|
Lala at Tsinelas “Can & Slippers” |
Khavn de la Cruz / Philippines / 2005 / 2
min |
|
A young boy
from the Manila slums plays football with a
can of Coke as his soccerball and a pair of
slippers as his soccer shoes. When he
finishes by shooting a goal at a rubbish
dump, the camera pans out to show us he has
only one leg and is moving around on
crutches. Awards/Festivals:
Artistic and Cultural Programme, FIFA World
Cup, Germany, 2006; Opening Ceremony, 28th
Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, 2006;
10th International Tehran Short Film
Festival, Iran, 2005; 14th Damascus
International Film Festival, Syria, 2005.
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Amen |
Khavn de la Cruz / Philippines / 1998 /
15
min |
"Amen" is a cultural satire on blind
obedience, specifically the Filipino
tradition of "mano": placing the hand of an
elder on one's forehead as a superficial
sign of respect.
|
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|
Greaseman |
Khavn de la Cruz / Philippines / 2001 /
13
min |
|
A psychedelic silent-film about the
contrapuntal lives of a Greaseman
(Third-world Bum) and a Yuppie, intersecting
and interchanging, one hazy night. An
improvisatory "Prince & Pauper" shot in a
day. |
|
|
|
Shooting Star |
Khavn de la Cruz / Philippines / 3
min |
A pianist serenades a shooting star, which
seems to be associated with a young lady
whose image appears periodically in the
short film.
|
|
|
|
Soft Night |
Khavn de la Cruz / Philippines / 3
min |
This film is set to piano music and the
lines of Soft Night, a poem by Armando
Subido, which are presented as subtitles.
The visuals consist of images of different
women talking towards the camera juxtaposed
with images of the natural and man-made
environment.
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|
Before We Fall In Love Again |
James Lee / Malaysia / 2006 / 99 min |
 The
film is about two men and the woman they
both love. The woman's unexplained
disappearance leads to an uneasy alliance
between her husband and lover in their
united search for her.Awards/Festivals:
Best ASEAN Film, 2007 Bangkok International
Film Festival
|
|
|
|
Things We Do When We Fall In Love |
James Lee / Malaysia / 2007 / 93 min |
 The
movie follows two unfortunate lovers who are
constantly looking for a solution to their
situation. In an effort to escape their
problems, they embark on a trip, and come to
the realization that it is their deep love
for each other that has kept them together.
Awards/Festivals: 20th Singapore
International Film Festival |
|
|
|
Goodbye to Love |
James Lee / Malaysia / 2004 / 16 min |
|
An experimental film that depicts a man
silently waiting with increasing despair for
someone or something that does not appear,
alongside tableaux of unfulfilled longing
and hopes. Awards/Festivals: 34th
International Film Festival Rotterdam; 18th
Singapore International Film Festival; 4th
Commonwealth International Film Festival;
51st Oberhausen International Shortfilm
Festival |
|
|
|
Love Conquers
All |
Tan Chui Mui / Malaysia / 2005 / 26 min |
 Ping
has come from Penang in the north to Kuala
Lumpur to work with her aunt. There she
meets John, a young man, who keeps trying to
approach her. Ping feels increasingly
attracted to John, although she has a
boyfriend in Penang, whom she calls every
day. She gets more and more into John’s
world, loses herself in her love and does
all she can to keep John.
Awards/Festivals: Grand Prize City of
Lisbon, 4th Indie Lisboa; Golden Digital
Award, 31st Hong Kong International Film
Festival; Oikocredit Award, 21st Fribourg
International Film Festival; VPRO Tiger
Award, 36th International Film Festival
Rotterdam; New Currents Award, 11th Pusan
International Film; FIPRECSI Award, 11th
Pusan International Film Festival
* Note: NC16
|
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|
A Tree
In Tanjung Malim |
Tan Chui Mui / Malaysia / 2005 / 26 min |
|
A woman on the brink of adulthood has a
conversation with a world-weary older man
during the course of one night. A fictional
autobiography of the director.
