Jokes about Singapore being a fine city – meaning that many seemingly small transgressions are punishable with monetary penalties – or the trope about Singapore’s now repealed law against chewing gum would not be lost on filmmaker, writer and film editor Daniel Hui.
He says that his new film “Small Hours of the Night,” which premieres in the Harbour section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam on Saturday, deals with small incidents, small gestures and small emotions. The little things that shape history.
And with just a telephone, an ashtray, a tape recorder, a rough corner of the wall in the film’s opening scenes, the treatment of Hui’s subject matter may be minimalist, but it is also quietly brutal.
“Hui’s film represents a rare political work from Singapore, one that tackles the city state’s iron-fisted policy towards dissent head on. The main character, who is an amalgam...
He says that his new film “Small Hours of the Night,” which premieres in the Harbour section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam on Saturday, deals with small incidents, small gestures and small emotions. The little things that shape history.
And with just a telephone, an ashtray, a tape recorder, a rough corner of the wall in the film’s opening scenes, the treatment of Hui’s subject matter may be minimalist, but it is also quietly brutal.
“Hui’s film represents a rare political work from Singapore, one that tackles the city state’s iron-fisted policy towards dissent head on. The main character, who is an amalgam...
- 1/24/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Singaporean writer-director Nicole Midori Woodford is on a roll with her debut feature, Last Shadow At First Light, which premiered in New Directors at San Sebastian film festival and has two nominations at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSAs) for best screenplay and best performance (Mihaya Shirata).
Filmed in Singapore and Japan, the film follows a Singaporean teenage girl with a special connection to the spiritual world who goes on a road trip to uncover the mystery of her Japanese mother’s supposed death. She has been told her mother died by suicide during the recovery effort following the Japan 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed her maternal grandparents. But she doesn’t believe this to be true.
Meeting up with an uncle in Tokyo, they travel together to a town that was swept away by the tsunami although her uncle is more interested in the local pachinko parlour than helping with the quest.
Filmed in Singapore and Japan, the film follows a Singaporean teenage girl with a special connection to the spiritual world who goes on a road trip to uncover the mystery of her Japanese mother’s supposed death. She has been told her mother died by suicide during the recovery effort following the Japan 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed her maternal grandparents. But she doesn’t believe this to be true.
Meeting up with an uncle in Tokyo, they travel together to a town that was swept away by the tsunami although her uncle is more interested in the local pachinko parlour than helping with the quest.
- 11/2/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
India’s Crawling Angel Films and Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia are teaming on Busan Asian Film School (AFiS) alumnus Aakash Chhabra’s feature directorial debut “I′ll Smile in September.”
The film is selected at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Project Market.
Akanga’s credits include Cannes winner “Tiger Stripes,” Locarno winner “A Land Imagined” and its “Oasis of Now” is in competition in the festival’s New Currents strand. Crawling Angel’s recent films include Karlovy Vary title “Guras” and Berlin selection “The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs.”
“I’ll Smile in September” will follow Kismateen, a 24-year-old brass band player in Old Delhi who tries to find his smile back with dental implants after being forcefully separated from the love of his life and losing his front teeth in a physical altercation.
Chhabra has also studied film producing at India’s Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute...
The film is selected at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Project Market.
Akanga’s credits include Cannes winner “Tiger Stripes,” Locarno winner “A Land Imagined” and its “Oasis of Now” is in competition in the festival’s New Currents strand. Crawling Angel’s recent films include Karlovy Vary title “Guras” and Berlin selection “The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs.”
“I’ll Smile in September” will follow Kismateen, a 24-year-old brass band player in Old Delhi who tries to find his smile back with dental implants after being forcefully separated from the love of his life and losing his front teeth in a physical altercation.
Chhabra has also studied film producing at India’s Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute...
- 10/7/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
A first trailer has been unveiled for Nicole Midori Woodford’s feature debut “Last Shadow at First Light,” which world premieres at the New Directors strand of the San Sebastian Film Festival.
The film is in competition for the New Directors Award. Starring acclaimed Japanese actor Nagase Masatoshi (“Sweet Bean”) and newcomer Shirata Mihaya, the film follows a teenage girl (Shirata) with a special ability to communicate with the spiritual world as she goes on a road trip from Singapore to Japan. On arrival, she is chaperoned by a cynical uncle (Nagase) to uncover the mystery of her strange dreams and her mother’s disappearance years ago. Tsutsui Mariko, Peter Yu (“A Land Imagined”) feature in supporting roles.
The feature is presented by Jeremy Chua’s Potocol (Singapore), Shozo Ichiyama’s Fourier Films (Japan), Studio Virc (Slovenia) and Happy Infinite Productions (Philippines), executive produced by Jermyn Wong and Sally Ng...
The film is in competition for the New Directors Award. Starring acclaimed Japanese actor Nagase Masatoshi (“Sweet Bean”) and newcomer Shirata Mihaya, the film follows a teenage girl (Shirata) with a special ability to communicate with the spiritual world as she goes on a road trip from Singapore to Japan. On arrival, she is chaperoned by a cynical uncle (Nagase) to uncover the mystery of her strange dreams and her mother’s disappearance years ago. Tsutsui Mariko, Peter Yu (“A Land Imagined”) feature in supporting roles.
The feature is presented by Jeremy Chua’s Potocol (Singapore), Shozo Ichiyama’s Fourier Films (Japan), Studio Virc (Slovenia) and Happy Infinite Productions (Philippines), executive produced by Jermyn Wong and Sally Ng...
- 9/23/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Identity, incomplete understanding and urban poverty are among the many themes touched upon in “Oasis of Now,” which is set to make its debut next month in the prestigious New Currents competition section of the Busan International Film Festival.
The story revolves around a mother and a daughter who inhabit the invisible corners of an old apartment block in Kuala Lumpur. They meet in the stairwells, play furtive games and snatch moments of shared happiness, before slinking off to their separate homes. The mother thinks she is doing the right thing, but it is not clear that she has the full picture.
“Oasis of Now” is the feature debut of Chia Chee Sum, a Malaysian director and producer who joins a growing crowd of Southeast Asian filmmakers quietly boosting the region’s profile and reputation for high quality, low budget art filmmaking and making use of a pan-regional production methodology.
The story revolves around a mother and a daughter who inhabit the invisible corners of an old apartment block in Kuala Lumpur. They meet in the stairwells, play furtive games and snatch moments of shared happiness, before slinking off to their separate homes. The mother thinks she is doing the right thing, but it is not clear that she has the full picture.
“Oasis of Now” is the feature debut of Chia Chee Sum, a Malaysian director and producer who joins a growing crowd of Southeast Asian filmmakers quietly boosting the region’s profile and reputation for high quality, low budget art filmmaking and making use of a pan-regional production methodology.
- 9/8/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Nelson Yeo is a Singaporean filmmaker. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in digital filmmaking from Nanyang Technological University, he participated in Berlinale Talents Tokyo in 2014 and took part at the Locarno Filmmakers Academy in 2018. His film, Mary, Mary, So Contrary (2019), won Best Experimental Short at Golden Ger International Film Festival. Here is Not There (2020) was awarded Best Asean Short Film at Bangkok Asean Film Festival and Best Singapore Short Film at Sgiff. Recently, Plastic Sonata (2022) won CathayPlay Best Chinese Short Film at SeaShorts Film Festival. “Dreaming and Dying” is his feature debut, a Singaporean-Indonesian co-production.
Dreaming and Dying is screening in Locarno Film Festival
The title derives from zuì shēng mèng sǐ, a Chinese idiom which means leading a befuddled life as if drunk or in a dream and the overall aesthetics of the movie definitely mirror the phrase. The story begins with three middle aged friends,...
Dreaming and Dying is screening in Locarno Film Festival
The title derives from zuì shēng mèng sǐ, a Chinese idiom which means leading a befuddled life as if drunk or in a dream and the overall aesthetics of the movie definitely mirror the phrase. The story begins with three middle aged friends,...
