On the 19^th of June, Bee Thiam gave a talk on Understanding Singapore Cinema at the Esplanade under the banner of Bitesize,a year-long programme conducted by industry professionals to showcase different facet of the arts every month.

Bee Thiam spoke about Singapore’s film heritage chronologically from the early 20^th century to the films of today,more than a hundred years later. His talk showcased the diversity of Singapore’s cinematic richness, from the cult classic They Call Her...Cleopatra Wong, to the comedic Malay films that had audience in stitches with their timeless brand of humor and camp, to the award-winning  12 Storeys and the documentary Match Made which made audiences introspect on current societal conditions.

After the talk, Bee Thiam held an impromptu session with members of the audience interested to speak with him. The crowd, ranging from a retired journalist to a fresh tertiary student, stayed long after the end of the talk to share their views of the current state of the local film industry.

For me, it was an eye opener that the local film heritage had such connections with big names such as Patrick Tse Yin during our golden film era. The partnerships with Malaya and Hong Kong to tap into the region were a pioneering example that the local filmmakers today are trying to emulate. I enjoyed the talk very much and learnt from both coordinating the event and the taking away of some precious anecdotes of film from days gone by.

"Singapore clearly played a pivotal role in the development of Asian cinema -- and Bee Thiam's thoughtful lecture provided a historical overview of filmmaking in this region. It is not merely a chronology, but places the changing tides of the industry within the context of the political and social history of the country. As with the Archive's premiere of the restored print of "Moon over Malaya" earlier this year and the accompanying curated exhibit, this talk was enlightening and reveals a long tradition of Singaporean cinema. I'm happy the Asian Film Archive exists to preserve that rich tradition for future generations. Bravo to Bee Thiam and his colleagues!"- Amos Ezra Katz, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia

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Bee Thiam on films that have been lost and are unlikely to be recovered.

A lighthearted moment during the screening of clips.

Bitesize photos courtesy of The Esplanade Co Ltd.

Use of stills and film clips courtesy of Doris Young (They Call Her...Cleopatra Wong), Family of Ho Kian-ngiap (Moon Over Malaya), Glen Goei (Forever Fever, The Blue Mansion), J Team Productions (Money No Enough), Jacen Tan and hosaywood.com (Zo Hee), James Leong and Lynn Lee (Passabe), Lian Pek (Mad About English), Mirabelle Ang (Match Made), Raintree Pictures (I Not Stupid), Rajendra Gour (Labour of Love - The Housewife), Shaw Organisation (Seniman Bujang Lapok), Zhao Wei Films (12 Storeys, Be With Me). 

On 31 May and 1 June, the latest season of the educators' workshops took place at Filmgarde Cineplex with the kind support of Iluma. This was our first time holding the workshops in a commercial screening venue, and some of the participants expressed their delight at being able to view the short films on a big screen.

Despite having run for many seasons now, the Film Literacy course remains a popular choice for educators seeking an introduction to using film in the classroom. After the session, participants adjourned to Manhattan Fish Market to formulate their lesson plans over finger food. At the end of the day, we were glad the educators found the workshop useful:

"Practical suggestions on how educations can employ/incorporate films into lessons. Liked the short films that were screened as they were apt and accessible." - Bernice Teo, Victoria Junior College

"[I liked the] sharing session to come up with ideas for lessons, use of local short films suitable for classroom [and] lesson plans that go well with the videos shown." - Adeline Tan, St. Joseph's Institution

The next day, we premiered a new workshop conducted by filmmaker/artist Liao Jiekai. Entitled Documentary Reality in Contemporary Cinema, the session explored the blurring of lines between reality and fiction in film. Participants were brought into the personal cinema experiences of directors Hakim Belabbes, Pedro Costa, Hou Hsiao Hsien and Yasujiro Ozu through excerpts from their films, as well as Liao Jiekai's own "Red Dragonflies".

We were encouraged to see the educators engaging in lively discussions, and especially thrilled by those who came up to us with ideas for further collaboration and suggestions for youth cinema projects. In light of our upcoming youth initiated cinema chain project, Cine Odeon 2010, this is most exciting and very heartening!

