One of Singapore’s first openly queer Mandarin films brings drag and LGBTQ issues to the mainstream with heart and humour. RuPaul may have brought drag culture to mainstream audiences all over the world, but here in conservative Singapore, the idea of a man dressing up as a woman continues to be seen as a thing to be shunned, and a source of shame for most … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: 男儿王 Number 1 dir. Ong Kuo Sin
French patriotism on the big screen in this celebration of the former French president. With the need to strike a careful balance between entertainment and respect for the subject matter without coming off as trite, patriotic films aren’t the easiest thing to make. Yet with Gabriel Le Bomin’s De Gaulle, the biopic seems to have captured a riveting image of the former French president’s courage and elevates … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: De Gaulle dir. Gabriel Le Bomin
As is the case with local film festivals over the last few months, a pandemic isn’t going to stop the annual Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) from pushing forth, as a hybrid festival taking place both in cinemas and online. Now in its 31st edition, this year’s festival takes place from 26th November to 6th December 2020, and celebrates resilience and hope as the festival … Continue reading Preview: Singapore International Film Festival goes hybrid for 31st edition
Isabelle Huppert shines in this thrilling film about a good cop gone bad. Isabelle Huppert is nothing short of a legendary actress, and one of the best of all time. So it’s no surprise that she takes centrestage and steals the limelight in her latest film Mama Weed (La Daronne), the opening film for the 2020 French Film Festival in Singapore. Adapted from Hannelore Cayre’s novel of … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Mama Weed (La Daronne) dir. Jean-Paul Salomé
Presented as part of the 2020 vOilah! France Singapore Festival, the French Film Festival is back this November, now bigger and better than ever before, with its largest line up of 37 films screened across both cinemas and online in the comfort of your own home. Running from 6th to 22nd November 2020, this year’s line-up presents a range of genres, from emotional dramas to laugh … Continue reading vOilah! 2020: Biggest French Film Festival yet with 37 films, including 20 new films from France
Paris isn’t just about the Eiffel Tower and high fashion everywhere you turn. For legendary producers and DJs Breakbot and Irfane, it’s also their home. Playing as part of this year’s vOilah! France Singapore Festival, the duo will be showing you the real Paris that they know and love with the two-part documentary Paris My Neighbourhood on YouTube. The brainchild of Singapore-based events agency Collective Minds, Paris … Continue reading vOilah! 2020: Paris My Neighbourhood by Collective Minds
If you think kids are bad, you’ve obviously never met Benni. A regular tiny terror, the protagonist of Nora Fingscheidt’s debut film System Crasher is a sight to behold, incredibly rude and chaotic. From shoplifting, to insulting others, to taking out her violent rage on the people around her, she’s constantly expelled and quickly moves on from every place she’s sent to. It’s not long … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Film Review: System Crasher dir. Nora Fingscheidt (German Film Festival 2020)
If you’ve watched Tom Hanks in survival drama Cast Away, then you’ll know that the wide open sea can be one of the most terrifying forces of nature to behold. And for those who don’t even make it to a deserted island, even the smidgen of hope seems to lie far beyond the horizon. In Wolfgang Fischer’s Styx, our protagonist is quite different Cast Away’s Chuck Noland, where we … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Film Review: Styx dir. Susanne Wolff (German Film Festival 2020)
As part of the 2020 vOilah! France Singapore Festival, music platform NomadPlay has developed a new touchpoint for Asian musicians through a digital competition of a brand-new kind, partnering up with Kahchun Wong and the National Orchestra of Île-de-France. With NomadPlay having recently launched in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan over summer, the French startup is expanding throughout Asia, to give more musicians the chance … Continue reading vOilah! 2020: Conductor Kahchun Wong teams up with the NomadPlay app to offer Asian musicians a chance to perform in Paris
In commemoration of 100 years since Georges Clemenceau first stepped foot into Singapore, this year’s vOilah! France Singapore Festival opens with a dramatised reading of a play written by the former French Prime Minister, complete with an oriental-inspired score by renowned French composer Gabriel Fauré. Known for his anti-colonialist stance and deep love for the Far East, Clemenceau wrote The Veil of Happiness in 1901, and sets … Continue reading vOilah! 2020: Georges Clemenceau’s The Veil of Happiness (Preview)
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