With the help of incubators like Scape’s National Youth Film Awards and the flux of international film festivals opening up their entries to applicants all over the world, the Singapore filmmaking scene has been filled with fresh perspectives.
Driven by culture, identity, emotions and beyond, this young generation of filmmakers continuously pushes the medium in the art of cinematic storytelling – shedding light on narratives that are unique to this little red dot. Below, FEMALE talks to four new-gen filmmakers, who have had their films screened internationally recently, on a new age of Singapore filmmaking.
Film director Kathleen Bu maps out her life story with cinema. Like pages of a diary, each of her films embodies a moment in her lived experiences – masterfully reflecting her emotions and state of mind through characters within fictitious settings. Fear is intrinsic within the Singaporean youth when it comes to chasing unconventional dreams. Fixating on this emotion, Bu conjured the psycho-thriller short You Will See to encapsulate her own struggles with her own pursuit of her filmmaking dreams. The film follows Gwyn, a young photographer who was given a supernatural camera by her mentor. An obsession with an old man’s physique then ensues and she stalks her subject to shocking ends. The work premiered at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) 2022 in July and is now available for rent at theprojector.sg.
What spurred your interest in filmmaking?
“It was kind of an accident. My dream before I attended film school was always to be an actress or a journalist. I ended up taking a degree in filmmaking instead. In my first year, I didn’t really care about artistic intention. It was all about the grades for me. Sure, I had grown up on Studio Ghibli & Wes Anderson films, but I still hadn’t watched anything life-changing at that point. It was not until my second year, that I discovered Asian Cinema. I recall watching films with the likes of Hirokazu Kore-eda, Park Chan-wook, and of course, Bong Joon Ho. It’s difficult to describe, but in that year it kind of just clicked for me that this is what I want to do. Storytelling is a way for me to express and heal myself at the same time.”
What kind of new perspective do you seek to bring to the local film scene?
“Whatever perspective I bring to the local scene is usually not intentional. My films, like You Will See (pictured), are born out of the stories of my life, containing struggle, joy, sadness – all the little moments. They are like diaries for my subconscious. The only thing I hope my films will do is to inspire others with my small belief in life.”
What/who are your key inspirations?
“I’m a huge Haruki Murakami fan. One of my life goals is to collect his entire bibliography. I’m one-quarter way through (although it keeps growing, this man writes fast). What I love about his work is the ability to tell a story simply, yet with so much complexity and beauty. I read his books so much that sometimes I find it difficult to digest other authors’ writing styles.
Other than Murakami, I’m an avid fan of Bong Joon Ho (Mother, 2009) and Xavier Dolan’s (Laurence Anyways, 2012) films. They have incredibly distinctive styles and a genius handle on character archetypes and plots. The first few films I watched as a film student were mostly Korean thrillers by Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook. Most recently, I feel that my style has skewed back towards my first love of the psycho-thriller genre.”
What are you working on next?
“I’m currently working on a film about adolescence, sexuality and sexual assault. Its working title is Bleeding Milk. It will contain elements of drama, horror and thriller.”
What do you hope to do differently from your filmmaking predecessors here?
“I hope to keep my optimism. Filmmaking in Singapore is terribly difficult and it visibly weighs down on my seniors in the industry. Some are even cynical that our industry can be sustained in the long run. But I still have hope. I do wish that the difference between my generation and our predecessors will be that we treat each other with kindness and make smart decisions for our industry’s well-being.”
The younger generation is often credited for eschewing conventions and the establishment. Do you think this is true of your craft?
“I’m not sure about that. It depends on how you see it. I don’t actively seek to break conventions. To me, I don’t really think about what’s in trend or what’s a good film to make for a certain target audience. Stories are universal and if told well, it doesn’t matter. I guess what I’m trying to say is whether breaking or chasing convention – it’s not my first priority. The story is always king! But my producers will say otherwise…”
What do you intend the audience to feel after watching You Will See?
“You Will See (pictured) was an amalgamation of the innate fear of my art. In the film, my dream is embodied as a monster camera, a literal interpretation of my fears. To dream is a double-edged sword; many stories always push for a positive outlook on passion but not many stories reveal the amount of effort and self-doubt you have to push through. Singaporean media has almost always portrayed chasing your dream as something entirely positive. While I agree with that (to have a dream is incredibly beautiful), I do feel that this film will touch deeper parts of the audience’s hearts. If love is light then fear is its shadow. I do not wish to bring a solution to this fear, but rather an encouragement that many others are walking with you on this path to achieve your dreams. At least, that’s what gets me through. Every time I finish a film, it’s like my entire soul has been drained, and yet I still come back for more.”