Awards/Festivals: Principal Award, 51th
Oberhausen International Short Film
Festival, Best Foreign Short Film, Entre
Veus Belford, 59th Locarno International
Film Festival Competition, 50th Cork
International Film Festival, Commonwealth
Film Festival 2005, Curzon Soho Cinema. |
|
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|
Bread Skin and Strawberry Jam |
Liew Seng Tat / Malaysia / 2003 / 9 min |
|
As the wait for their ride home becomes
unbearable, this brother and sister duo
truly offers bread skin with strawberry jam
a delicious bite!
Awards/Festivals: Gold, Best Short Film
Drama (Open), 8th Malaysian Video Awards,
2003, Silver, Best ASEAN Short Film (Below
60min), 8th Malaysian Video Awards, 2003 |
|
|
|
Not Cool |
Liew Seng Tat / Malaysia / 2004 / 20 min |
|
With his 80 year old mother in hospital, 20
year old Ah Cool takes over the family
business of sewing bras! Meanwhile, 3rd
Aunty sizes up a girl that she pressures
onto her helpless nephew.
Awards/Festivals: Gold, Best Short Film
Drama (Open), 9th Malaysian Video Awards,
2004, Gold, Best ASEAN Short Film, 9th
Malaysian Video Awards, 2004 |
|
|
|
Flowers |
Liew Seng Tat / Malaysia / 2005 / 20 min |
 From
a passionate lovely young girl to an old
wrinkly weak woman, grandma doesn't have
much time left to live. There is one thing
she wishes to do while she's still alive,
which is to experience the happiest moment
of her life again.Awards/Festivals:
Silver, Best Short Film Drama (Open), 9th
Malaysian Video Awards 2004, Bronze; Best
ASEAN Short Film, 9th Malaysian Video Awards
2005; Opening Film, Busan Asian Short Film
Festival; 35th International Film Festival
Rotterdam
* Note: NC16
|
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|
Daughters |
Liew Seng Tat / Malaysia / 2006 / 10 min |
 The
complex emotions and love relationships of
two tudong-clad young women are chronicled
separately in this film, but they meet by
chance with more women like them when they
get on the road with motorbikes, and ride as
a group.
Awards/Festivals: Commissioned to be an
official selection for Meet the Maestro
Program, 36th International Film Festival
Rotterdam; 53rd Sydney Film Festival.
|
|
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|
Man In Love |
Liew Seng Tat / Malaysia / 2007 / 4 min |
 An
enigmatic man speaks to his lover about
their affair, but she doesn't give an
answer. In the end, he is only talking to
the rain. By that time, the mood is so
melancholy that it can't possibly be a joke
any more.Awards/Festivals: In
Competition, Tiger Awards for Short Films,
36th International Film Festival Rotterdam.
|
|
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|
It's Possible Your Heart Cannot Be Broken |
Woo Ming Jin / Malaysia / 2005 / 15 min |
|
In this black comedy about the
disintegration of a love affair, a young
woman's loneliness in the midst of Kuala
Lumpur's metropolitan sprawl triggers a
tenuous relationship with a naïve salesman
who has a tendency to please and over-emote
Awards/Festivals: Hong Kong International
Film Festival 2006, Singapore International
Film Festival 2006, Han Chiang Short Film
Festival 2006 |
|
|
|
Majidee |
Azharr Rudin / Malaysia / 2005 / 15 min |
|
A one-take wonder as we follow two men in a
conversation that's not as innocent as it
first seems. The life of working class men
in Malaysia. Awards/Festivals: Best Short
Film, Hawaii International Film Festival
2006
Han Chiang Short Film Festival 2006 |
|
|
|
Our Film |
Atthasit Somchob / Thailand / 2004 / 22
min |
|
A woman's husband is getting better from
malady. She first goes with him to the
temple, then later on a holiday to Pattaya. |
|
|
|
Before |
Samart Suwanarat / Thailand / 2006 / 13
min |
|
An experimental short which makes use of
many stylistic features to compare nature
with machinery. |
|
|
|
Opportunities |
Nitipong Thinthupthai / Thailand / 2006 /
9 min |
|
An experimental short, critiques the 2006
Thaksin elections in Thailand. At the start
we hear campaign propaganda about having a
bright future if the Thai people vote for
Thaksin and his Thai Ruk Thai party.
