I was in Macau recently to give a workshop and while I was there, they also screened Singapore GaGa and Moving House. This was an an invitation by CUT, the Macau Film Society. It was my first time in Macau, and I am surprised by how much I liked it. The people, my kind hosts had much to do with it. I expected Macau to be a mini Hong Kong. It is, sort of, but so different, more homey, more laid back. More pictures soon!

This poster pamplet is designed by Lorence Chen, Japanese design inspired he told me. He also designed the other screening posters for CUT, see their website

A blogger’s review of the screening (Traditional Chinese)

When I was recuperating from Singapore GaGa, I went to hang with my friend Aileen Li in Taipei, my favourite Asian city. She was also recuperating from her film (Formula 17, Producer). One afternoon, we went to hang in a cafe called Norwegian Wood (named after the Murakami novel, not the song) in a back lane near Taiwan National University. In there we met another recuperating director Robin Lee (Shoe Fairy). What was the filmmaker-in-state-of-repose Robin doing? She was bent over a pile of serialised comic books pleasurably gobbling them up. She had been there the whole day. She reminded me of how, when I completed Rogers Park, I spent three weeks doing nothing but reading A Suitable Boy (A fat book, small words, not particularly good, but I read it all because I could). Anyway, I thought of her when I was traipsing in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Here, I stumbled upon the best 2nd hand English bookstore in this hemisphere, Back Street Books. It stocks everything from the full list of Rushdie, Harry Potter, Ian Fleming, Murakami (of course), books on philosophy, even Han Su Yin. These are books left over from maruding backpackers. What did I buy? A volume of The Fall of the Roman Empire and a book of essays by Jonathan Frazen about the death of the novel. Its nice to read about other people’s problems for a change.

Elephant rides are also recommended

Invisible City opened on 19 July and ended on 19 August. We sold out screenings. Thank you everyone, the crew, the people featured, the publicity and marketing team, the supporters, the press, the bloggers, my family, my friends. Thank you. Thank you.
What my life now without you?

Eric Lim directed a documentary about Chek Jawa that will screen at this year’s Asian Film Symposium, the flagship film event of the Substation. 10 Sept, Picturehouse. The documentary focuses on the work of a group of passionate people who  document the bio diversity of this small patch on Pulau Ubin, and how this work was used to advocate the area’s preservation. Official film site here
Also showing at the Asian Film Symposium is Tan Chui Mui’s Love Conquers All, it is the opening film.

A quote from a presentation given by Slawomir Idziak (Kieslowski’s DP: Blue, Black Hawk Down, Harry Potter 5) at the Berlinale Talent Campus:

“Why are people in film schools not joining together to build a group under the name of Rolling Stones, or Beatles and making the picture and forgetting about ego? Forgetting about something which is very often their enemy.

When the four musicians meet each other, they sit and play music. With filmmakers meet the first time they start to compete who is the better. This is the difference. Our ego, which is very well developed to the education system, the entire system, doesn’t let us to play music with the other.”

A transcription of his talk here

A Malaysian film company set up by filmmakers, Dahuang Pictures

Sunday 12 August, 9pm, Arts Central, part of the other National Day Celebrations.

I wasn’t watching this on TV that night but according to this blogger who did, some bits of the Singapore GaGa telecast were omitted, when the tissue seller Ms Liang sang her “Jesus is Great” song in Hokkien dialect and our ensuing conversation after, and when the clog stomping juggler was recounting his experience of police brutality. Its not entirely obvious to me why these bits and not others were excised. But it gives you an idea of what is considered ‘sensitive’ in Singapore. In hindsight, I wish I had factored in my contract that I be consulted as to what be cut out. But I really I should be glad that they did not to cut out the National Day Parade segment since it was shown over the the Parade weekend! That would be tragic. Small victories.

Great news. Invisible City has been accepted to International Premiere at Pusan International Film Festival in October. Last year, PIFF provided finanicial support for Invisible City based on a 3 min trailer and a treatment. Now they are presenting the completed film to the world so this is a homecoming for them and for me.
Opus blogs about Pusan 06

For myself, international festivals are an opportunity to test Invisible City, to see if its internal scaffolding can traverse cultures, if this work that was made for a Singapore audience can survive and thrive out there, and if it does, in what form.

The screenings in the past two weeks have been sold out. Due overwhelming response, and new shows are added on Fri, 10 August 9pm, Sat, 11 August 3pm. If you plan to watch Invisible City, call ahead to reserve your tickets 63326919. This is the last week, book now! Thank you for your support.

Some of you are asking how/where to watch this 3 min movie since the press keep mentioning it. Well Lurve me Now can be viewed here at Northwestern Unversity’s website. I made it in 1998 after I met Barbie for the first time up close and personal in Chicago’s FAO Schwatz (high class Toys R Us). I did a bit of research and found out deliciously that this popular Mattel toy was allegedly modelled after a German sex doll. I decided to take this double entendre to its natural conclusion.

At last night’s screening of Invisible City, I met Aunty Mary my ex-landlady and Alex Abishaganaden (yes, he is Jacinta’s Dad) who appears in Singapore GaGa accompanying Yew Hong Chow. Anyway Aunty Mary said that she was there at the “10/26″ incident, the incident accounted by Han Tan Juan. She was from Nan Chiau herself but her parents forbade her to participate in the school sit in. Despite the home ban, she and a couple of friends stole into Chung Cheng one night in 1956 to hang with the renegades, that she remembers clearly.

A video blog set up by current Chung Cheng students who interview their alumni (in chinese). Some parts are unintentionally hilarious