In Conversations with Filmmakers from Singapore Shorts Vol.2

• Posted by: Jean
• On: 15/12/2008 13:13:12
• In: Share - Screenings & Talks

Five filmmakers from the Singapore Shorts Vol.2 DVD gathered at the library@esplanade on 13 December 08 for a Q&A session with the public and talk about the ideas and inspirations behind their films, which are featured in the Singapore Shorts Vol.2 DVD launched by the Asian Film Archive in November 08.

Filmmakers in attendance includes - Brian Gothong Tan, Michael Tay, K. Rajagopal, Loo Zihan and Mirabelle Ang.  Moderated by Bee Thiam, the talk began with K. Rajagopal talking about his film Absence followed by a screening of a short clip from the film.   

“This film is basically about my relationship with my mum…I mean, that whole thing (the film) came up after my father died.  I was trying to get over it for many years and I decided to get it out of my system, so I made this film.” said K. Rajagopal.   The initial title for this film was called Mother’s Tears and it was later changed into Absence as he felt it was what the film represented, the absence of the father and how the mother coped with it.   

Moving on to Michael Tay, his first major short film Wet Season also explored his relationship with his father.  Made as a tribute to his late father, the film unfolds like a letter written to his father.  Michael revealed that it was almost a one-man production (the hand holding the clapper in the beginning of the film was his) and the only assistant he had was for the music of the film.    

Autopsy was a personal film of 7mins directed by Loo Zihan, featuring pictures of his childhood and documenting a conversation he had with his mother over the course of one night about his sexuality.  Zihan explained that the film was made as a response to Solos, a feature he made prior to Autopsy.  The film balanced the emotions from his mom’s point of view and it perfectly captures the acceptance and denial shown by the mother, who has to cope with what the media is reporting about his son and to face the news.  When asked if his mother felt the pressure even more because of her teaching profession, Zihan replied that it did not matter what her profession was, the pressure from society is still the same for anyone who has to deal with this situation.   

The talk also screened the satire Imelda goes to Singapore by Brian Gothong Tan.  Brian commented that the film was made for the Singapore Biennale in 2006 and the idea came to him when he saw pictures of Imelda Marcos when he was studying in the US.  Having spent his childhood in the Philippines, he drew upon his experience of moving from the Philippines to Singapore and from Singapore to US for his studies, and decided to use this idea for his film.  Brian was trained as an animator and Imelda goes to Singapore was his first short film.  After which, he was involved in other films such as Lucky 7 and Pleasure Factory and joined Zhao Wei Films, helmed by Eric Khoo and James Toh.    

Last but not least, Bee Thiam introduced Mirabelle Ang who is currently based in Los Angeles and back in Singapore for a short vacation.  Her film Match Made documents a five-day journey where a Singaporean men travels to Vietnam in search of a bride, arranged by a Singapore matchmaking agency.  Mirabelle explained that she came across this idea on a newspaper and although matchmaking was not a new concept, she felt angry that a matchmaking agency exists as a legitimate business.  She decided to present how she experienced the whole process as an observer, so the audience can feel first hand what it felt for her.  Through the audio commentary of the film (a special feature on the DVD), she also revealed that the groom has actually auditioned a total of 80 girls in a day as opposed to the 15 to 20 seen in the film.   

Bee Thiam told the audience that what drew him to Match Made and Imelda goes to Singapore was the way it reflected how Singapore treated our neighbours.  Perhaps we have not shown as much respect to our Filipino maids or the Vietnam brides residing in Singapore, and the films allows us to think about how we can integrate them into our family and treat them as a family member.     

The audience also actively posted questions to Mirabelle on how she gained permission from the bridegroom to film this journey and if she still felt angry on this issue.  Mirabelle gamely replied that she has gotten over some anger and gained new anger through the journey.  She also expelled the myth that most Vietnam girls are forced into these marriages; when in fact they do this at their own will because they want a way out of poverty.  When asked about the message she wanted to bring across in this film, she said one of the things she wanted to explore was the choices people make out of their comfort zone when pressured by society.     

The filmmakers also took the opportunity to ask each other questions on their films, and Zihan addressed a question to Bee Thiam on the Singapore Shorts anthology and when the public can expect a volume 3 to be released.   Bee Thiam elaborated that there are two key principals when curating for the anthology – first, they will not repeat filmmakers who have already been featured in previous anthologies.  The aim of the anthology is to feature filmmakers who have not yet been showcased in the anthologies to show richness and diversity.  Secondly, the films must not be released on DVD already so as not to duplicate resources.  Bee Thiam explained that it takes time to look for films, clear the films rights and produce it into a DVD.  The DVD will not only feature new films but also older films that have not been seen before, so it will take time and he hopes people can look forward to the next anthology.  

Before ending the talk, Bee Thiam posted three questions about the DVD and 3 lucky audiences with the correct answers walked away with a complimentary copy of the Singapore Shorts Vol.2 DVD! 

See if you know the answers to the below questions too…(answers will be revealed below)

1)       Which is the oldest film in the Singapore Shorts Vol.2 DVD?

2)       How many female filmmakers are featured in the DVD?

3)       Which film in the DVD involves stock motion sequences?     

Answers:

1)       Labour of Love (1974- 1979) by Rajendra Gour

2)       Two.  Sandi Tan and Mirabelle Ang.

3)       Wet Seasons by Michael Tay