However, after the last Thai Ruk Thai public
announcement, life still goes on (a guy eats
rice while random messages go on) and
moreover, we see images of many homeless
people sleeping in a field (while more and
more random messages stream in). This is as
if to discredit the better life that Thaksin
is promising. |
|
|
|
A
Little Plant In the Old House |
Sasikan Suwannasuth / Thailand / 2007 / 5
min |
 A
conversation between Fai and Mama about
following through with dreams.Winner of
Jameson Award at the Bangkok International
Film Festival 2007. |
|
|
|
Different
Degree |
Monchai Chatbamrungsuk / Thailand / 2007
/ 9 min |
|
The title of this documentary short refers
to a song by The Must which plays at the
start of the film. DJ Tua lek Pakpimon
Permpoon recounts how she met Bird Anuwat
(1979-2006), and her relationship with him,
before he met with an accident and passed
on. At one point she says, "Though in a
different degree, someday we will get to the
same point.", and the song constantly refers
to how they are connected by the sky. |
|
|
|
Volatilize |
Nonthawat Numbenchaphol / Thailand / 2007
/ 15 min |
 Volatilize
captures the lives and relationships of
occupants in a building. One guy appears
lonely initially but is later seen to have a
relationship with a girl. On the other hand,
another guy who returns home to his
girlfriend, does not have her affections and
both of them are unsatisfied. The title is
perhaps a take on the volatile nature of
relationships. |
|
|
|
To Infinity and Beyond |
Sompot Chidgasornpongse / Thailand / 2005
/ 11 min |
|
To Infinity and Beyond deals with space
travel, and how people are obsessed with
facts, but at the same time do not know
certain important facts which would fully
change what they know. It uses an
interesting style of subtitles scrolling
across the top of the screen reporting facts
to do with space travel, while images of
Thai people gathered and looking up at the
sky go on below. It is as if they are
obsessed with this topic physically
appearing overhead, yet cannot come to any
definite conclusions, and are content to
just keep on pondering. |
|
|
|
Breeze |
Sathit Sattarasart / Thailand / 2006 / 20
min |
|
Breeze is an experimental short which plays
with the idea of perception. The first part
deals with knowing that a breeze is blowing
when sound is cut out due to movement. It
then talks of things that we know of not
because we are there, but because others
have told us, and how different people
perceive things. Different thresholds of
boredom are also explored, and how some
people can be entertained by things others
do not take note of. |
|
|
|
The Same Old
Story |
Zart Tanchareon / Thailand / 2005 / 30
min |
|
A Same Old Story is a 3 chapter comical look
at the life of a Thai book-seller who goes
through a daily routine and does not know
that life exists futher than his gates until
he meets a girl he likes, who tells him ways
to improve his appearance and business.
Although they do not end up together, his
meeting with her causes him to slowly go out
of his comfort zone, the ultimate being when
he chases after her to the town centre
nearby and discovers that other drinks like
Beetagen exist besides water. From that day
onwards, he is a regular at the drink cart
in the town centre. |
|
|
|
Sleeping Beauty |
Chulayarnnon Siriphol / Thailand / 2006 /
40min |
Sleeping Beauty refers to the grandmother of
the house. Daily household activities are
shown, including taking care of the grandma,
followed by the night where the household
sleeps including her, followed by another
day and night. The grandma is clearly well
looked after by her family. (M18)
|
|
|
|
Happy Berry |
Thunska Pansittivorakul / Thailand / 2004
/ 76min |
 This
mainly documentary-like feature revolves
around the lives and relationships of the
friends who help run Happy Berry boutique on
Khoasam Road. It showcases both the less
interesting but necessary activities needed
to carry out the running of the shop, as
well as the behind the scenes. There is much
monkeying around, lazing, talk of sex, drugs
and male/female genitalia. Fashion and music
are also focused on- with a fashion show,
two music videos and several karaoke scenes.
