Wednesday 16 May 2012

MASKARA GEYLANG SHORT FILMS

Steal This Poster


MASKARA GEYLANG SHORT FILMS
8pm. 26 May 2012, Rumah Pena, Kuala Lumpur
Free Entrance

1. KITCHEN QUARTET
Nicole Midori Woodford | Mandarin & English | 21 mins | Singapore

2. HOTEL 66 (CURATOR'S PICK)Anthony Chen | Chinese Dialect (Cantonese) | 15 mins | Singapore & United Kingdom

3. MASALA MAMA
Michael Kam | Tamil, Hokkien & English | 9 mins | Singapore

4. PROMISES IN DECEMBER
Elgin Ho | English, Mandarin & Bahasa Indonesia | 17 mins | Singapore

5. NATIONAL DAY He Shuming | Mandarin, Chinese Dialect (Hainanese) & English | 19 mins | Singapore

6. PLATFORM 1932
Nawwar Syahirah | English | 23 mins | Singapore

7. CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM (BANI IBRAHIM)
Raihan Harun | English | 15mins | Australia & Singapore


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Kitchen Quartet

1. KITCHEN QUARTET
Nicole Midori Woodford | Mandarin & English | 21 mins | Singapore


Food inexplicably intertwines two families in which a son and a daughter struggle to gain acceptance from their respective parents

~~~ Notable Screening (Selected) ~~~
Singapore Panorama Short, Singapore International Film Festival 2010

~~~Director's Bio~~~
Nicole Midori Woodford graduated from Nanyang Technological University (NTU)’s, School of Art, Design & Media.

Nicole who is of Eurasian descent, reflects her love for photography and music which beautifully captures parallel narratives and the spaces in-between.





Hotel 66

2. HOTEL 66 (CURATOR'S PICK)Anthony Chen | Chinese Dialect (Cantonese) | 15 mins | Singapore & United Kingdom



Set within the backdrop of London’s Chinatown, HOTEL 66 relates the uncanny rendezvous of two emotionally displaced workers: an innocent female security guard and a sleek-looking male sex worker. Trapped in their shared environment, through opportune encounters, they find solace in each other amidst their amoral surroundings.

~~~ Notable Screenings (Selected) ~~~
Official Selection, Singapore Short Cuts 2010
Official Selection, Melbourne International Film Festival 2010, Australia
Official Selection, CinemaJove International Film Festival Valencia 2010, SpainOfficial Selection, Huesca International Film Festival 2010, Spain
Official Selection, Shanghai International Film Festival 2010, China
Official Selection, Rushes Soho Shorts Film Festival 2010, UK

~~~ Director's Bio ~~~
Anthony Chen graduated with a Diploma in Film & Media Studies from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. His graduation film, G-23, screened at festivals worldwide and won awards in Europe and Asia. His sophomore short, AH MA (GRANDMA), was nominated for the Palme d’Or for Short Film at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, and secured a Special Mention, the first time a Singaporean was awarded in Cannes. Haze, his third short film, was nominated for the Golden Bear for Short Film at Berlin.

Collectively, his films have screened at numerous festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam, Pusan, London, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Sydney, Montreal, Melbourne, Chicago and Hawaii.

Most notably in 2009, Anthony was accorded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore, one of the most prestigious accolades for the arts in Singapore. He believes in making films that reveal, reflect and explore universal truths about the human condition.

Anthony recently completed his Masters at National Film & Television School, London with a scholarship from Media Development Authority (MDA).

Anthony is married and hopes to pursue a career in the UK while developing projects in Asia.



Masala Mama

3. MASALA MAMA
Michael Kam | Tamil, Hokkien & English | 9 mins | Singapore



A Chinese boy steals a comic magazine from a ‘mama’ store (traditional convenience store run by an Indian uncle). The gentle ‘mama’ confronts him, but finds out that he is the son of a poor a ‘garung kuni’ (rag & bone) man who loves to draw. Pitying him the effeminate ‘mama’ encourages the boy and gives him more magazines becoming a super-hero in the eyes of the boy.

~~~ Notable Screenings (Selected) ~~~
Official Selection - Generation KPlus Programme (Children's Film Section), Berlin Film Festival 2010
Arte-Short Film Award, Hamburg International Short Film Festival 2010
Official Selection - Singapore Panorama Shorts, Singapore International Film Festival 2010

~~~ Director's Bio ~~~
Michael Kam holds a Bachelor in Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Upon graduation he took up a Post-Graduate Diploma in Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film & Media Studies where he is currently a full-time lecturer. Prior to his academic appointment he was in marketing and promotions at Shaw Organisation.