- 8/7/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
As the title may suggest, Nelson Yeo’s Locarno title “Dreaming & Dying” is driven by multiple transgressions and surprises. Identities, between humans, fish, and frogs, fluctuate and morph. Dreams and nightmares come together – to blend harmoniously or combust.
Singapore’s landscape proves a fertile ground for plumbing the depths of fantasies and repressed desires, which is just what Yeo offers in his 77-minute debut.
Screening in Locarno’s Cineasti del Presente, the film loosely revolves around the story of three friends in their fifties, played by Peter Yu, Kelvin Ho, and Doreen Toh, who reunite after years apart. Sparks ignite and the three find themselves in a conflicting love triangle. As they wrestle with their feelings and come to terms with the choices they’ve made, supernatural occurrences start to take place around them. The boundaries between dream-states and wakefulness blur as the characters’ surroundings shift to reflect their psychic states.
Singapore’s landscape proves a fertile ground for plumbing the depths of fantasies and repressed desires, which is just what Yeo offers in his 77-minute debut.
Screening in Locarno’s Cineasti del Presente, the film loosely revolves around the story of three friends in their fifties, played by Peter Yu, Kelvin Ho, and Doreen Toh, who reunite after years apart. Sparks ignite and the three find themselves in a conflicting love triangle. As they wrestle with their feelings and come to terms with the choices they’ve made, supernatural occurrences start to take place around them. The boundaries between dream-states and wakefulness blur as the characters’ surroundings shift to reflect their psychic states.
- 8/7/2023
- by Maja Korbecka and Minh Nguyen
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The producers of indie feature Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, directed by the Philippines’ Petersen Vargas, have revealed a first look of the film, which started shooting in Manila at the end of April.
The first look image features three of the lead cast – Miguel Odron, a musician and Idol Philippines grand finalist; Jomari Angeles, a young actor who starred in Brillante Mendoza’s Ma’ Rosa; and Gold Aceron, who won acclaim for playing an intersex person in 2019 drama Metamorphosis.
The cast also includes Tommy Alejandrino, whose credits include Goyo: The Boy General and The Baseball Player, and reality star and model Argel Saycon, making his film debut.
Also written by Vargas, the film centers on a teenage runaway who joins a group of street hustlers on a road trip to fulfill their friend’s wish. It will also shoot in Pangasinan, a province in northern Philippines.
Vargas...
The first look image features three of the lead cast – Miguel Odron, a musician and Idol Philippines grand finalist; Jomari Angeles, a young actor who starred in Brillante Mendoza’s Ma’ Rosa; and Gold Aceron, who won acclaim for playing an intersex person in 2019 drama Metamorphosis.
The cast also includes Tommy Alejandrino, whose credits include Goyo: The Boy General and The Baseball Player, and reality star and model Argel Saycon, making his film debut.
Also written by Vargas, the film centers on a teenage runaway who joins a group of street hustlers on a road trip to fulfill their friend’s wish. It will also shoot in Pangasinan, a province in northern Philippines.
Vargas...
- 5/25/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Everything slowly falls apart and deteriorates in the life of the Lim family. Anthony Chen’s “Ilo Ilo” follows the characters in their trying attempt at holding on to their middle-class stature in Singapore in the time of economic crisis. The family’s patriarch (Chen Tianwen) is made redundant; the mother (Yann Yann Yeo), and simultaneously the most tragic character, is few months into her pregnancy; whilst their son Jia Le (Jia Ler Koh) is a troublemaking brat who really struggles to behave in class.
“Jiseok” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents,...
“Jiseok” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents,...
- 3/4/2023
- by Olek Młyński
- AsianMoviePulse
Prolific Singapore-based production company Akanga Film Asia, led by producer Fran Borgia, has revealed a robust film slate, including several global co-productions.
Borgia and filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua teamed on 2018 film “A Land Imagined,” which reaped a rich haul of awards around the world, including top prizes at Locarno, Golden Horse, El Gouna, Pingyao, Singapore and Valladolid. They have now re-teamed on “Stranger Eyes,” which is selected at the ongoing Venice Production Bridge’s gap financing market.
The film follows master of surveillance Inspector Goh, who, as he keeps a close eye on a suspected credit card thief, is drawn into the suspect’s world and starts to see himself in the skin of the perpetrator. As it sets him to question the true meaning of his work, Goh is tasked to track down a serial voyeur on the loose who has been videotaping people’s most private moments.
“It...
Borgia and filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua teamed on 2018 film “A Land Imagined,” which reaped a rich haul of awards around the world, including top prizes at Locarno, Golden Horse, El Gouna, Pingyao, Singapore and Valladolid. They have now re-teamed on “Stranger Eyes,” which is selected at the ongoing Venice Production Bridge’s gap financing market.
The film follows master of surveillance Inspector Goh, who, as he keeps a close eye on a suspected credit card thief, is drawn into the suspect’s world and starts to see himself in the skin of the perpetrator. As it sets him to question the true meaning of his work, Goh is tasked to track down a serial voyeur on the loose who has been videotaping people’s most private moments.
“It...
- 9/2/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Key practitioners working across Southeast Asia and beyond unpacked the various processes and benefits that go into the creation of short films at the Singapore International Film Festival, part of the overarching Singapore Media Festival.
Filmmaker Kan Lume, whose 2012 short “Libertas” won the Netpac Award at the Tripoli Film Festival, described the process of how he was commissioned and executed projects from the German Embassy in Singapore, Asian Film Archive and National Gallery Singapore.
Sangchul Lee is the chief operating officer of C47 Investment, a primarily Korean outfit that is now also operating in Southeast Asia, having just launched a short film distribution grant for filmmakers in the region in partnership with Singapore’s Momo Film. C47 also commissions shorts.
“When there’s a talented filmmaker that we really want to work with and build a relationship maybe as an investment to that person and that person’s potential future project,...
Filmmaker Kan Lume, whose 2012 short “Libertas” won the Netpac Award at the Tripoli Film Festival, described the process of how he was commissioned and executed projects from the German Embassy in Singapore, Asian Film Archive and National Gallery Singapore.
Sangchul Lee is the chief operating officer of C47 Investment, a primarily Korean outfit that is now also operating in Southeast Asia, having just launched a short film distribution grant for filmmakers in the region in partnership with Singapore’s Momo Film. C47 also commissions shorts.
“When there’s a talented filmmaker that we really want to work with and build a relationship maybe as an investment to that person and that person’s potential future project,...
- 12/6/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Film co-productions are on the rise in South East Asia, but their growth brings tricky choices for producers.
Leading practitioners Monday shone a useful light on how to navigate the often tricky paths of co-productions at a Singapore International Film Festival panel discussion. The film festival is part of the ongoing Singapore Media Festival.
Co-productions in the region are gaining pace with the Singapore Film Commission’s Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant supporting projects with up to S$250,000 per project, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ Asean Co-production Fund that offers up to $150,000 per project, which is due to go live in January.
The Singapore Grants have already borne fruit with beneficiaries showcased at the festival including “Aswang,” “Bình,” “Citizen Hustler,” “Judy Free,” “Nursery Rhymes” and “Ploy.”
Speaking at the ‘Southeast Asian Producers Network: Accessing International Co-production—Why and How?’ panel, Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (“The Third Wife...
Leading practitioners Monday shone a useful light on how to navigate the often tricky paths of co-productions at a Singapore International Film Festival panel discussion. The film festival is part of the ongoing Singapore Media Festival.
Co-productions in the region are gaining pace with the Singapore Film Commission’s Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant supporting projects with up to S$250,000 per project, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ Asean Co-production Fund that offers up to $150,000 per project, which is due to go live in January.
The Singapore Grants have already borne fruit with beneficiaries showcased at the festival including “Aswang,” “Bình,” “Citizen Hustler,” “Judy Free,” “Nursery Rhymes” and “Ploy.”
Speaking at the ‘Southeast Asian Producers Network: Accessing International Co-production—Why and How?’ panel, Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (“The Third Wife...
- 12/1/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Indian premieres include Massoud Bhakshi’s Yalda – A Night For Forgiveness, which took the Grand Jury prize at Sundance.
