ShoutOUT! MINDS Film Festival returns for second year with films from Asia, Europe and US

Still from 'Temple Grandin'

After a successful first year, the Singapore Film Society and MINDS are collaborating again to co-organise the the second edition of the MINDS Film Festival. It will take place this year from 29 July to 5 August. This year, we are featuring six films from five countries - China, Malaysia, Sweden, UK and USA.

The festival will open with Swedish film The Importance of Tying Your Shoes, with director Lena Koppel in Singapore to present her film. Director Tunku Mona Riza and Producer Ku Mohamad Haris will also be in Singapore to present their film - Redha, which had two sold out screenings in the festival last year, is back again in this year’s lineup. This year, with the support of HBO Asia, the festival will screen HBO film Temple Gradin.

Mr Tony Tan, CEO of MINDS, said, “MINDS is determined to continually champion the cause of Persons with Intellectual Disability (PWID) and their caregivers. The film festival is one of the avenues to create awareness, empathy and understanding. We have thoughtfully chosen Asian films this round to best connect and relate to the local community. We hope this will draw on different segments of the industries and communities to form part of an expanded social service ecosystem, to support PWIDs and their caregivers.”

Mr Kenneth Tan, Chairman of Singapore Film Society, said, “My Singapore Film Society team and I are delighted to be working with MINDS again, on this second MINDS Film Festival. Our shared belief in the power and beauty of the cinema medium is stronger than ever before, and we are blessed to have been able to put together this year’s programme of international movies, opening with a moving story from Sweden this time, and including a Chinese film too.”

All sessions will be at GV VivoCity. Details are appended. Ticket sales commece on 13 July 2017 at all Golden Village cinemas.

$6: General Public
$5: Singapore Film Society Members
(only for tickets purchased at the box office with valid membership card)
*Admission to Temple Grandin is free.

***

The Importance of Tying Your Shoes
Directed by Lena Koppel
Cast: Sverrir Gudnason, Vanna Rosenberg, cast from the Glada Hudik
Theatre
Comedy • 2011 • Sweden • 100 mins • PG
Swedish with English & Chinese Subtitles

Alex dreams of being in the theatre, but to survive he takes a job as an assistant to a troop of mentally handicapped people at a group living facility. Following a disastrous start, Alex gradually starts to tune in to the charming individuals around him. Together they decide to take part in a national talent hunt on TV. This deeply moving and uplifting comedy with plenty of heart and soul is freely based on the real-life story of the internationally
acclaimed GLADA HUDIK THEATRE. The film cast is drawn from
members of the theatre.

Director Lena Koppel will be present for a post-screening Q&A session!


Temple Grandin
Directed by Mick Jackson
Cast: Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, Catherine O’Hara and David
Strathairn
Biopic • 2010 • USA • 107 mins • PG (Some Disturbing Scenes)
English

Temple Grandin paints a picture of a young woman’s perseverance and determination while struggling with the isolating challenges of autism at a time when it was still quite unknown. The HBO original film chronicles Temple’s early diagnosis; her turbulent growth and
development during her school years; the enduring support she received from her mother (Ormond), aunt (O’Hara) and her science teacher (Strathairn); and her emergence as a woman with an innate sensitivity and understanding of animal behaviour. Undaunted by education, social and professional roadblocks, Grandin turned her unique talent into a behavioural tool that revolutionized the cattle industry and laid the groundwork for her
successful career as an author, lecturer and pioneering advocate for autism and autism spectrum disorder education.


Life, Animated
Directed by Roger Ross Williams
Documentary • 2016 • USA • 91 mins • PG
English

At three years old, a chatty, energetic little boy named Owen Suskind ceased to speak, disappearing into autism with apparently no way out. Almost four years passed and the only stimuli that engaged Owen were Disney films. Then one day, his father donned a puppet—Iago, the wisecracking parrot from Aladdin—and asked “what’s it like to be you?” And poof! Owen replied, with dialogue from the movie.

Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world. By evocatively interweaving classic Disney sequences with verite scenes from Owen’s life, the film explores how identification and empathy with characters like Simba, Jafar, and Ariel forge a conduit for him to understand his feelings and interpret reality. Beautiful, original animations further
give form to Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity in a tribe of sidekicks. With an arsenal of narratives at his disposal, Owen rises to meet the challenges of adulthood in this moving coming-of-age tale.


My Feral Heart
Directed by Jane Gull
Cast: Steven Brandon, Shana Swash, Will Rastall, Pixie Le Knot
Drama • 2016 • UK • 83 mins • NC16 (Brief Nudity)
English

Luke, an independent young man with Down Syndrome, is forced to live in a care home after his elderly mother dies. He struggles to settle there, frustrated at having his wings clipped by its rules, and totally unimpressed by his new housemates. His disappointment
with his new home soon turns to wonder when Luke discovers a way out and begins to explore the surrounding countryside. When he is caught sneaking out by Pete, a troubled youth who tends the gardens at the home, the two strike up an unlikely rapport: Pete
covers for Luke when he sneaks out and in return Luke helps Pete clear the garden. It’s on one such illicit excursion to the adjoining field that Luke discovers a young injured girl in desperate need of his help...


ZHOU ZHOU 舟舟
Directed by Xu Songzi 徐松子
Documentary • 2007 • China • 96 mins • PG13 (Some Coarse
Language)
Chinese with English Subtitles

Zhou Zhou was born developmentally disabled on an April Fool’s Day to a cellist family. He loves to follow his father around and attend all his performances. One day, after an intermission at a concert, Zhou Zhou takes the baton and starts to conduct the symphony that he has been listening to for years. The result surprises everybody and reveals his extraordinary music talent which instantaneously takes him on a different life journey. This touching biopic recounts the story of an amazing music genius.


Redha
Directed by Tunku Mona Riza
Cast: Namron, June Lojong, Harith Haziq, Izzy Reef, Nadiya Nisaa,
Remy Ishak, Ruminah Sidek, Susan Lankester
Drama • 2016 • Malaysia • 115 mins • PG
Malay with English & Chinese Subtitles

Upon the discovery that their only son Danial is autistic, Alina and Razlan’s world crumbles as they struggles to confront the harsh realities of raising a child disabled by a condition they hardly knew about. Razlan’s inability to accept the truth causes friction within the family, but Alina’s perseverance and maternal instinct help wade through the difficult times raising Danial. With her sister and a close friend by her side, they may have found a way to improve Danial’s quality of life until a tragic accident causes the family to
rethink its strategy.

Director Tunku Mona Riza and Executive Producer Ku Mohamad Haris will be present for a post-screening Q&A session!