At one point, Happy Berry also refers to the
name of the in-house boutique band formed by
three of them for awhile. (M18)
|
|
|
|
Eliana Eliana |
Riri Riza / Indonesia / 2002 / 83 min |
 A
favourite at the 21st Vancouver Film
Festival, Indonesian director Riri Riza's
Eliana, Eliana is a lyrical coming-of-age
feature where an estranged mother and
daughter finally come to terms with each
other against the dizzying backdrop of
Jakarta. Winner of Best Young Cinema &
NETPAC/FIPRESCI Award, Singapore
International Film Festival & Special
Mention, Dragon & Tigers Award, Vancouver
International Film Festival, 2002. |
|
|
|
Gie |
Riri Riza / Indonesia / 2005 / 147 min |
 Based
on a true character. GIE is a central yet
unknown political activist/writer in the
60’s, the darkest era of Indonesian history.
His life is a clash between a high drama of
political events, and small world of
friendship and romance. He is falling apart
when he sees that his constant battle for
justice and truth gives labor to another
dictatorial regime. As time passes the
people around him adjust to the new regime,
but he continues to fight. His uncompromised
idealism drives people away. His friends
left him; the woman he loves rejects him.
Only the beauty of nature can rescue and
free him.
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2005
Singapore International Film Festival;
Winner, Most Promising Project from Hubert
Bals Fund and Pusan Promotion Plan at
Pusan International Film Festival 2002. |
|
|
|
3 Days to
Forever |
Riri Riza / Indonesia / 2007 / 110 min |
 Yusuf, an uptight 21 year-old, is convinced
by his 19 year-old wild cousin, Ambar, to
escape a family gathering and go clubbing
with her. Drunk and wasted, they wake up the
next morning to find that they have missed
their flight to attend a family wedding in
another town. The two cousins decide to
drive there in a family car, not knowing
that the supposedly one day journey takes
them 3 days instead. Along the way they get
high and get lost, encounter interesting and
bizarre characters, run into an argument
about religion, marriage and sex, while
trying to defeat the arising sexual tension
between them.Official selection:
Singapore International Film Festival 2007,
Hong Kong International Film Festival 2007,
London Film Festival 2007. |
|
|
|
Stories From Our
Sunny Homeland |
Edwin / Indonesia / 2006 / 63 min |
|
This film captures Edwin’s brief but
unforgettable encounters with the children
of Aceh. From Remon who has an obsession to
be a rock star, to Dasmin who simply wants
to catch a fish under the emergency bridge.
From Gadis who surprisingly knows about guns
for a gril her age, to Linda who knos the
recipe for fried rice. A documentary about
Acehnese children and their high-soaring
spirit, and a glimpse into daily life in
Aceh after tsunami. |
|
|
|
Acehnese Children's Video Diaries |
Various Filmmakers / Indonesia / 2006 /
104 min |
|
A series of video diaries produced by
Acehnese children from two of the towns
worst-affected by the 2004 earthquake and
tsunami, Banda Aceh and Meulaboh. |
|
|
|
(Almost) A
Mischance |
Lasja Fauzia / Indonesia / 10 min |
 A
young woman in her 20s repeatedly encounters
an attractive young man whenever she
commutes by train and a relationship soon
takes place. Both of them think that there
will always be another opportunity to know
each other better, should time and fate
permit. But will destiny lend a hand?