India’s Dharamshala International Film Festival (Diff) is taking place as an online event (October 29-November 4) with a line-up of Indian premieres and talk events with Asif Kapadia and Venice best screenplay-winning director Chaitanya Tamhane (The Disciple).
Indian premieres include recent festival award winners such as Massoud Bhakshi’s Yalda – A Night For Forgiveness, which took the Grand Jury prize at Sundance; Babyteeth, winner of the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young actor at Venice; and Visar Morina’s Exile, which...
India’s Dharamshala International Film Festival (Diff) is taking place as an online event (October 29-November 4) with a line-up of Indian premieres and talk events with Asif Kapadia and Venice best screenplay-winning director Chaitanya Tamhane (The Disciple).
Indian premieres include recent festival award winners such as Massoud Bhakshi’s Yalda – A Night For Forgiveness, which took the Grand Jury prize at Sundance; Babyteeth, winner of the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young actor at Venice; and Visar Morina’s Exile, which...
- 10/19/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The 9th edition of the Dharamshala Film Festival is going online for the first time. Its highlights include the Indian premiere of Massoud Bakhshi’s Sundance grand jury prize winner “Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness,” and a conversation with Oscar-winner Asif Kapadia (“Amy”).
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dharamshala is best known internationally as the seat of the Dalai Lama, who has been based there since being exiled from Tibet in 1959. The festival directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam are filmmakers in their own right. Their chronicles of the Tibetan condition like 2005’s “Dreaming Lhasa,” 2010’s “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” and 2018’s “The Sweet Requiem” have received considerable festival play, including at Toronto and Manila.
The Dharamshala festival directors will be in conversation with Kapadia and also with Chaitanya Tamhane, director of this year’s Venice and Toronto award-winning title “The Disciple.
Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dharamshala is best known internationally as the seat of the Dalai Lama, who has been based there since being exiled from Tibet in 1959. The festival directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam are filmmakers in their own right. Their chronicles of the Tibetan condition like 2005’s “Dreaming Lhasa,” 2010’s “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” and 2018’s “The Sweet Requiem” have received considerable festival play, including at Toronto and Manila.
The Dharamshala festival directors will be in conversation with Kapadia and also with Chaitanya Tamhane, director of this year’s Venice and Toronto award-winning title “The Disciple.
- 10/15/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“Repossession“, co-director/writers Goh Ming Siu and Scott C. Hillyard’s subtle, topical story of one man’s inexorable psychological collapse at the hands of market forces, will screen at six film festivals during the close of this Northern Hemisphere summer into fall, commencing with its Southern California premiere at the prestigious Dances With Films festival, unspooling August 28 and 31 online in Los Angeles, and concluding (for now) its Fall festival run October 23 at the Chicago Southland International Film Festival.
While the film sits astride psychotronic genres, its real horror, according to Singapore’s Sinema News, “…ironically – mainly comes in the form of the societal realities of cut-throat Singapore.” On this Covid-19 tainted planet, “Repossession”‘s characters’ surprisingly swift downward journeys could mirror that of many others’ worldwide.
In “Repossession,” 50-year-old Jim loses his high-flying job in status-conscious Singapore, but his ego and pride compel him to hide this from his wife and daughter.
While the film sits astride psychotronic genres, its real horror, according to Singapore’s Sinema News, “…ironically – mainly comes in the form of the societal realities of cut-throat Singapore.” On this Covid-19 tainted planet, “Repossession”‘s characters’ surprisingly swift downward journeys could mirror that of many others’ worldwide.
In “Repossession,” 50-year-old Jim loses his high-flying job in status-conscious Singapore, but his ego and pride compel him to hide this from his wife and daughter.
- 9/1/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Everything slowly falls apart and deteriorates in the life of the Lim family. Anthony Chen’s “Ilo Ilo” follows the characters in their trying attempt at holding on to their middle-class stature in Singapore in the time of economic crisis. The family’s patriarch (Chen Tianwen) is made redundant; the mother (Yann Yann Yeo), and simultaneously the most tragic character, is few months into her pregnancy; whilst their son Jia Le (Jia Ler Koh) is a troublemaking brat who really struggles to behave in class.
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents, and in an attempt at containing the ongoing crisis,...
The film is set during the economic crisis of 1997 that struck many Asian countries, Singapore included. One of the few elements that signal the timeframe is Tamagotchi, a handheld game that Jia Le plays. Apart from being a marker of the past, it becomes a symbol of the boy’s escapism. The depressed, overworked couple make for terrible parents, and in an attempt at containing the ongoing crisis,...
- 4/10/2020
- by Olek Młyński
- AsianMoviePulse
Acclaimed Taiwanese actor/director Leon Dai will headline the cast of Singapore-Taiwan-France co-production “Tomorrow Is a Long Time”.
Dai will play a middle-aged widower whose relationship with his sensitive teenage son in the densely packed spaces of contemporary Singapore slowly becomes unbearable.
Singaporean shorts filmmaker Jow Zhi Wei (“After the Winter”) will make his feature directorial debut with the film.
Fran Borgia for Singapore’s Akanga Films Asia (Locarno winner “A Land Imagined”), Jeremy Chua for fellow Singaporean outfit Potocol (Rotterdam title “A Love Unknown”), Stefano Centini for Taiwan’s Volos Films (“Loma — Our Home”) and Xavier Rocher for France’s La Fabrica Nocturna Cinema (Berlin winner “The Heiresses”) are producing.
Dai won several prizes at Taiwan’s Golden Horst Awards with 2009’s “Cannot Live Without You,” including best director and film. It was Taiwan’s entry to into the foreign-language Oscar race.
“This story combines happiness and grief and...
Dai will play a middle-aged widower whose relationship with his sensitive teenage son in the densely packed spaces of contemporary Singapore slowly becomes unbearable.
Singaporean shorts filmmaker Jow Zhi Wei (“After the Winter”) will make his feature directorial debut with the film.
Fran Borgia for Singapore’s Akanga Films Asia (Locarno winner “A Land Imagined”), Jeremy Chua for fellow Singaporean outfit Potocol (Rotterdam title “A Love Unknown”), Stefano Centini for Taiwan’s Volos Films (“Loma — Our Home”) and Xavier Rocher for France’s La Fabrica Nocturna Cinema (Berlin winner “The Heiresses”) are producing.
Dai won several prizes at Taiwan’s Golden Horst Awards with 2009’s “Cannot Live Without You,” including best director and film. It was Taiwan’s entry to into the foreign-language Oscar race.
“This story combines happiness and grief and...
- 2/23/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Calamity Films, the UK producer behind Judy, for which Renée Zellweger recently won an Oscar, has named Sam Gordon as its head of development. Gordon joins from BBC Films, where he worked as a development executive on projects including recent Sundance pic Herself and the upcoming People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan, as well as Judy which the BBC backed. He also had prior roles at Magnolia Mae Films and Baby Cow, working on Stan & Ollie and Philomena. At Calamity, Gordon will report to founder David Livingstone and will work across film and TV projects.
The fourth Seafic lab, which nurtures Southeast Asian films, will welcome filmmakers including Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul for its 2020 edition. Five projects will take part, including a new feature from Locarno Golden Leopard-winning A Land Imagined producer Fran Borgia, and Locarno-winning The Science Of Fictions producer Yulia Evina Bhar. The teams this year hail from Indonesia,...
The fourth Seafic lab, which nurtures Southeast Asian films, will welcome filmmakers including Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul for its 2020 edition. Five projects will take part, including a new feature from Locarno Golden Leopard-winning A Land Imagined producer Fran Borgia, and Locarno-winning The Science Of Fictions producer Yulia Evina Bhar. The teams this year hail from Indonesia,...
- 2/14/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Singapore’s Fran Borgia among the producers working with up-and-coming talent.
The Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (Seafic) has announced the five projects that will participate in its fourth edition, including projects produced by Cannes Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Singapore’s Fran Borgia (A Land Imagined).
The five projects, which come from Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and for the first time Malaysia, broach subject matter including sexual assault, illegal immigration and violent insurgency.