Your work has received attention overseas. What are some of the feedback about your work from foreign audiences that is memorable for you?
“There wasn’t so much feedback. However, simply knowing that total strangers would want to watch your film and ask you questions about it makes me so happy. A lot of films in Singapore never see the light of day or are seen by very few people. So I think we hold those few people very closely and tightly. You Will See travelled to BIFAN in July this year. It was such a great experience, especially meeting other filmmakers who shared the same dream and love for film as me. Having the chance to be there itself was a big achievement for me and hopefully a sign of more to come.”
Complete this sentence: The Singapore filmmaking scene is…
“A firework waiting to be lit.”
Screenwriter and director He Shuming’s debut film Ajoomma tells the tale of a Korean drama-obsessed widow from Singapore – played by veteran actress Hong Huifang – who travels to Korea in search of purpose and ends up meeting a melange of captivating characters within the country. Supported by IMDA’s New Director grant, the Singapore-South Korea co-production was screened at Busan’s International Film Festival and selected as Singapore’s official entry to the 95th Academy Awards in 2023. The feel-good picture is now available for booking in Golden Village’s cinemas here.
What spurred your interest in filmmaking?
“When I was 15 or so, I was introduced to the music of Bjork, and she appeared in Lars Von Trier’s Dancer In The Dark. I had to watch it and when the film ended I was left with this feeling of devastation. I think the idea that a film could spark such an emotion in me I’ve never felt before, and that this was a form of cinema that seemed so new to me. I looked up film schools I could go to. I wanted to get on film sets and a friend introduced me to Boo Junfeng. He got me working as a prop assistant on Katong Fugue, a short film he was making. Through that, I got to work on Royston Tan’s 881 and these two gentlemen became lifelong friends and mentors.”
What kind of new perspective do you seek to bring to the local film scene?
“I think there is so much that is untapped in the local film scene. There are filmmakers before us who have paved the way and new filmmakers with incredibly diverse and personal voices who I hope our audience can be more curious and open about. I hope Ajoomma (pictured) gives new perspectives on how you can tell a Singaporean story beyond our shores, and how Singaporean stories can be very universal.”
What/who are your key inspirations?
“Filmmakers like Ann Hui and Pedro Almodovar are some of my cinematic inspirations; (I admire) the way they start from the female perspective in their works and remain steadfast in having a personal voice in their bodies of work.”
What are you working on next?
“I would like to revisit a few projects that I’ve been developing. I would also love to do a musical film.”
What do you hope to do differently from your filmmaking predecessors here?
“I want to continue doing the work they’ve done. Being a filmmaker in Singapore often means working around several limitations to get our works made. Making a film can be an arduous process, and I had opportunities that they may not have had. I hope I can continue to widen the door as they did for me.”
The younger generation is often credited for eschewing conventions and the establishment. Do you think this is true of your craft?
“Cinema is a powerful tool that can challenge our worldviews, evoke emotions that we may not be able to articulate and teach us empathy. The younger generation is born at a time when access to information is infinite and there is a paradox of choices when it comes to their viewing experience. Maybe it’s not so much about eschewing conventions but questioning them in a world that is constantly evolving.”
What do you intend the audience to feel after watching Ajoomma?
“I hope the audience can feel the sincerity and love we’ve put into the film (pictured). I also hope that they would feel and empathise with the characters of the film, think about the relationships we have with our parents and/or children, and that life can be full of beautiful surprises.”
Your work has received attention overseas. What are some of the feedback about your work from foreign audiences that is memorable for you?
“An audience abroad once came up to me after the screening and said she thought the director was perhaps female and Korean because of the way the main character and locales were depicted. I thought that was the best compliment I could ever receive.”
Complete this sentence: The Singapore filmmaking scene is…
“A lot more than you think.”
London-based creative multi-hyphenate Bart Seng is a visual artist, fiction writer and curator. His medium-transcending approach is grounded by themes from his own personal life – like self-fetishisation, fantasia, ambition, human connection and failures. Part of the prestigious Dazed x Circa’s Class of 2021, Seng’s film Prayer For A Lonely Ornament was shown on the world’s largest public screens in Piccadilly Circus, as well as in Tokyo and Seoul. The work was also chosen as one of famed photographer Nick Knight’s picks for his ShowStudio short film critique series earlier this year. The film follows a subject adorned in black, veneered fetishwear as it sits upon a Lazy Susan – a commonplace fixture in Chinese restaurants. As the subject’s sculpture-like form is suspended in a seemingly endless rotation, Chen Yi-Wen’s poetry (translated and read by Audrey Tang) plays like a mantra, creating a soundscape that feeds into the film’s contemplative tone.
