Rare glimpse into Singapore

For this very reason and to commemorate the fact that Singapore has stepped into its 50th year while also celebrating the 50th anniversary of the India-Singapore relations, the Singapore High Commission along with the Directorate of Film Festivals, India inaugurated the Singapore film festival at the Siri Fort auditorium on Thursday.

The ceremonial lighting of the lamp by the High Commissioner of Singapore, Lim Thuan Kuan set the three-day event into motion. “People will be surprised to know that the film industry of <g data-gr-id="46">Singapore,</g> though developing, has started making an impression on the international scale in the last few years. 

I would like to thank you all for the opportunity to present these films made by the immensely talented directors, in front of you” he said. He also added that these films would bring a great sense of understanding between India and Singapore and make the ties even stronger.

The festival titled, ‘Stories from the Heartland’ as pointed out by one of the directors Sun Koh, deals with the stories, which offer a glimpse into the daily lives, the culture as well as the history of Singapore. “As you know, Singapore is a very young state compared to India. So the film industry is also in the developing stage. Through these films, we will show you the stories of the <g data-gr-id="41">middle class</g> families of Singapore.” The heartland referred to in the title of the film festival is a very important term to Singaporeans. It signifies the neighbourhood or towns where people live, gather and play.” she explained.

After the opening ceremony, the doors to Singaporean culture were opened before the audience with the screening of the 99 minutes film <g data-gr-id="52">Ilo</g> Ilo. The film takes an intimate look into the lives of a middle-class Singaporean family in the 1990’s. With the mother heavily pregnant and the financial pressure beginning to form cracks in her vision of a perfect family life, the family decides to hire a maid from the Philippines to look after their young son. Set against the backdrop of the ‘97 Asian financial crisis, the movie showcased how a middle- class family had to struggle to make all ends meet, with the father falling victim to downsizing, which forces the family into an uncertain situation. 

Amidst all these problems, the maid <g data-gr-id="50">Teresa,</g> begins to form a strong bond with the mischievous yet lonely boy. This relationship forms the basic crux of the story which is masterfully depicted by the director, Anthony Chen. After the film, Sun Koh discussed the topic of Immigration, Multiculturalism in Singapore cinema after which the floor was opened for audiences’ questions.

The next two days will also be jam-packed with events such as the screening of two short films The Outing directed by Jow Zhi Wei and Singapore Panda followed by a production talk and an interaction with the director of the latter film, Sun Koh. 

These two films will be followed by the screening of the film 881, also followed by a discussion comparing 881 and Indian musical films. This will take place on Friday. The last day of the film festival is on Sunday and will start with the screening of a <g data-gr-id="36">ten minute</g> short film titled Katong Fugue, directed by Boo Junfeng followed by a master-class on the same. The last film of the festival will be 12 Storeys, a comedy followed by a panel discussion with Sun Koh, Boo Junfeng and Jow Zhi Wei about the future of contemporary Singapore cinema.