Among the selection is the first narrative film from Thailand’s Sompot Chidgasornpongse, whose documentary Railway Sleepers screened in Busan and...
The Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (Seafic) has announced the five projects that will participate in its fourth edition, including projects produced by Cannes Palme d’Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Singapore’s Fran Borgia (A Land Imagined).
The five projects, which come from Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and for the first time Malaysia, broach subject matter including sexual assault, illegal immigration and violent insurgency.
Among the selection is the first narrative film from Thailand’s Sompot Chidgasornpongse, whose documentary Railway Sleepers screened in Busan and...
- 2/14/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Leading Asia-based film makers Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Fran Borgia and Yulia Evina Bhara (“The Science of Fictions”) are set as producers among the five projects selected to participate in the 2020 edition of the Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (Seafic). The lab provides eight months of development under the guidance of dedicated script advisers.
Palme d’Or winner, Weerasethakul and Kissada Kamyoung will produce “9 Temples to Heaven,” a second feature by director Sompot Chidgasornpongse (“Railway Sleepers”). The story involves an outing that tests a family’s relationships and beliefs.
Borgia and Judith Tong are producing first film “Amoeba,” by Siyou Tan, a Singaporean filmmaker and visual artist, whose short film “Hello Ahma” played in Berlin and Toronto. The story focuses on a misfit girl in the 1990s.
Bhara and Siska Raharja are set to produce “Mayday,” by Indonesian first timer Eden Junjung. When a woman’s workplace sexual harassment secret is revealed to her husband,...
Palme d’Or winner, Weerasethakul and Kissada Kamyoung will produce “9 Temples to Heaven,” a second feature by director Sompot Chidgasornpongse (“Railway Sleepers”). The story involves an outing that tests a family’s relationships and beliefs.
Borgia and Judith Tong are producing first film “Amoeba,” by Siyou Tan, a Singaporean filmmaker and visual artist, whose short film “Hello Ahma” played in Berlin and Toronto. The story focuses on a misfit girl in the 1990s.
Bhara and Siska Raharja are set to produce “Mayday,” by Indonesian first timer Eden Junjung. When a woman’s workplace sexual harassment secret is revealed to her husband,...
- 2/14/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The 6th edition of the National Youth Film Awards (Nyfa) opens for submission today. Organized by *Scape, Nyfa prides itself as the springboard for young, aspiring filmmakers to pursue their passion in the film industry.
Since launch, Nyfa has awarded 133 youth filmmakers, many of which have gone on to achieve international acclaim. Amongst them are Idette Chen. Her short film “Bangla” was the only Singaporean entry to be selected for the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Ssff & Asia) 2019, and Shoki Lin, whose short film “Adam” was part of the Cinéfondation Selection at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival.
The Asian film industry has punched above its weight with the South Korean movie “Parasite” making history at the Oscars. Closer to home, local films –“Wet Season”, “Pop Aye”, and “A Land Imagined” – continue to fly our flag high in regional and international stages.
“Through Nyfa, *Scape has recognized over 700 local young filmmakers over the last five years.
Since launch, Nyfa has awarded 133 youth filmmakers, many of which have gone on to achieve international acclaim. Amongst them are Idette Chen. Her short film “Bangla” was the only Singaporean entry to be selected for the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Ssff & Asia) 2019, and Shoki Lin, whose short film “Adam” was part of the Cinéfondation Selection at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival.
The Asian film industry has punched above its weight with the South Korean movie “Parasite” making history at the Oscars. Closer to home, local films –“Wet Season”, “Pop Aye”, and “A Land Imagined” – continue to fly our flag high in regional and international stages.
“Through Nyfa, *Scape has recognized over 700 local young filmmakers over the last five years.
- 2/13/2020
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
Hong Kong, 20 January 2020 – The Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) today announces 33 projects shortlisted for its 18th edition, featuring a host of top Asian filmmakers as well as 11 first-feature directors.
HAF18 will take place this year from 25 to 27 March at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre alongside the 24th Hong Kong Filmart.
HAF18 received a total of 338 submissions from 17 countries and regions – including, for the first time, a documentary project from Mexico. Some of the project highlights are as follow: Hong Kong: Hong Kong offers a strong lineup of seven locally-flavoured projects, including works by Pang Ho-cheung, Derek Chiu and Ng Kai-chung. Best known for his Love in a Puff trilogy, Pang presents The End, which recounts the story of a psychic medium who seeks help from a dead director for the ending of his unfinished script; Derek Chiu returns after winning the Osaka Asian Film Festival’s Grand Prize with No.
HAF18 will take place this year from 25 to 27 March at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre alongside the 24th Hong Kong Filmart.
HAF18 received a total of 338 submissions from 17 countries and regions – including, for the first time, a documentary project from Mexico. Some of the project highlights are as follow: Hong Kong: Hong Kong offers a strong lineup of seven locally-flavoured projects, including works by Pang Ho-cheung, Derek Chiu and Ng Kai-chung. Best known for his Love in a Puff trilogy, Pang presents The End, which recounts the story of a psychic medium who seeks help from a dead director for the ending of his unfinished script; Derek Chiu returns after winning the Osaka Asian Film Festival’s Grand Prize with No.
- 1/21/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Lin Cheng-sheng (“Betlnut Beauty”), Giddens Ko (“You Are The Apple of My Eye”), Pang Ho-cheung (“Love in a Puff”) and Yeo Siew-hua (“A Land Imagined”) are among the big name Asian directors lining up to participate in the 18th edition of the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum.
The powerhouse project market will run for three days, alongside FilMart, traditionally Asia’s biggest film and TV rights market. With an unusual Wednesday start date for both, Haf will operate March 25-27, and FilMart 25-28 March.
In addition to the traditional one-on-one matching operation between producers and those distributors sales agents and financiers looking to invest at a film’s early stages, Haf also offers numerous cash and in-kind prizes. This year the 33 selected projects vie for 18 prizes and sponsorship packages.
The stellar lineup of directors is matched by equally established producers – and directors turned producer. These include: Hong Kong’s...
The powerhouse project market will run for three days, alongside FilMart, traditionally Asia’s biggest film and TV rights market. With an unusual Wednesday start date for both, Haf will operate March 25-27, and FilMart 25-28 March.
In addition to the traditional one-on-one matching operation between producers and those distributors sales agents and financiers looking to invest at a film’s early stages, Haf also offers numerous cash and in-kind prizes. This year the 33 selected projects vie for 18 prizes and sponsorship packages.
The stellar lineup of directors is matched by equally established producers – and directors turned producer. These include: Hong Kong’s...
- 1/20/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Singapore has launched a scheme to help find the next generation of filmmakers from the South East Asia region. Local content producers Blue3Asia and CreativesAtWork, with the support of Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority launched the Leap!, a short film production scheme at the ongoing Asian TV Forum & Market on Thursday.
Seven filmmakers from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will be selected to make films based on the theme of mental illness. Selected participants will be announced by the end of January 2020, with a view to the completed films being ready for potential selection at the 2020 Singapore International Film Festival. The films will be 30 minutes or less in duration, with the majority likely to be more than 10 minutes.
The participants will be mentored by filmmakers Fran Borgia (“A Land Imagined”), Daniel Yun (“1965”) and Michael Kam (“Melodi”). The seven filmmakers will work with the mentors and other industry practitioners through lectures,...
Seven filmmakers from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia will be selected to make films based on the theme of mental illness. Selected participants will be announced by the end of January 2020, with a view to the completed films being ready for potential selection at the 2020 Singapore International Film Festival. The films will be 30 minutes or less in duration, with the majority likely to be more than 10 minutes.
The participants will be mentored by filmmakers Fran Borgia (“A Land Imagined”), Daniel Yun (“1965”) and Michael Kam (“Melodi”). The seven filmmakers will work with the mentors and other industry practitioners through lectures,...
- 12/5/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
For most awards observers, the Asian Oscars race narrative in the international feature category begins and ends with Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean contender “Parasite.” That said, there are other notable submissions from around the continent that might spring a surprise or two.
