SINGAPORE CELEBRATE DRAMA '08 SHORT FILM SCREENING

Over the weekend I attended Celebrate Drama '08 short film screening. For a mere five dollars I was able to sit in a theater for nearly three hours and watch locally produced short films. As I sat watching the films, I was surprised to find the diversity and artistry in locally produced short films. I really never thought that I'd see anything except My Sassy Neighbor or Maggie & Me set in an HDB block.

The first film on the roster was the artistic and lighthearted and fantastical Colours. This short is about a colorblind girl that discovers a set of glasses that corrects her problem, allowing her to see the world with wonder and splendor.



The most clever and original film of the festival was Jacen Tan's Zo Gang (Go Work), a film about a guy going to a boring job but dreaming about all of the exciting films he could be making. If you want to check out a little bit of Singaporean humor, his material is available on YouTube and his website Hosaywood.com

Following this clever film was one of the most tragic films of the festival. Magdalene Tan and Brian Liau starred in Regrets, a heart wrenching 2006 film about a young teenage couple that faces the agonizing question of abortion. Thankfully the couple chooses life, but the ending of the film still manages to leave sorrow on the hearts of the viewers.

Pak and Son Travel was a truly bizarre and almost unexplainable film, a mockumentary about a fictional travel agency celebrating their 20th year in business.

The best satire of the day was The Podfather. This Godfather spoof featured an I-pod selling Don Briyani whose business was threatened by the up-and-coming cell phone market. Unfortunately, the ending falls short and feels incomplete. It felt like I was watching Saturday Night Live and Lorne Michaels hit the commercial button a little early on a really funny sketch.

The second half of the films on the roster were disturbing and meant for mature audiences. Fortunately, I am in Singapore and nothing was too explicit, but I can barely believe that some of these films made it past the Singapore board of censors.

One of the only short films that was actually shown of film (as opposed to an LCD projector) was Kichiro. This blood-bath of a film is a homage to ultra-violent Japanese drama; in fact, most of the dialog is in Japanese. Kichiro is about two disturbed and perverted Japanese youth who go on a stabbing spree in a classroom and are only stopped after being shot by the police.

Two films detailed the dark, gritty side of living in Singapore's HDB flats. Block 46, directed by Ghazi Alqudcy, is short documentary style and tells a fictional story about six people who live in Bedok Ave. 3, Block 46 and commit suicide on the same day. My Blue Heaven tells the story of an abusive father and how the son is affected by the father's addictions.

One noteworthy film is Mark Kwan's Scenes from a Breakup, a realistic story about a couple that decided to move on from their relationship.

I've left a few of the films out of the summary, but these are the ones that will stick with me. I can't wait to see more Singaporean films, and it is my aspiration that some day my students will be contributing to Singapore's local film scene.