What spurred your interest in filmmaking?
“The film Goodfellas. I watched a censored-for-Singapore DVD of it when I was 15 and it really blew my mind. As if mainlining adrenaline and magic, it opened my eyes and ears to what you can do to your audience with just sound and vision, and a magic trick called montage.”
What kind of new perspective do you seek to bring to the local film scene?
“To be unapologetic about perversity and to fall in love with binary perspectives again – only because they are all false dichotomies.”
What/who are your key inspirations?
“My favourite filmmakers, and constant sources of inspiration, are Jafar Panahi, Lee Chang Dong, Ruben Ostlund, Joachim Trier and Edward Yang. On top of that, I am also inspired by the constant poetry of life – its grief and beauty included.”
What are you working on next?
“After finishing my last video work Mommy, I’ve been more focused on writing fiction. Recently, I’m working on translating them into films. One is called Queer Cinema (you can read this one through Sticky Fingers Publishing) and another is called Gimp Theory. I’m also making a small art book about ‘gimphood’ (I’m coining this term), which I hope will be really fun and unhinged.”
What do you hope to do differently from your filmmaking predecessors here?
“It’s hard for me to think of Singaporeans filmmakers before as a unified, singular entity because they are actually all quite different from each other. Because of that, I don’t necessarily as doing anything different from others before me. I just hope that I am doing something that is sincere and I strive to reach my personal artistic ambitions and nothing more.”
The younger generation is often credited for eschewing conventions and the establishment. Do you think this is true of your craft?
“I think it’s true for me, and a big part of it is out of necessity – the way I work has to make sense to me in practical ways. For example, I usually don’t have a lot of resources to run a set to the standards of Hollywood, which is something I think Singaporean film students are drilled to follow. And because of that, my sets are always quite small and I like to take on as many roles as possible (because of a lack of resources and because it makes it easier to execute your own vision as much as you can).
Besides that, I need to work in a way that is as stress-free as possible, and that might mean I have to shoot in a very unconventional way or work with others in weird ways. I know people in production who thrive in extremely stressful, toxic, environments and I really don’t appreciate that. The older I get, the more I surrender to the flow and take things more lightly. I have also found that I want to explain myself less because I am so bad with words and language and interpersonal relationships that it will only cause problems, but it’s very ironic because I also need people to trust in my intuitions and my vision.”
What do you intend the audience to feel after watching Prayer For A Lonely Ornament?
“It’s the second act of a longer film actually. It comes after a largely satirical, salacious and discomfiting sequence, and I had hoped this second act conveys a movement from chaos to peace. I hope it represents a prayer for transformation, stillness and openness towards sorrow. I also hope audiences feel weird about what they are seeing on screen, like actively and uncomfortably questioning why is there this really strange black figure with an impermeable yellow membrane over its face rotating round and round, against a soundtrack that is so light like it’s trying to escape from you, while a soothing poem (recited here by Taiwan’s digital minister) is playing over it.
Your work has received attention overseas. What are some of the feedback about your work from foreign audiences that is memorable for you?
“When Nick Knight said, ‘I got no idea where this filmmaker is going, what they want to achieve with this, but they see that this film can only be shot in the only way it matters, and it was one of the films that stuck with me and stayed with me because of the vision of it…’ and went on explaining in detail everything I intended for my film to be and to do. For once in my artistic endeavours, I felt truly seen.”
Complete this sentence: The Singapore filmmaking scene is…
“Actually so diverse, underrated and full of surprises.”
The medium of animation is stereotypically associated with child-like narratives. Young animated film director and artist Calleen Koh seeks to break that convention. Her films always veer towards social discourse – the most recent one, To Kill The Birds & The Bees, explores Singapore’s varying attitudes and knowledge on the subject of sex across different generations. Satirical and provocative, Koh’s symbolism-rife work has earned her a nomination for the Yugo BAFTA Student Awards and was screened at Stuttgart Trickfilm International Animated Film Festival, Anima: Brussels Animation Film Festival and more.
What spurred your interest in filmmaking?
“My love for watching films in the first place! Every time I watch a film, it transcends me into a new space to vicariously walk in the character’s shoes, to feel what they feel. This magic of film and the sensations it can bring to you made me really interested in making my own films from a young age! Through films, you are also able to learn more deeply about the world through the perspective of the filmmaker, whether it is fictional, documentary or even fantasy.”