The deliciously surgical dissection of Korean society that is “Parasite” has rightly won acclaim and awards around the planet, beginning with its unanimous Palme d’Or victory at Cannes. Neon is distributing the film in the U.S. and its impressive box office will do the film’s prospects no harm. A nom seems certain.
Tiny Singapore has been punching well above its weight in recent years and this year’s submission from the country, Yeo Siew Hua’s “A Land Imagined,” has been garlanded with awards since it exploded onto the global festival circuit with three trophies at Locarno, including the Golden Leopard, in 2018. The...
The deliciously surgical dissection of Korean society that is “Parasite” has rightly won acclaim and awards around the planet, beginning with its unanimous Palme d’Or victory at Cannes. Neon is distributing the film in the U.S. and its impressive box office will do the film’s prospects no harm. A nom seems certain.
Tiny Singapore has been punching well above its weight in recent years and this year’s submission from the country, Yeo Siew Hua’s “A Land Imagined,” has been garlanded with awards since it exploded onto the global festival circuit with three trophies at Locarno, including the Golden Leopard, in 2018. The...
- 12/5/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Singapore cinema will claim a share of the spotlight at the ongoing Asia TV Forum & Market, where some 80 local media companies are promoting their wares at the Singapore Pavilion. The crop of local movies for 2020 looks substantial.
Local powerhouse mm2 Entertainment leads the way with a line-up from several genres. Ong Kuo Sin’s musical comedy “Number 1” follows a laid-off white-collar worker who finds an unexpected alternate career as a drag performer. From the same director is “One Headlight,” a co-production with Byleft Productions and Vividthree Productions, where the young protagonist seeks to reunite his niece with her elusive father after the death of his sister. Also with Vividthree is Sam Loh’s “Hell Hole,” in which a mother and son seek revenge from the afterlife.
Taipan Films’ “Circle Line” directed by Chua Jing Du, Singapore’s first monster film, is set against the backdrop of a faulty underground train system,...
Local powerhouse mm2 Entertainment leads the way with a line-up from several genres. Ong Kuo Sin’s musical comedy “Number 1” follows a laid-off white-collar worker who finds an unexpected alternate career as a drag performer. From the same director is “One Headlight,” a co-production with Byleft Productions and Vividthree Productions, where the young protagonist seeks to reunite his niece with her elusive father after the death of his sister. Also with Vividthree is Sam Loh’s “Hell Hole,” in which a mother and son seek revenge from the afterlife.
Taipan Films’ “Circle Line” directed by Chua Jing Du, Singapore’s first monster film, is set against the backdrop of a faulty underground train system,...
- 12/5/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Lei Yuan Bin’s Singapore International Film Festival world premiere “I Dream Of Singapore” is the first part of a multi-volume documentary series on overlooked local non-governmental organizations. It is produced by Glen Goei’s Singapore production house Tiger Tiger Pictures (“Revenge Of The Pontianak”).
The film is an observational documentary on the continuous labor flow from Bangladesh to Singapore, and the bonds that blossom between social workers and migrant laborers.
“When I was approached by Glen Goei and Tiger Tiger Pictures on this series, I was immediately drawn to explore the work of the Singapore Ngo Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), its beneficiaries of mainly Bangladeshi migrant workers, and the subject of the hope-filled Bangladesh-Singapore labor flow – from one of the poorest to richest countries, respectively,” Lei told Variety. “This is because even as a Chinese-majority Singaporean, my films (both the documentary “03-Flats” and fiction films “Fundamentally Happy...
The film is an observational documentary on the continuous labor flow from Bangladesh to Singapore, and the bonds that blossom between social workers and migrant laborers.
“When I was approached by Glen Goei and Tiger Tiger Pictures on this series, I was immediately drawn to explore the work of the Singapore Ngo Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), its beneficiaries of mainly Bangladeshi migrant workers, and the subject of the hope-filled Bangladesh-Singapore labor flow – from one of the poorest to richest countries, respectively,” Lei told Variety. “This is because even as a Chinese-majority Singaporean, my films (both the documentary “03-Flats” and fiction films “Fundamentally Happy...
- 11/30/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“Of course it’s a loss,” commented executive committee chairman, Ang Lee, on the lack of mainland Chinese entries.
Two Taiwanese titles, Chung Mong-hong’s A Sun and John Hsu’s Detention, were the big winners at the 56th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei on Saturday night (November 23), each taking five prizes.
Chung’s drama, about a family torn apart when the youngest son is sent to a juvenile detention centre, won in both the best narrative feature and best director categories and also took prizes for best leading actor (Chen Yi-wen), best supporting actor (Liu Kuan-ting) and best film...
Two Taiwanese titles, Chung Mong-hong’s A Sun and John Hsu’s Detention, were the big winners at the 56th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei on Saturday night (November 23), each taking five prizes.
Chung’s drama, about a family torn apart when the youngest son is sent to a juvenile detention centre, won in both the best narrative feature and best director categories and also took prizes for best leading actor (Chen Yi-wen), best supporting actor (Liu Kuan-ting) and best film...
- 11/24/2019
- by 14¦Screen staff¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Taiwanese films “A Sun” and “Detention” were the big winners of Taipei’s Golden Horse Awards on Saturday. Wang Xiaoshuai’s “So Long, My Son” was the standout title at mainland China’s rival Golden Rooster Awards, held the same evening.
The two events collided because of a pro-Taiwanese independence acceptance speech at last year’s Golden Horse Awards, which are usually considered the most prestigious film prizes in Chinese-language film. That prompted Beijing to ban mainland industry players from attending this year’s ceremony in Taiwan, threaten to cut off access to China’s enormous movie market for any others who chose to participate, and schedule its Golden Rooster ceremony for the same evening.
The rival events offered a revealing contrast both in their choice of winners and the comments by some of the winners, who at the Golden Horse ceremony felt free to make politically oriented statements that...
The two events collided because of a pro-Taiwanese independence acceptance speech at last year’s Golden Horse Awards, which are usually considered the most prestigious film prizes in Chinese-language film. That prompted Beijing to ban mainland industry players from attending this year’s ceremony in Taiwan, threaten to cut off access to China’s enormous movie market for any others who chose to participate, and schedule its Golden Rooster ceremony for the same evening.
The rival events offered a revealing contrast both in their choice of winners and the comments by some of the winners, who at the Golden Horse ceremony felt free to make politically oriented statements that...
- 11/24/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Chung Mong-hong’s Taiwanese family drama A Sun scooped the best narrative feature prize at the 2019 Golden Horse Awards, which were held today in Taipei. Scroll down for the full list of winners.
Chinese authorities boycotted this year’s ceremony, provoked by political fallout from last year’s ceremony, meaning no Chinese actors, directors and producers were entered into the nominations pool. As such the winners are primarily from Taiwan, as well as other Asian nations including Malaysia and Singapore.
A Sun, which premiered at Toronto, follows a family of four that fractures under the weight of unmet expectations, unexpected tragedy, and uncompromising pride. It also won best director for Chung Mong-hong – his second win in the category after he triumphed for The Fourth Portrait in 2010 – as well as best leading actor for Chen Yi-wen, and the supporting actor and editing prizes.
John Hsu’s psychological horror-thriller Detention was also...
Chinese authorities boycotted this year’s ceremony, provoked by political fallout from last year’s ceremony, meaning no Chinese actors, directors and producers were entered into the nominations pool. As such the winners are primarily from Taiwan, as well as other Asian nations including Malaysia and Singapore.
A Sun, which premiered at Toronto, follows a family of four that fractures under the weight of unmet expectations, unexpected tragedy, and uncompromising pride. It also won best director for Chung Mong-hong – his second win in the category after he triumphed for The Fourth Portrait in 2010 – as well as best leading actor for Chen Yi-wen, and the supporting actor and editing prizes.
John Hsu’s psychological horror-thriller Detention was also...
- 11/23/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors.
The Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has revealed the line-up for its 30th edition, which runs Nov 21-Dec 1.