Screened at the 2006 Pusan International
Film Festival. |
|
|
|
I Love Malaya |
Chan Kah Mei, Ho Choon Hiong, Eunice Lau,
Wang Eng Eng, Christopher Len / Singapore /
2006 / 45 min |
 A
documentary about the surviving members of
the Malayan Communist Party living in
Thailand, who have been waiting to be
allowed home to Malaysia, some for over
fifty years.
|
|
|
|
Aki Ra's Boys |
James Leong and Lynn Lee / Singapore /
2007 / 63 min |
 Boreak
was eight when he lost his right arm in a
landmine accident in Cambodia. His parents
decided to send him to a home in Siem Reap
for young landmine victimes. Despite his
tragedy, Boreak is ever optimistic and
lacking in self-pity. Through Boreak, we
meet Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge soldier.
Now in his 30s, Aki Ra removes landmines and
gives children like Boreak a home. |
|
|
|
Passabe |
James Leong and Lynn Lee / Singapore /
2006 / 55 min |
 The
remote village of Passabe lies on the
precarious border between East and West
Timor. It is a battle-scarred community with
a horrific past. In the run-up to the vote
for independence in 1999, Passabe was a base
for hundreds of pro-Indonesia militiamen –
East Timorese who participated in a rampage
of violence that climaxed in a bloody
massacre. As families continue to grieve,
questions remain unanswered. Who took part
in the killings? Who is to blame? Five years
on, one man (Alexio Elu) decides to publicly
own up to his role in the massacre. It’s an
explosive move that not only exposes him to
possible prosecution, but also persecution
of his own people. Accusations fly, a pact
of silence is broken and a community’s soul
is laid bare. Shot over the course of a
year, this film documents a quest for
redemption and forgiveness. It is an
intimate look into the lives of ordinary
folk struggling to rebuild their lives after
an armed conflict, and an exploration into
the very universal themes of justice and
reconciliation.
Winner of Humanitarian Award for Documentaries, Hong Kong International Film Festival, 2006 |
|
|
|
Singapore
Standard Time |
Joycelyn Khoo & Serene Ng / Singapore /
2006 / 26 min |
 This
is a documentary that explores the ways
speed has taken root in Singaporean culture,
Driven by an ethos of efficiency and instant
gratification, we have taken speed to unique
heights, from setting the world record for
the world's fastest SMS text message, to the
patented 20-minute facelift. |
|
|
|
Seletar Airbase: Singapore's Secret Garden |
Li Xiuqi / Singapore / 2006 / 12 min |
|
A nostalgia for a simpler, more pastoral
life permeates this short documentary. It
shows an idyll not known to many in busy
Singapore; an island within an island. We
see children playing in wide green fields
with blues skies and neighbours chatting. |
|
|
|
Match Made |
Mirabelle Ang / Singapore / 2006 /
48 min |
 An
insightful documentary into the thriving
business of Vietnamese mail-order bride
services. The camera follows a Singaporean,
Ricky, as he travels to Vietnam in search of
a suitable bride. We follow Ricky's
selection process and wedding ceremony to
Nguy. |
|
|
|
F |
Chew Tze Chuan / Singapore / 2006 / 60
min |
 Singaporean
film critic Toh Hai Leong was diagnosed with
diabetes two years ago. This documentary
shows his battle against the chronic
disease. At the peak of Toh's struggle, an
inevitable truth awaits like a good friend
in silence. (NC16) |
|
|
Set
in the slums of Manila where law enforcement is
rare, Squatterpunk chronicles the punk lifestyles of
the youth as they scavenge the garbage beach for a
living while still managing to play around. A film
that casts a tenderly poetic eye at the squalor of
Philippine society.
Every
night, a family repeats the same actions of
collecting, selling and eating garbage. A short
documentary on how one family lives out each day to
earn their daily bread and how one man’s trash is
literally transformed into this family’s treasure.