After months of planning, weeks of toil, and days of frenzy, the Archive's Charity Screening was finally and successfully held on 13th April at The Cathay. Part fundraiser, part fifth-anniversary bash, the night was ultimately a perfect way to celebrate the Archive's work with our friends and the public.

The audience at the screening was a cross-section of society, made up of all the people we have reached out to over the years. These included partners, corporate and individual donors, filmmakers, volunteers, ex-participants of our programmes, and those who simply wished to show their support for our work. The Archive was especially privileged to receive President S.R. Nathan as our guest-of-honour for the evening. Regardless of whom they were, everyone there had taken time out of their schedules to spend it with us, reliving the halcyon days of Singapore cinema.

Pioneering independent filmmaker, Rajendra Gour

The screen offering was Moon Over Malaya (AKA 'The Whispering Palms', 1957), a Singapore-Hong Kong collaboration produced by the Kong Ngee Company—in its heyday, part of the triumvirate of Singapore’s film production houses. Its treatment of the issues of education and grassroots philanthropy are in keeping with the mission of the Archive, and reinforced the fundraising element of the evening. All this aside, the movie proved to be as potent and as much of a hit as over 50 years ago, earning a very warm reception and eliciting both tears and laughter from the audience members.

It must be admitted that prior to the screening, I'd been warned that I might not enjoy the film, and that it would probably be more suited to my parents’ tastes instead. And sure enough, there were times when, during scenes meant to depict internal conflict and emotional turmoil, I found myself giggling very inappropriately at what was onscreen instead. Maybe it’s the result of prolonged exposure to the slick editing and sophisticated dialogue that most young filmgoers now grow up with. But rather than the absence of these becoming a turn-off, it made Moon Over Malaya unexpectedly and irresistibly charming. The movie turned out to be a refreshing experience because in-between today’s tongue-in-cheek commercial blockbusters and subtle, meditative art house cinema, finding a film as straightforward and heartfelt as Moon Over Malaya can be surprisingly difficult.

After the screening, the President and select guests were treated to a personal tour of the Archive’s exhibition on Singapore cinema history by our very own curator, Karen. Gradually, other audience members also came out to mingle, discuss the movie, and take in the exhibition. Titled Singapore Cinema: Local Films – Global Links, it was a concise but interesting introduction to a lesser known aspect of Singapore’s cinematic past. There was also a contribution from the National Archives of Singapore, who designed an exhibition to give an idea of the era in local history when Moon Over Malaya was made. The entire exhibition will be touring community centres across Singapore, so be sure to look out for it!

His Excellency, President Nathan touring the exhibition Singapore Cinema: Local Films – Global Links

To mark our first gala event and further acquaint the specially invited guests with what we do, the Archive went all out and hosted a dinner with the President, members of our Board of Directors, and leading figures in Singapore business and media circles.

The night was rounded off with the presentation of tokens of appreciation to all dinner guests. Nothing less than Singapore Shorts Vols. 1 & 2 would do!

His Excellency, President Nathan and Mrs. Nathan presented with token of appreciation by Tan Bee Thiam as Mr. Wong Ngit Liong looks on.

From L-R: Mr. Richard Eu, Mr. Michael Ma, Mr. Mike Wiluan

“Films  are  cultural artifacts that are representative of the times during which  they were made.  The archival of films would help preserve a part of our  cultural  heritage,  keeping  it alive so that it could be shared with future  generations.   The  film  “Moon Over Malaya”, shot in Singapore and Malaya  in  the  1950s  and  recently  restored  by the Asian Film Archive, provides  viewers  here with a glimpse of the architecture and landscape as well as the way of life of the people of Singapore in the yesteryears.” – His Excellency President S.R Nathan 

"I thoroughly enjoyed the Asian Film Archive's screening of Moon Over Malaya. I was immediately transported to a Singapore that I did not know about before, both from a historical and sociological perspective. Watching the film made me realise how important it is for us to preserve the cultural heritage of our films as only films can truly encapture and indeed allow us to relive a period of our history and to document our lives for future generations." — Glen Goei, film and theatre director