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors. Most of the contenders are already award winners, including Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains which earned best film and best director at First International Film Festival in Xining, Yosep Anggi Noen’s The Science Of Fictions, which received a special mention at Locarno,...
The Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has revealed the line-up for its 30th edition, which runs Nov 21-Dec 1.
The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors. Most of the contenders are already award winners, including Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains which earned best film and best director at First International Film Festival in Xining, Yosep Anggi Noen’s The Science Of Fictions, which received a special mention at Locarno,...
- 10/22/2019
- by 1100978¦Silvia Wong¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue and that was released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 October 2018 and 30 September 2019.
Here are the Asian Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.
Afghanistan
“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” by Sahraa Karimi
Hava, Maryam, Ayesha
Armenia
“Lengthy Night” by Edgar Baghdasaryan
Lenghty Night
Bangladesh
“Alpha” by Nasiruddin Yousuff
Alpha
Cambodia
“In The Life of Music” by Caylee So and Sok Visal
In The Life of Music
China
“Ne Zha” by Jiaozi
Ne Zha
Georgia
“Shindisi...
Here are the Asian Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.
Afghanistan
“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” by Sahraa Karimi
Hava, Maryam, Ayesha
Armenia
“Lengthy Night” by Edgar Baghdasaryan
Lenghty Night
Bangladesh
“Alpha” by Nasiruddin Yousuff
Alpha
Cambodia
“In The Life of Music” by Caylee So and Sok Visal
In The Life of Music
China
“Ne Zha” by Jiaozi
Ne Zha
Georgia
“Shindisi...
- 10/10/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
A champion of Southeast Asian independent cinema, the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) announced three commissioned short films anchored on the theme of celebration, by Southeast Asian directors Yeo Siew Hua (Singapore), Mouly Surya (Indonesia) and Anucha Boonyawatana (Thailand) today. This is the first commission series for Southeast Asian filmmakers in the history of Sgiff, which furthers its support to growing the regional film scene.
Exploring the complexity of human connections, Yeo Siew Hua’s short film Incantation (2019) returned to his experimental roots where he explored the age-old rituals of ancient spells, spirits and the idea of resurrection during Hungry Ghost Festival. Mouly Surya’s Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue (2019) uses wry humour to present a forward-looking take of gender roles in today’s society through the intimate interactions between a mother and a bride-to-be at a traditional wedding procession; while Anucha Boonyawatana’s Not A Time to Celebrate...
Exploring the complexity of human connections, Yeo Siew Hua’s short film Incantation (2019) returned to his experimental roots where he explored the age-old rituals of ancient spells, spirits and the idea of resurrection during Hungry Ghost Festival. Mouly Surya’s Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue (2019) uses wry humour to present a forward-looking take of gender roles in today’s society through the intimate interactions between a mother and a bride-to-be at a traditional wedding procession; while Anucha Boonyawatana’s Not A Time to Celebrate...
- 10/8/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Expanded shortlist of 10 films to be announced on December 16.
The Academy on Monday (7) confirmed that 93 countries have submitted films for consideration in the international feature film category for the 92nd Academy Awards.
Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants with Kwabena Gyansah’s Azali, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, and Umid Khamdamov’s Hot Bread, respectively.
Earlier this year, the Academy board voted to rename the category formerly known as foreign language film, and expand the shortlist from nine to 10 films.
The shortlist will be announced on December 16. Nominations for the 92nd Oscars will be unveiled on January 13, 2020, and the Oscars...
The Academy on Monday (7) confirmed that 93 countries have submitted films for consideration in the international feature film category for the 92nd Academy Awards.
Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants with Kwabena Gyansah’s Azali, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, and Umid Khamdamov’s Hot Bread, respectively.
Earlier this year, the Academy board voted to rename the category formerly known as foreign language film, and expand the shortlist from nine to 10 films.
The shortlist will be announced on December 16. Nominations for the 92nd Oscars will be unveiled on January 13, 2020, and the Oscars...
- 10/7/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
South East Asian filmmakers, Mouly Surya, Yeo Siew Hua and Anucha Boonyawatana have received commissions to direct short movies for the Singapore International Film Festival.
Although other film festivals in Asia including Tokyo and Jeonju have previously ventured into production, it is a first for the Sgiff. It gave the trio the topic ‘celebration’ to work with.
Yeo, director of 2018 Locarno Winner “A Land Imagined,” delivered “Incantation,” an exploration of the age-old rituals of ancient spells, spirits and the idea of resurrection during Hungry Ghost Festival. Indonesian musician turned filmmaker Surya (“Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts”), shot “Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue,” a look at gender roles in today’s society told through the intimate interactions between a mother and a bride-to-be at a traditional wedding procession. Thailand’s Boonyawatana (“Malila: The Farewell Flower”) hatched “Not A Time to Celebrate,” a light-hearted and cheeky take on the rewards and harsh reality of filmmaking.
Although other film festivals in Asia including Tokyo and Jeonju have previously ventured into production, it is a first for the Sgiff. It gave the trio the topic ‘celebration’ to work with.
Yeo, director of 2018 Locarno Winner “A Land Imagined,” delivered “Incantation,” an exploration of the age-old rituals of ancient spells, spirits and the idea of resurrection during Hungry Ghost Festival. Indonesian musician turned filmmaker Surya (“Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts”), shot “Something Old, New, Borrowed and Blue,” a look at gender roles in today’s society told through the intimate interactions between a mother and a bride-to-be at a traditional wedding procession. Thailand’s Boonyawatana (“Malila: The Farewell Flower”) hatched “Not A Time to Celebrate,” a light-hearted and cheeky take on the rewards and harsh reality of filmmaking.
- 10/7/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
by Nathaniel R
A lonely student and his teacher become friendly in "Wet Season"
Usually the Golden Horse nominations are a fun and glamorous mix of all the hot movies and movie stars from various Chinese language countries. This year, however, due to political fallout from a speech last year and a Chinese boycott because of increasing tension between the way China sees Taiwan and the way Taiwan sees itself, no films from Mainland China are competing (which takes out a huge chunk of movies and a lot of the most famous movie stars). So the bulk of the features nominated this year are features from Taiwan with a little Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong thrown in.
Best Narrative Feature
A Sun (Taiwan) Suk Suk (Hong Kong) The Garden of Evening Mists (Malaysia) Wet Season (Singapore) Detention (Taiwan)
You may have noticed that Taiwan's current Oscar submission Dear Ex (streaming...
A lonely student and his teacher become friendly in "Wet Season"
Usually the Golden Horse nominations are a fun and glamorous mix of all the hot movies and movie stars from various Chinese language countries. This year, however, due to political fallout from a speech last year and a Chinese boycott because of increasing tension between the way China sees Taiwan and the way Taiwan sees itself, no films from Mainland China are competing (which takes out a huge chunk of movies and a lot of the most famous movie stars). So the bulk of the features nominated this year are features from Taiwan with a little Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong thrown in.
Best Narrative Feature
A Sun (Taiwan) Suk Suk (Hong Kong) The Garden of Evening Mists (Malaysia) Wet Season (Singapore) Detention (Taiwan)
You may have noticed that Taiwan's current Oscar submission Dear Ex (streaming...
- 10/2/2019
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Films from mainland China are completely absent from the list of nominees announced Tuesday for the annual Golden Horse Awards. And with only a handful of titles from Hong Kong on the list, the competition has devolved into a mostly Taiwanese affair.
The awards, based in Taiwan and chaired by Oscar-winner Ang Lee, have traditionally been considered the most prestigious prizes for films in the Chinese language. But a political spat at last year’s ceremony, where a Taiwanese award-winner infuriated mainland Chinese attendees and the Beijing regime by giving a speech in favor of Taiwanese independence, sparked a pullout by mainland films from this year’s contest. China considers self-governing, democratic Taiwan as part of its rightful territory, to be retaken by force if necessary.
Hong Kong titles in the running for Golden Horse Awards include Ray Yeung’s “Suk Suk,” best song nominee “My Prince Edward,” and documentary “Bamboo Theatre.
