Sinema.SG

Guided by Hong Huifang’s powerhouse performance, ‘Ajoomma’ is a poignant reminder that loneliness can take shape in our lives but does not need to define us.

Written by Teo Jia Hui, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Ajoomma' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: He Shuming Cast: Hong Huifang, Kang Hyoung-suk, Jung Dong-hwan, Yeo Jin-gu Year: 2022 Country: Singapore, Korea Language: Mandarin, Korean, English Runtime: 90 minutes Trailer: Written by Teo Jia Hui If you’ve been feeling under the weather and are looking for cat...

Taiwanese New Wave filmmaker Tsai Ming Liang’s 2003 minimalist epic ‘Goodbye, Dragon Inn’ emphasises the impending cultural loss incurred when a theatre shuts.

The film was screened at Perspectives Film Festival 2022.

Written by Deepagcharan, this review is published as part of *SCAPE's Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Goodbye Dragon Inn' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Tsai Ming-Liang Cast: Kang-sheng Lee, Shiang-chyi Chen, Kiyonobu Mitamura Year: 2003 Country: Taiwan Language: Chinese (Mandarin) Runtime: 82 minutes Trailer: Written by Deepagcharan Tsai Ming Liang’s Goodbye, Dragon Inn is an inventive piece of work; a true ode t...

Delivering a thoughtful message about identity and grief mixed with stylised visuals and immersive sound, Miryam Charles’ ‘Cette maison’ is an understated, meditative drama-fantasy that engages the senses but whose story may confuse the mind.

Written by Goh Kai En, this review is published as part of *SCAPE's Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Cette maison' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Miryam Charles Cast: Eve Duranceau, Nadine Jean, Schelby Jean-Baptiste Year: 2022 Country: Canada Language: Haitian, French Runtime: 75 minutes Trailer: Written by Goh Kai En Cette maison is an understated, meditative drama-fantasy that, while an impressive st...

Winner of Best Sound Design at this year’s National Youth Film Awards, animated short ‘The Last Stop’ is a wonderfully bizarre breath of animated fresh air. Director Bervyn Chua takes us on a ride through the making of this punchy short, his animation journey, and the things 'Crazy Rich Asians’ got right.

Written by Tan Mei Qi, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Interview: Bervyn Chua, animator and director of National Youth Film Awards Winner, ‘The Last Stop’ - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 6 minutes Written by Tan Mei Qi Imagine your usual agonisingly slow commute on the MRT, but on steroids. A business-as-usual journey becomes a botched rollercoaster nightmare in The Last Stop, winner of Best Sound Design at this year’s National Youth Film Awards (NYFA).  About a lon...

Chock full of wicked humour and the classic twist and turns of neo-noir, ‘Have A Nice Day’ is a poignantly animated portrait of urban China.

Written by Tan Mei Qi, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Have A Nice Day' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Liu Jian Cast: Yang Siming, Cao Kou, Ma Xiaofeng, Zhu Changlong, Cao Kai, Zheng Yi Year: 2017 Country: China Language: Mandarin Runtime: 75 minutes Trailer: Written by Tan Mei Qi If Pulp Fiction, Bojack Horseman and In The Mood For Love came together and had a baby,...

Cited as one of the primary influences on Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, ‘Ikarie XB-1’ provided the tonal template for all gritty sci-fi to come with its pertinent social commentary and exquisitely bleak design.

'Ikarie XB-1' was screened as part of the Perspectives Film Festival 2022.

Written by Heng Wei Li, this article is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Ikarie XB-1' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Jindřich Polák. Cast: Zdeněk Štěpánek, Radovan Lukavský, Dana Medřická, František Smolík, Jiří Vršťala, Otto Lackovič Year: 1963 Country: Czechoslovakia Language: Czech Runtime: 86 minutes Trailer: Written by Heng Wei Li Ikarie XB-1’s reputation ce...

Balancing entertainment with thought-provoking themes, ‘Chup: Revenge of an Artist’ questions the responsibilities of powerful cinema critics and whether art can even be truly judged.

Written by Deepesh Vasudev, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Chup: Revenge of the Artist' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: R. Balki Cast: Sameer Avhad, Amitabh Bachchan, Pooja Bhatt Year: 2022 Country: India Language: Hindi Runtime: 135 minutes Trailer: Written by Deepesh Vasudev I knew I had to criticise this film because the film was criticising me.  While I don’t consider myself t...

