The Singapore Film Festival 2007
B130 Van Vleck 20 & 21st April
Singapore Students Association is organizing Singapore Film Festival 2007, showcasing some representative works of the film industry in Singapore. This event is open to public, FREE and we invite all to join us to learn more about Singapore culture!
Details of the event are:
Date: Apr 20 (Fri) 5-9pm, Apr 21 (Sat) 1-7pm
Venue: B130 Van VleckBelow are the synopses for the movies and short films showing.
Additional films may be shown on the day itself. The event has also been listed on Facebook as http://wisc.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2305063176.
For further information, please email jtay@wisc.edu.Hope to see you there!
family portrait | gong gong | homerun
i not stupid too | 15 | one more chanceApr 20 (Fri) 5-9 p.m.
Family Portrait
Director: Ellery Ngiam (2004, 27 min)
Family Portrait is a short film about the significance of family unity amidst life’s ups and downs.Possibly director Ellery Ngiam’s most personal film to date, Family Portrait explores how the struggle to pay for a daughter’s overseas education in the midst of the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis eventually leads a wealthy family to lose everything they possess. At the end of the ordeal, however, as they sit down as a family for the first time in years for their Chinese New Year reunion dinner, they realize that family unity is the one enduring constant in a transient material world.
Gong Gong (Grandfather)
Director: Lau Chee Nien (2001, 22 min)
A moving tale of a dementia-laden grandfather who is desperately seeking out his granddaughter.An elderly man staying at an old folk's home awaits a visit from his 5-year old granddaughter. A year ago, he had promised her a doll for her birthday. When his granddaughter does not show up, the old man decides to bring the present to her. However, he has a failing memory and apart from a drawing of his old home given to him by his granddaughter, he has no way of finding home. He sets off, depending solely on his determination to go home and personally give the present to his granddaughter.
Homerun
Director: Jack Neo (2003, 108 min)
Home Run is a Singaporean remake of the internationally acclaimed Iranian film Children of Heaven, highlighting the innocence of childhood and the power of love in the family, as well as acting as a political commentary on the relationships between Singapore and her neighbours.Adapted from the Iranian film Children of Heaven by Singaporean director Jack Neo, Home Run is set in 1965, the year Singapore separated from Malaysia. The film revolves around a brother’s love for his sister, and the quest to find a pair of shoes. Against a backdrop of economic hardship and political uncertainty, we see the purity and innocence of childhood and the power of love in the family. Besides being heart-warming and touching, this film also contains political satire, with references to the Malaysia-Singapore water conflict and various other political incidences.
Apr 21 (Sat) 1-7 p.m.
I not stupid II
Director: Jack Neo (2006, 122 min)
I Not Stupid too is a multi-faceted and insightful film about the generation gap between parents and children, and how communication can bridge or widen this gap.I Not Stupid too is a comedy centered on the theme of increasingly difficult relationships between parents and their children due to a lack of communication. The narrative progresses through the eyes of 9-year-old Jerry as he and his friends face the pressures of school and demands of their parents. The film also delves into juvenile delinquency as a result of this breakdown in communication. This film is the highest-grossing Singapore film in the last 8 years, and only the second Singapore film in history to pass the $4 million mark.
15
Director: Royston Tan (2003, 30 min)
The award-winning short film about teenage gangsters in the Singapore suburbs, 15 reveals the shocking, dark side of Singaporean society that is often ignored or unknown to others.The award-winning short film about teenage gangsters in the Singapore suburbs, 15 reveals the shocking, dark side of Singaporean society that is often ignored or unknown to others. The film stars three real-life juvenile gangsters aged 15 and offers a brutally honest portrait of Chinese gang-life. The heavy use of Hokkien language and vulgarities contributed to the controversy that surrounded this film.
One more chance
Director: Jack Neo (2005)
A gripping narrative about three Singaporean ex-convicts and the immense difficulties they faced in trying to lead a regular life after prison.One more chance is a gripping portrayal of the discrimination and difficulties that three ex-convicts faced when they tried to start life afresh after prison. The narration of the uphill struggle the trio faced is heart-wrenching but the film retains the trademark Singaporean humor and gives a unique local perspective on the theme of redemption after prison.