The awards, based in Taiwan and chaired by Oscar-winner Ang Lee, have traditionally been considered the most prestigious prizes for films in the Chinese language. But a political spat at last year’s ceremony, where a Taiwanese award-winner infuriated mainland Chinese attendees and the Beijing regime by giving a speech in favor of Taiwanese independence, sparked a pullout by mainland films from this year’s contest. China considers self-governing, democratic Taiwan as part of its rightful territory, to be retaken by force if necessary.
Hong Kong titles in the running for Golden Horse Awards include Ray Yeung’s “Suk Suk,” best song nominee “My Prince Edward,” and documentary “Bamboo Theatre.
- 10/1/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Which film will follow on from ‘Roma’ in winning the prize?
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
Scroll down for latest entries
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
Scroll down for latest entries
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
- 9/27/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Singapore has selected the noirish A Land Imagined for submission in the international feature film category at the Oscars.
The Yeo Siew Hua-directed thriller stars Peter Yu, Luna Kwok and Liu Xiaoyi and follows the case of a missing Chinese construction worker and the cop assigned to his case.
A Land Imagined was produced by Akanga Film Asia and has picked up a slew of awards on the international circuit, including the Golden Leopard at Locarno. It was also picked up for streaming on Netflix.
“A Land Imagined is a tribute to Singapore and those who helped to build this migrant nation,...
The Yeo Siew Hua-directed thriller stars Peter Yu, Luna Kwok and Liu Xiaoyi and follows the case of a missing Chinese construction worker and the cop assigned to his case.
A Land Imagined was produced by Akanga Film Asia and has picked up a slew of awards on the international circuit, including the Golden Leopard at Locarno. It was also picked up for streaming on Netflix.
“A Land Imagined is a tribute to Singapore and those who helped to build this migrant nation,...
- 9/27/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Singapore has selected the noirish A Land Imagined for submission in the international feature film category at the Oscars.
The Yeo Siew Hua-directed thriller stars Peter Yu, Luna Kwok and Liu Xiaoyi and follows the case of a missing Chinese construction worker and the cop assigned to his case.
A Land Imagined was produced by Akanga Film Asia and has picked up a slew of awards on the international circuit, including the Golden Leopard at Locarno. It was also picked up for streaming on Netflix.
“A Land Imagined is a tribute to Singapore and those who helped to build this migrant nation,...
The Yeo Siew Hua-directed thriller stars Peter Yu, Luna Kwok and Liu Xiaoyi and follows the case of a missing Chinese construction worker and the cop assigned to his case.
A Land Imagined was produced by Akanga Film Asia and has picked up a slew of awards on the international circuit, including the Golden Leopard at Locarno. It was also picked up for streaming on Netflix.
“A Land Imagined is a tribute to Singapore and those who helped to build this migrant nation,...
- 9/27/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Singapore has chosen Yeo Siew Hua’s “A Land Imagined” as its entry to the international feature film category at the Oscars.
The film follows a construction worker from China who goes missing at a Singapore land reclamation site, and an insomniac police investigator who is on the case. It bowed at Locarno where it won three awards including the Golden Leopard and gongs at El Gouna, Pingyao, QCinema, Valladolid, Singapore and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, among others. Peter Yu, Luna Kwok and Xiaoyi Liu star.
Prolific Singaporean production company Akanga Film Productions produced alongside France’s Films de Force Majeure, Singapore’s MM2 Entertainment and Volya Films from the Netherlands. U.S. outfit Visit Films handled international sales. The film is now available on Netflix.
Yeo said: “’A Land Imagined’ is a tribute to Singapore and those who helped to build this migrant nation. So we are thrilled...
The film follows a construction worker from China who goes missing at a Singapore land reclamation site, and an insomniac police investigator who is on the case. It bowed at Locarno where it won three awards including the Golden Leopard and gongs at El Gouna, Pingyao, QCinema, Valladolid, Singapore and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, among others. Peter Yu, Luna Kwok and Xiaoyi Liu star.
Prolific Singaporean production company Akanga Film Productions produced alongside France’s Films de Force Majeure, Singapore’s MM2 Entertainment and Volya Films from the Netherlands. U.S. outfit Visit Films handled international sales. The film is now available on Netflix.
Yeo said: “’A Land Imagined’ is a tribute to Singapore and those who helped to build this migrant nation. So we are thrilled...
- 9/26/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Fran Borgia, of prolific Singapore production house Akanga Film Asia, has boarded Amanda Nell Eu’s “Tiger Stripes,” a project entered in Locarno Festival’s Open Doors section, as co-producer.
Akanga’s “A Land Imagined,” directed by Yeo Siew Hua, won three prizes at Locarno last year, including the coveted Golden Leopard for best film, amongst a slew of other awards internationally.
Yulia Evina Bhara, of Indonesian production outfit KawanKawan Media, has also joined “Tiger Stripes” as co-producer. The company’s “The Science of Fictions,” directed by Yosep Anggi Noen, is in competition at Locarno this year.
“Tiger Stripes,” Nell Eu’s feature debut, will follow an 11-year-old girl who is carefree until she starts to experience horrifying physical changes to her body. While her emotions and urges are constantly flipping from one extreme to the next, she realizes that her body itself is morphing at an alarming and frightening rate.
Akanga’s “A Land Imagined,” directed by Yeo Siew Hua, won three prizes at Locarno last year, including the coveted Golden Leopard for best film, amongst a slew of other awards internationally.
Yulia Evina Bhara, of Indonesian production outfit KawanKawan Media, has also joined “Tiger Stripes” as co-producer. The company’s “The Science of Fictions,” directed by Yosep Anggi Noen, is in competition at Locarno this year.
“Tiger Stripes,” Nell Eu’s feature debut, will follow an 11-year-old girl who is carefree until she starts to experience horrifying physical changes to her body. While her emotions and urges are constantly flipping from one extreme to the next, she realizes that her body itself is morphing at an alarming and frightening rate.
- 8/13/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
In order to increase the impact of its industry support efforts Locarno Film Festival is doubling down on – and in fact trebling the duration of – its Open Doors activities. Instead of an annually revolving country focus, starting this year the section will pick projects, producers and film-makers from one region for three consecutive years, before moving on.
South-East Asia, plus Mongolia, is the first region to benefit from the extended spotlight. The region is diverse and there is much ground to cover, especially as several South-East Asian countries are now reaching a level of economic and technological development that is allowing the film and TV industries to accelerate.
“South-East Asia has produced some of the greatest directors of our time, and now a new wave of talent, of young people with astonishing creative energy, is emerging today despite all the obstacles,” says Lili Hinstin, Locarno’s artistic director.
A total...
South-East Asia, plus Mongolia, is the first region to benefit from the extended spotlight. The region is diverse and there is much ground to cover, especially as several South-East Asian countries are now reaching a level of economic and technological development that is allowing the film and TV industries to accelerate.
“South-East Asia has produced some of the greatest directors of our time, and now a new wave of talent, of young people with astonishing creative energy, is emerging today despite all the obstacles,” says Lili Hinstin, Locarno’s artistic director.
A total...
- 8/6/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Singaporean director Daniel Yam has begun shooting Chinese-language fantasy adventure film “The Fatekeepers.”
The story involves four youngsters who discover that the country’s feng shui (Chinese geomancy) has fallen out of whack. That is causing natural disasters such as fish being washed up on shore, hailstorms, and imminent typhoons. The quartet, who between them boast the four feng shui elements of metal, wood, fire and earth, must work together to save the country.
The film emerged from a screenwriting program organized by local conglomerate mm2 Entertainment and backed by the Singapore Film Commission. Writer Kenneth Hu was one of 10 participants in the program’s 2016 round, and one of the final four whose project is to go forward.
Set for completion in 2020, the film is being produced by mm2 Entertainment and directed by Yam, whose previous credits include “4Love” and biopic “Wonder Boy.” “Fatekeepers” stars Richie Koh, Julie Tan, Regene Lim,...
The story involves four youngsters who discover that the country’s feng shui (Chinese geomancy) has fallen out of whack. That is causing natural disasters such as fish being washed up on shore, hailstorms, and imminent typhoons. The quartet, who between them boast the four feng shui elements of metal, wood, fire and earth, must work together to save the country.