Michael himself was a regular patron of a ‘mama’ shop in his neighbourhood in the 1970s. The film was based largely on his own childhood experiences. MASALA MAMA is Michael's fourth short film.

Michael is married with two children.




Promises in December

4. PROMISES IN DECEMBER
Elgin Ho | English, Mandarin & Bahasa Indonesia | 17 mins | Singapore



PROMISES IN DECEMBER surrounds two (2) main characters from different backgrounds- an Indonesian domestic helper and a Singaporean taxi driver.

Individually from different backgrounds, they share similar expectations through their struggle, searching for ideals of life in Singapore. One December day, their lives interweave abruptly, revealing the sacrifices they each must face.

Supported by Singapore Film Commission (SFC)

~~~ Notable Screenings & Awards (Selected) ~~~
Best film – Singapore Short Film Competition, Singapore International Film Festival 2010
Best Director- Singapore Short Film Competition, Singapore International Film Festival 2010

~~~Director's Bio~~~
Elgin Ho was born in Hong Kong during the 80s while the country’s cinema industry was booming. He got greatly inspired by the countless movies his parents brought him to watch every weekend. Little did he know that the magical connection experienced, would very much influence him in the way he now crafts his stories.

Elgin’s family relocated to Singapore I 1990. He has since become a Singapore citizen. His previous short films have made appearances in film festivals all over the world, including cities such as Pusan, Auckland, Toronto, Rome and Croatia receiving numerous awards.

Elgin recently graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Digital Filmmaking) from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).





National Day

5. NATIONAL DAY He Shuming | Mandarin, Chinese Dialect (Hainanese) & English | 19 mins | Singapore



Wei has finally collected enough National Day Parade tickets for the whole family. But, National Day happens to fall on the 7th day after his father’s sudden death. The family gives up the Parade to observe a traditional Chinese custom – waiting for the father’s soul to return home for the last time before its final journey into the afterlife.

~~~ Notable Screenings (Selected) ~~~
Official Selection, Jakarta International Film Festival 2010
Asian Cultural Cinema Symposium 2011, Singapore

~~~ Director's Bio ~~~
He Shuming recently graduated from The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of The Arts, majoring in Film Directing.

Shuming's strength lies in narrative drama and he manages to often capture the essence of ordinary Singapore households in his stories.

Shuming has also done art direction for Boo Junfeng (TANJONG RHU) and Royston Tan (881 & ANNIVERSARY).

He has to date written and directed four short (4) films. NATIONAL DAY is his third short film. He will soon be releasing his latest short LABOUR DAY (2010).


Platform 1932

6. PLATFORM 1932
Nawwar Syahirah | English | 23 mins | Singapore



Once grand, the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station now fades away in the eyes of Singaporean society. But, it remains significant to a ‘community’ of diverse individuals, linked by a shared desire to preserve their own ways of life in this shared space between Singapore and Malaysia. Also, without the existence of the station, each of their life stories would be incomplete.

Platform 1932 unravels the issues of time and progression, pride and acceptance, modernization and legacy through the medley of individual stories. These interwoven memories tell how the station has managed to survive modernization, and more critically, continue to play an understated role in the relationship between two countries.

~~~ Director's Bio ~~~
Nawwar Syahirah is a Singaporean who graduated from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) with a degree in Bachelor of Communications (Hons)

Syahirah is married and currently works at PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency as a Senior Communications Officer.



Children of Abraham

7. CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM (BANI IBRAHIM)
Raihan Harun | English | 15mins | Australia & Singapore




A Palestine Muslim doctor is confronted with the choice on whether he should save the life of his brother who plans to carry out a suicide bombing.

~~~ Notable Screening & Award (Selected) ~~~
Best Fiction, Singapore Short Film Awards 2011

~~~ Director's Bio ~~~
Raihan graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts, Australia. The film was for his final year thesis film. Also, he holds a Diploma in Film, Sound and Video from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Raihan often writes write things that scare and terrify him rather than happy things as he is one who believes in “turning demons into cherries”.

He is also known for a horror film of his, named “Pontianak”.