"It's like rediscovering a piece of family history I'd thought was lost. I'm humbled by the restoration effort put in and proud at the same time. Thank you very much." — Nat Ho, great-grandson of the founder of Kong Ngee Company

"The Charity Screening was a well-organised, very meaningful and enjoyable event. The Asian Film Archive has done a great job not just in restoring & preserving the film "Moon Over Malaya" but ensuring that there is a wider critical appreciation of this art form." — Koh Boon Long, Principal Consultant, Educare International 

The Charity Screening turned out to be more than even what we envisioned. It brought together distinguished guests and average folk, young cinephiles and nostalgic old-timers, all appreciating and enjoying Singapore’s cinematic heritage. In fact, the response from the public was so overwhelming that we may have to look into organising a second screening of the film! Our greatest thanks goes out to everyone who helped with this event—volunteers, sponsors, partners, people who provided all kinds of assistance in their own time,—everyone who graced the event with their presence, and all who are keeping an eye out for the Archive. We’ll be seeing you again very shortly!

In celebration of the Asian Film Archive’s 5^th anniversary, a group of passionate final-year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University have launched the ‘Save Our Film’ campaign. This campaign aims to raise awareness amongst youths aged 15 - 35 of Singapore's rich local film heritage and the importance of ensuring it is kept alive for our future.

Launched on 1^st February, the 'Save Our Film' campaign has conducted a series of nationwide guerilla publicity efforts, beginning with the campaign Mock DVDs and Posters on display at supporting stores and cinemas. They promote five early Singapore titles with a twist -- these films have been lost and are thus unavailable. More information about them can be found on the Singapore Lost Film Wiki, along with archived images of never-before-seen scans from the film memorabilia collection of Mr Wong Han Min. The public is warmly invited to contribute and grow the wiki as well.

For the past 3 weekends, these students have conducted impromptu Video Projections that the following locations:

06/02/2010 @ Bugis Junction

12/02/2010 @ The Cathay

20/02/2010 @ Cathay Cineleisure Orchard

You can watch videos from each projection and the slick kinetic typography videos that were shown at the projections at their YouTube group page. They also gave away 'Singapore Shorts Vol. 2 (SSV2)' DVDs to passersby who participated in their on-site local film trivia quiz.

Don't miss their final campaign highlight, a Roving Showcase featuring exclusive Call for Memories recordings of members of our local film community, film memorabilia collectors, WWII survivors and others sharing their own fondest local film memory. This showcase will happen on the 6^th of March, Saturday afternoon, all along Scotts and Orchard Roads.

Follow them as they trundle down Singapore's busiest shopping district with a nostalgic 11-inch television from the nineties and screen these interview clips to all and sundry! The local film trivia quiz will be happening on-site as well and I hear that they are giving away one DVD every 15 minutes!

If you are unable to make it, do log on to their website at http://asianfilmarchive.org/5th/ to find out more about the campaign and what you can do to help.

In conjunction with the events organised by MARUAH (Singapore Working Committee for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism) for observance of the 2009 International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3rd December, the Asian Film Archive curated a series of Southeast Asian short films for the Me And My Friend film screening at GV Grand on 14th of Dcember. The films screened were Français by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Lata At Tsinelas (Can & Slippers) by Khavn de la Cruz and Peter by Singaporean filmmakers Derrick Lui and Lee Chee Tian. It is hoped that these films will help to promote an understanding of disability issues and facilitate the integration of persons with disabilities within communities.

Clara Feng, co-chair of the Me and My Friend committee gave the opening address. I then gave a brief introduction to the films. More than a hundred people attended the screening and everyone stayed behind for the post-screening discussion that was moderated by Mr. Ravi Philemon. During the engaging discussion, many felt the films had addressed the adversities people with disabilities come up against, and many also spoke strongly on the advocation for the need to improve the benefits and rights to the disabled. A number of people in the audience expressed their admiration for Peter Loh from Peter, who graced the event and spoke on how his positive outlook towards life helped him pull through.

It is very heartening to see that the film screening has served its purpose for many in the audience, and that those who brought their friends along, were able to enjoy the films together.

(Photos courtesy of Lee Sze Yong)