The film emerged from a screenwriting program organized by local conglomerate mm2 Entertainment and backed by the Singapore Film Commission. Writer Kenneth Hu was one of 10 participants in the program’s 2016 round, and one of the final four whose project is to go forward.
Set for completion in 2020, the film is being produced by mm2 Entertainment and directed by Yam, whose previous credits include “4Love” and biopic “Wonder Boy.” “Fatekeepers” stars Richie Koh, Julie Tan, Regene Lim,...
- 6/21/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Locarno Festival’s Open Doors platform dedicated to promoting cinema in areas where filmmaking is especially tough, has unveiled the 8 projects, directors, and producers from 7 countries in South-East Asia and Mongolia who will make the trek to Switzerland for networking and training opportunities.
The selected projects include “The Thonglor Kids” by Thai director Aditya Assarat, produced by Fran Borgia, who also produced last year’s Golden Leopard winner “A Land Imagined,” by Singapore’s Yeo Siew Hua (pictured).
Vietnamese director Chuyen Bui Thac, whose second feature “Adrift,” set in Hanoi, premiered at Venice in 2009, will be attending the Asian cinema incubator with his latest project “Glorious Ashes” centered on the hardships and love lives of three women in a poor coastal village.
Locarno’s Open Doors program this year is entering a new three-year cycle dedicated to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Mongolia.
The event’s co-production platform,...
The selected projects include “The Thonglor Kids” by Thai director Aditya Assarat, produced by Fran Borgia, who also produced last year’s Golden Leopard winner “A Land Imagined,” by Singapore’s Yeo Siew Hua (pictured).
Vietnamese director Chuyen Bui Thac, whose second feature “Adrift,” set in Hanoi, premiered at Venice in 2009, will be attending the Asian cinema incubator with his latest project “Glorious Ashes” centered on the hardships and love lives of three women in a poor coastal village.
Locarno’s Open Doors program this year is entering a new three-year cycle dedicated to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Mongolia.
The event’s co-production platform,...
- 5/23/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Increasingly, they are winning prizes at international festivals. “A Land Imagined” won the Golden Leopard in Locarno last year, while 18 months earlier “Pop Aye” and its helmer/screenwriter Kirsten Tan won the screenwriting prize in the world cinema section at Sundance. In 2013, Anthony Chen won the Camera d’Or for best first feature at Cannes with bittersweet drama “Ilo Ilo.”
These and a swelling number of Singaporean productions reflect several years of government attempts to support the film industry. Emphasis has variously been put on Singapore as an Asian funding hub, a co-productions nexus and as a shooting location.
Film funds were set up that ended up in tears and loss — and jail time for one former partner. Since then grants have replaced co-investment. And dubious outreach to China — which shares some linguistic overlap, but is a vastly different market — has been quietly sidelined.
What has paid off, however, is persistence.
These and a swelling number of Singaporean productions reflect several years of government attempts to support the film industry. Emphasis has variously been put on Singapore as an Asian funding hub, a co-productions nexus and as a shooting location.
Film funds were set up that ended up in tears and loss — and jail time for one former partner. Since then grants have replaced co-investment. And dubious outreach to China — which shares some linguistic overlap, but is a vastly different market — has been quietly sidelined.
What has paid off, however, is persistence.
- 5/16/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Eight projects for the Hub, nine producers for the Lab.
Open Doors, the industry sidebar of Locarno Film Festival dedicated to Southeast Asian film, has selected eight projects for its Hub and nine upcoming producers to participate in its Lab for the 2019 edition.
The projects chosen for the Hub include The Thonglor Kids from Thai director Aditya Assarat, produced by Fran Borgia, who also produced last year’s Golden Leopard winner at Locarno, A Land Imagined.
Vietnamese director Chuyen Bui Thac, whose second feature Adrift premiered at Venice in 2009, will attend with his project Glorious Ashes.
Seven countries are represented across the eight projects,...
Open Doors, the industry sidebar of Locarno Film Festival dedicated to Southeast Asian film, has selected eight projects for its Hub and nine upcoming producers to participate in its Lab for the 2019 edition.
The projects chosen for the Hub include The Thonglor Kids from Thai director Aditya Assarat, produced by Fran Borgia, who also produced last year’s Golden Leopard winner at Locarno, A Land Imagined.
Vietnamese director Chuyen Bui Thac, whose second feature Adrift premiered at Venice in 2009, will attend with his project Glorious Ashes.
Seven countries are represented across the eight projects,...
- 5/7/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Zahir Omar’s directorial debut feature “Fly by Night” takes us to a familiar territory of a genre cinema, but in a less threadbare setting of Kuala Lumpur’s underworld. Visually engaging, with a good job of the ensemble cast, it puts the viewer in a proper mood straightaway: catchy blues tunes flow, and the camera gives us a dynamic ride through the nighttime streets of the city, illuminated by the neon lights of the opening credits.
“Fly By Night” is screening atUdine Far East Film Festival
Tailo is the head of a low-key extortion gang. He drives a taxi and, along with his fellow cabbies: younger brother Sailo (Fabian Loo) and his best pal Gwailo, he fishes for potential targets. Kuala Lumpur airport is their hunting ground. Michelle (Ruby Yap), Sailo’s wife, who works at a taxi booking counter, filters potential well-off victims, and Gwailo takes them to the right vehicle.
“Fly By Night” is screening atUdine Far East Film Festival
Tailo is the head of a low-key extortion gang. He drives a taxi and, along with his fellow cabbies: younger brother Sailo (Fabian Loo) and his best pal Gwailo, he fishes for potential targets. Kuala Lumpur airport is their hunting ground. Michelle (Ruby Yap), Sailo’s wife, who works at a taxi booking counter, filters potential well-off victims, and Gwailo takes them to the right vehicle.
- 4/30/2019
- by Joanna Kończak
- AsianMoviePulse
Netflix is adding a diverse array of new titles to its streaming library this April, from certified American classics like “Deliverance” to more recent cult favorites like “The Fifth Element.” But the most exciting thing about the platform’s latest crop of movies is how they point towards Netflix as a repository for essential foreign cinema that wouldn’t otherwise have been available to such a wide audience of American viewers. From a much-hyped masterpiece like Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning,” which received a long but limited theatrical run, to the Locarno-winning “A Land Imagined,” which is going straight from the festival circuit to the streaming world, Netflix is becoming an invaluable safety net for new international fare. It’s no substitute for seeing these movies on the big screen, but perhaps their availability will stoke a renewed interest in subtitled film, and inspire people to take a chance on the...
- 4/1/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent, this year’s New Directors/New Films festival will screen 35 features and shorts from 29 countries across four continents, with 10 North American Premieres and two World Premieres, 15 films directed or co-directed by women, and 11 works by first-time feature filmmakers.
The Opening, Closing, and Centerpiece selections are the New York premieres of three Sundance award winners: opening the festival is Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” which won the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and features a masterful performance from Alfre Woodard as a prison warden struggling with her work; Centerpiece is Alejandro Landes’ “Monos,” a new reimagining of “Lord of the Flies” and winner of a World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize; and closing Nd/Nf is Pippa Bianco’s “Share,” a contemporary portrait of a sexual assault victim, which took home U.S. Dramatic prizes for Breakthrough Performance and Screenwriting.
The Opening, Closing, and Centerpiece selections are the New York premieres of three Sundance award winners: opening the festival is Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” which won the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and features a masterful performance from Alfre Woodard as a prison warden struggling with her work; Centerpiece is Alejandro Landes’ “Monos,” a new reimagining of “Lord of the Flies” and winner of a World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Prize; and closing Nd/Nf is Pippa Bianco’s “Share,” a contemporary portrait of a sexual assault victim, which took home U.S. Dramatic prizes for Breakthrough Performance and Screenwriting.
- 3/25/2019
- by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn, David Ehrlich, Chris O'Falt, Zack Sharf, Jude Dry, Tambay Obenson and Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
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