Shedding light on a lesser-seen perspective of organised crime, stellar performances and cinematography elevate the otherwise sluggish coming-of-age Italian drama.

Written by Teo Jia Hui, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'A Chiara' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Jonas Carpignano Cast: Swamy Rotolo, Pio Amato, Leonardo Bevilacqua, Koudous Seihon Year: 2021 Country: Italy Language: Italian Runtime: 121 minutes Trailer: Written by Teo Jia Hui The trailer caught my eye but the movie caused me to turn my eye away. There is...

Ambitious, irreverent, and surprisingly expulsive, the Palme d’Or winner is a satirical exploration of beauty, wealth, and class on board a luxury cruise ship

Written by Goh Yu Ke, this article is produced as part of the Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme, organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from the Singapore Film Society and Sinema.

Film Review: 'Triangle of Sadness' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Ruben Östlund Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly De Leon, Woody Harrelson Year: 2022 Country: Sweden Language: English Runtime: 140 minutes Trailer: Written by Goh Yu Ke Well, if there’s a satirical thought that Ruben Östlund has ever had, it’s coming...

Masaaki Yuasa’s latest reimagines 14th Century Noh theatre as a spectacular space opera packed with jaw-dropping visuals and a riotous soundtrack.

Written by Elisabeth Fong, this is produced as part of the Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme, organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from the Singapore Film Society and Sinema.

Film Review: 'Inu-Oh' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Masaaki Yuasa Cast: Avu-chan, Mirai Moriyama, Tasuku Emoto Year: 2021 Country: Japan Language: Japanese Runtime: 98 minutes Film Trailer: Written by Elisabeth Fong History became way more interesting once I realised it’s a medley of big and small stories. Wars no ...

Home Movie Day is a global event dedicated to the celebration of amateur and small-gauge filmmaking. Writer Sasha Han chats with Matthew Yang and Wan Fong about organising Home Movie Day Singapore, the first-ever iteration of the event on our shores, the consolidation of Super 8 filmmaking from the 1960s to the present and the expansive communal network they tapped into to realise their vision.

This article is produced as part of the Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme, organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from the Singapore Film Society and Sinema.

Communal Projections for Home Movie Networks in Singapore - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 7 minutes Written by Sasha Han Four projectors operate simultaneously. Two showcase the home movies of Singapore’s locals and its expat community; the other pair serve as companion machines, one half projecting digitised supported films for the event, the other running its original S...

The spiritual sequel to Dario Argento’s cult classic ‘Suspiria’, ‘Inferno’ ropes audiences along on its wonderfully demented descent into half-remembered nightmares.

Written by Ivan Chin, this article is produced as part of the Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme, organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from the Singapore Film Society and Sinema.

Film Review: 'Inferno' (1980) - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Dario Argento Cast: Leigh McCloskey, Irene Miracle, Eleonora Giorgi Year: 1980 Country: Italy Language: English Runtime: 107 minutes Trailer: Written by Ivan Chin Part of Dario Argento’s Three Mothers trilogy, Inferno is the spiritual sequel to Suspiria, which is ...

The crown jewel of 2009's box-office, ‘Avatar’ has an indisputable place in cinematic history. But how does it fare 13 years down the road, and will it be able to keep its place in the shifting tides of the future of film?

Written by Tan Mei Qi, this article is produced as part of the Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme, organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from the Singapore Film Society and Sinema.

Avatar: Timeless 3D Classic, Or Short-Lived Cinematic Fad? - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 6 minutes Written by Tan Mei Qi My only memory of Avatar is a comment I came upon while trawling YouTube – “a basic sum of this movie is that a guy betrays his entire planet just so he can clap some alien cheeks.” Thinking that this couldn’t be my only memory of the (now-second...

Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung star in this often-overlooked gem emblematic of the playful absurdity of 1990s Hong Kong cinema.

Written by Deepagcharan, this review is published as part of *SCAPE's Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: ‘Heroic Trio (1993)’ - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Johnnie To Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung, Damian Lau, Anthony Wong, James Pak, Yam Sai-koon, Paul Chun Year: 1993 Country: Hong Kong Language: Cantonese Runtime: 87 minutes Trailer: Written by: Deepagcharan Known for iconic gangster films such as Ele...

