Film still from 'The Great North Korean Picture Show'
The Southeast Asian Film Festival is back and like in previous years, it promises a slew of the frontier films in this region. The festival will run from the 22 March to 14 April at the Moving Images Gallery at 8Q at SAM (Singapore Art Museum).
There will be a total of 20 screenings, 10 post-screening discussions, and a sidebar of Vietnamese experimental short films. New works by U-Wei Bin Haji Saari, Mes De Guzman, Lav Diaz, Ifa Isfansyah and Kan Lume will be shown. Three Singapore films will feature against the selection of films. They are James Leong/Lynn Lee's 'The Great North Korean Picture Show', Kan Lume's 'Liberta' and 'Tzang Mervyn Tong's 'FRVL'.
For the entire schedule of films, please check out the the festival page on the SAM website here.
Here are more details about tickeing:
$10 for each film screening
$8 concession for students with valid ID
senior citizens and NSFs. Tickets are available from SISTIC.
Ticket price includes $1 SISTIC fee.
Limited seating, please purchase your tickets early.
For ticket availability at the door, please call SISTIC at 6348 5555.
Here are the timings and a closer look at the three local films to be screened:
Sat, 23 Mar 2013, 5:30pm
The Great North Korean Picture Show
James Leong and Lynn Lee, 2012, Singapore
80 mins Korean and English with English subtitles, PG
Welcome to Hollywood, Kim Jong Il-style. In the North Korean Film Studio, director Pyo Hang is racing to rally his team and complete the country's latest blockbuster that will please his leaders. This documentary is the first time that foreign filmmakers were given access to the country's only film school, where young talents are trained not only in the skills of entertainment, but in such ways as to help shape the psyche of an entire nation, as the film industry is a vital tool of propaganda. Focusing on two aspiring actors who are handpicked to become future stars, this film offers a rare glimpse of how the brightest live in the world's most secretive state.
James Leong and Lynn Lee have made films and documentaries for 10 years. Passabe (2005) was awarded a grant from the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, acquired by ARTE and screened at film festivals across the world. They are also the directors of Homeless FC(2006) and Aki Ra's Boys (2007). They have extensive TV experience having produced and directed numerous television documentaries.
Fri, 29 Mar 2013, 7:30pm
Liberta
Kan Lume, 2012, Singapore/ Australia
80 mins English, PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
In this docudrama, a girl survives a suicide attempt and journeys to Ayers Rock to find healing. Featuring an intense performance from one actor in the Australian outback, this film powerfully portrays a person recovering from the brink of disaster and finding salvation. Liberta was awarded a Special Jury Prize at Cinema Digital Seoul in 2012.
Filmmaker Kan Lume’s debut feature, The Art of Flirting, was the winner of the Best ASEAN Feature at the Malaysian Video Awards 2005. His second film Solos (2006) and fourth films Female Games (2009) have not been released in Singapore as they are not able to be shown uncut. His third feature Dreams from the Third World (2008) received the MovieMax Award at Cinema Digital Seoul 2008. He is also the director of many short films, as well as television programmes.
Check out the trailer of 'Liberta' here.
Sun, 14 Apr 2013, 1:30pm
FRVL - A Work-in-Progress Cut
Tzang Merwyn Tong, 2013, Singapore
55 mins English, NC16 (Some Coarse Language and Drug Scenes)
FRVL is a coming-of-age tale of college misfits fighting to find themselves and make sense of their increasingly surreal world. This screening is a special work-in-progress cut of a soon to be released feature film by Tzang, known for his underground film work.
Tzang Merwyn Tong is an independent filmmaker and screenwriter who has worked on films such as as e'Tzaintes (2003), and A Wicked Tale (2005), which premiered at Rotterdam International Film Festival 2005 and was the closing film at the Montreal FanTasia Film Festival. Tzang also directed V1K1 - A Techno Fairytale (2011), which won the Gold Remi Award at the Houston WorldFest 2011. His films often have surreal settings that incorporate elements of fairytale and comic fantasy.
Here is the film website: http://thefrvlproject.com/info.htm