fund increases the number of film grants for 2021

The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) has announced that applications for their Film Fund will be open from 1st December 2020. The Tan Ean Kiam Foundation – SGIFF Southeast Asian Documentary Grant (SEA-DOC) and the SGIFF Southeast Asian – Short Film Grant were both introduced in 2018 to support the development of inspiring and thought-provoking films within the region. The grants have been successful, producing projects … Continue reading Singapore International Film Festival Film Fund increases the number of film grants for 2021