Ismail Basbeth works a quiet magic with his meditative film. A spiritual foray into the forest, ‘Another Trip To The Moon’ is a fresh interpretation of Indonesian folklore.

Written by Ivan Chin, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Another Trip To The Moon' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Ismail Basbeth Cast: Tara Basro, Ratu Anandita, Cornelio Sunny Year: 2015 Country: Indonesia Runtime: 80 minutes Film Trailer: Written by Ivan Chin Inspired by Indonesian folklore, Another Trip to the Moon explores a ritualistic and intimate life in the forest, in h...

Deeply philosophical and highly entertaining, Tiong Bahru Social Club is an understated black comedy whose charm lies in what it doesn’t say, rather than what it does.

Written by Goh Kai En, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by *SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Tiong Bahru Social Club' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Tan Bee Thiam Cast: Thomas Pang, Goh Guat Kian, Jalyn Han, Noorlinah Mohamed, Jo Tan Year: 2020 Country: Singapore Language: English, Mandarin, Tamil, Malay, Cantonese Runtime: 88 minutes Film Trailer: Written by Goh Kai En Deeply philosophical and highly ente...

A Finnish gem in the 2022 Sundance Film Festival lineup, 'Girl Picture' is a joyous and chaotic coming-of-age exploration of love, sexuality, and femininity amid the last years of one’s teenage life.

Written by Goh Yu Ke, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Girl Picture' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Alli Haapasalo Cast: Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, Linnea Leino, Mikko Kauppila, Amos Brotherus Year: 2022 Country: Finland Language: Finnish Runtime: 100 minutes Trailer: Written by Goh Yu Ke What’s better than one love story? Two love stories, of course! Wi...

A feast for the eyes, ‘Jimami Tofu’ delights with its sentimental tale of long-lost love and the pursuit of culinary perfection.

Written by Goh Kai En, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme. The programme is organised by SCAPE and The Filmic Eye, with support from Singapore Film Society and Sinema.SG.

Film Review: 'Jimami Tofu' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Jason Chan, Christian Lee Cast: Jason Chan, Mari Yamamoto, Rino Nakasone, Masane Tsukayama, Christian Lee Year: 2018 Country: Singapore, Japan Language: English, Japanese Runtime: 121 minutes Trailer: Being a film student is tough, but it doesn’t come without its ...

We all know Thai films are famous for their horror genre but have you watched a Thai tragedy-dark comedy? Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s '6ixtynin9' follows unfortunate coincidences after another set against the financial crisis in Thailand with gags, the horrors of greed, the underworld and capitalism.

'6ixtynin9' was screened as part of RECIPROCAL 2022, Asian Film Archive (AFA)’s annual collaborative film programme that spotlights the archival collections of AFA and a partnering archive.

Written by Hazel Sim, this review is published as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme

Film Review: '6ixtynin9' (1999) - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Pen-ek Ratanaruang Cast: Lalita Panyopas, Sirisin Siripornsmathikul, Prompop Lee, Surapong Mekpongsathorn, Black Phomtong Year: 1999 Country: Thailand Language: Thai Runtime: 111 minutes Trailer: Written by Hazel Sim What’s worse than getting the wrong things deli...

Charlotte Lim’s ‘My Daughter’ is an unflinchingly raw look at the continuous cycle of trauma set in the backdrop of the downtrodden areas of Malacca, with Chua Thien See and Fooi Mun Lai acting as a mother and daughter that have to deal with their own and each other’s dysfunction.

Written by Heng Wei Li, this review is published as part of *SCAPE's Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme

‘My Daughter’ was screened as part of RECIPROCAL 2022, Asian Film Archive (AFA)’s annual collaborative film programme that spotlights the archival collections of AFA and a partnering archive.

Film Review: 'My Daughter' (2009) - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Charlotte Lim Cast: Chua Thien See, Fooi Mun Lai, Cheong Hoe Chee, Wen Haur Lam, Eng Kew Kee Year: 2009 Country: Malaysia  Language: Mandarin Runtime: 76 minutes Written by Heng Wei Li Charlotte Lim’s My Daughter is one of a myriad of films that emerged during th...

The campy yet immensely witty film paints an intimate portrait of loneliness and alienation amidst cityscapes of tangerine neon and drab, grey concrete, and missed connections.

‘Ho Yuk’ was screened by the Asian Film Archive on 30 July 2022.