What kind of new perspective do you seek to bring to the local film scene?
“I hope to bring more attention towards the medium of animation in filmmaking here! I feel like animation has always been in the backseat when people talk about films especially in Singapore, as animation tends to have either a childish reputation or is just associated with anime, but there is so much more to the medium.
Unlike live-action which relies on a lot of sourcing for tangible resources and locations, all animation starts out with nothingness, just the imagination of the creator and a blank canvas. This freedom allows us to explore much more and to be able to get away with a lot of things that could be considered controversial if shot in live action. With my current line of films, I feel that I managed to find that sweet spot between controversial and acceptable by exploring highly stylised visual styles in the art direction of my animations and portraying darker imagery with a cutesy style.”
What/who are your key inspirations?
“My biggest inspiration of all time is the muppet series on YouTube called Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared! I absolutely love the approach of satirising muppet-styled educational shows for children to express darker and more mature themes (something she explores in To Kill The Birds & The Bees, pictured). Furthermore, it is extremely engaging even to a general audience – something that I find quite rare in a lot of indie projects which are usually more catered to slow-burn arthouse fanatics. Every time I feel like I’m stuck creating something, I always rewatch the series to remind myself what I admire it for and how I can learn from it!”
What are you working on next?
“I have a fun new short film coming up, called Hot Buns! It is set to premiere on Projector Plus on Dec 29 as part of Scape’s National Youth Film Awards Film Facilitation Programme. The film is set in a surreal world made up of butts and hands and satirises our obsession with moral outrage and feel-good narratives in the media. We actually have a fundraiser for the film’s post-production right now here. This is to support our team to finish up the last leg of the film such as sound design, music, film festival submissions and more.”
What do you hope to do differently from your filmmaking predecessors here?
“I hope to make fun works that appeal to a general audience while still retaining their individual artistic voice. I get a general sense that many animation films here tend to either go extremely arthouse indie style or to go the commercially appealing route, but I believe there are ways to marry the two, and I always want to find that in-between of that spectrum with my films.
I believe there are merits to both approaches of filmmaking, neither one is superior to the other, and yet, both sides of the coin rarely seem to meet in the middle here. I believe it is important to have both qualities, just like Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared. A method I like to use to see if my film is going the right way is to show the work-in-progress to two very different demographics: someone in the industry and someone at home. That way, I can understand the opinions from both sides of the spectrum and see what decisions to make that will best deliver what I hope for.”
The younger generation is often credited for eschewing conventions and the establishment. Do you think this is true of your craft?
“Yes, I do believe so. I’ve always been told by audiences that they’ve never seen something like my film before which I find very motivating to continue experimenting with new forms of storytelling. I always try to push the boundaries either through experimenting with style or finding new structures and formats to tell a unique story.
In To Kill The Birds & The Bees (pictured), for example, I told the story of the individual characters by separating them into three different mini-stories, through the lens of the different media they consume or repel, and wrapped all their stories together at the end. Inspired by the circular narrative structure of Pulp Fiction, I chose to do it this way to emphasise the individuality of each of the character’s perspectives. A more traditional approach to this story would’ve just been to intercut into each story throughout the film but I thought that wouldn’t make an exciting or as shocking a film.
What do you intend the audience to feel after watching To Kill The Birds & The Bees?
“I want them to laugh, and then to feel uncomfortable, or laugh uncomfortably! I purposefully structured the story in a manner that made sure the audiences feel a certain kind of disturbance by the end of the film. I wanted to lull the audience in with its shocking humour at the start, but wrap all that comedy up with a sense of realism at the end, making them uncomfortable. I feel this emotional rollercoaster structure is important for the message of the film to be heard, and is grounded in the reality of the issue it is trying to address regarding sex education in Singapore.”
Your work has received attention overseas. What are some of the feedback about your work from foreign audiences that is memorable for you?
“During a screening in Germany, some audience members came up to me to say that despite my film being Singaporean, it depicted the exact same thing that’s happening in Germany! It was surprising to me because I had expected Europeans to be a lot more liberal than us.”
Complete this sentence: The Singapore filmmaking scene is…
“Growing! I am really excited about all the up-and-coming projects that have been brewing in Singapore. I feel that in recent years, more and more filmmakers here in Singapore have been creating more awesome, bold, and heartfelt works – many of which are local but also have global appeal. I hope that with this growing filmmaking landscape here, there will be more support for the local industry so we can all continue to tell our stories and make a name for Singaporean filmmaking on a global level in a sustainable way.”