Written by Tan Mei QI, this review is published as part of *SCAPE's Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme.

Film Review: 'Ho Yuk (Let's Love Hong Kong)' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 4 minutes Director: Yau Ching Cast:  Wong Chung-Ching, Erica Lam, Colette Koo, Maria Cordero, Ricardo Mamood Year: 2002 Country: Hong Kong Language: Cantonese, English, Mandarin Runtime: 82 minutes Trailer: Written by: Tan Mei Qi What do le****ns and giraffes have in common? Perhaps n...

Congratulations to all National Youth Film Awards nominees!

Winners for this year’s NYFA will be announced at the NYFA Awards Ceremony 2022 held at *SCAPE on 19 August. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on *SCAPE’s social media platform on Facebook.

The *SCAPE National Youth Film Awards 2022 Names Their Full List of Nominees - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 2 minutes The 8th National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) has revealed its full list of nominees from the Open Youth and Student categories. A total of 60 films have been shortlisted, with this year’s edition receiving a total of 321 submissions. Check out the full list of nominees here: h...

Though many have a vague awareness of the Long March, few are privy to the suffering endured by the soldiers, especially the 2000 girls who were robbed of their lives at a tender age. By the end of the march, only 10 girl soldiers remained. Through interviews with the aged survivors, Ng Khee Jin's documentary immortalises their courage and determination in the face of extreme conditions and grotesque violence.

The DVD for 'Feet Unbound' is available for purchase via Objectifs - Centre for Photography and Film: https://www.objectifs.com.sg/product/feet-unbound/

Penned by Ivan Chin, this review is published as part of *SCAPE's "Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme"

Film Review: 'Feet Unbound' - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 3 minutes Director: Ng Khee Jin Year: 2006 Country: China Language: Chinese Runtime: 107 minutes Trailer: Written by: Ivan Chin I don’t usually watch documentaries, but was keen on this as it explored a lesser-known side of history. Other films about China’s history are about the C...

Extended!!

🚨 DEADLINE EXTENSION 🚨

Good news! The deadline for Momo Distribution Grant has been extended to 30 June 2022. Make sure to get it in soon 😌

🔗 The application can be found in here: https://www.momofilm.co/initiatives/momo-grant

Nurain Kili Tan's deliciously scary short film Pusaka will be screening once more on 27 March as part of our Taiwan Golden Harvest Awards and National Youth Film Awards Showcase! Pusaka was the 2nd runner-up at Scream Asia 2019 as well as a nominee at the National Youth Film Awards 2020. Grab a ticket to catch it at: https://ghnyfa2022s2.peatix.com

PUSAKA (trailer)

In case you missed it last time, we'll be screening Tan Siyou's lovely short film Hello Ahma on 27 March! Having made its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival 2019, Hello Ahma was also in competition at Berlinale 2020 and a nominee at the National Youth Film Awards 2020.

It will be part of a second run of our Taiwan Golden Harvest Awards and National Youth Film Awards Showcase, featuring seven other excellent films. Catch the trailer below, and then grab a seat for the showcase at: https://ghnyfa2022s2.peatix.com

Hello Ahma (Trailer) WORLD PREMIERE: Toronto International Film Festival 2019 EUROPEAN PREMIERE: Berlinale 2020 (Generation Kplus) In competition at: AFI FEST, Hainan International…

When it comes to conversations about the nature of truth and its moral corollaries, few Iranian auteurs have parallelled Asghar Farhadi’s trenchant portraits.

Farhadi’s newest feature film, ‘A Hero’, exemplifies his sleight of hand at dismantling the fallible human subjectivities between complex familial relationships and at broaching the perpetual question of power and agency in his character’s social scaffolding.

'A Hero' is now showing in Oldham Theaters from 21 January to 26 February 2022. Grab your tickets to two upcoming screenings on Sunday, 6 February 2022 and Wednesday, 9 February 2022 from the Asian Film Archive.

Analysis: Deconstructing When and Where the Truth Lies — Truth and Agency in Asghar Farhadi’s ‘A Hero’ - Sinema.SG Reading Time: 5 minutes When it comes to conversations about the nature of truth and its moral corollaries, few Iranian auteurs have parallelled Asghar Farhadi’s trenchant portraits. Farhadi’s newest feature film, A Hero, exemplifies his sleight of hand at dismantling the fallible human subjecti...