ciNE65 Mentor credit

It was an honour when the folks at NEXUS invited me to be a mentor for the 3rd edition of ciNE65 early in 2014. I was previously invited to be one of the judges for its past 2 editions. It is awesome to observe the programme grow since its inception in 2012.

Filmmaking is about collaboration. Another most important aspect of telling stories is to be able to inspire one another and grow personally from the shared experience. I am drawn into the project because the project promotes storytelling from the eyes of the Singaporean - to explore and express the Singapore Identity by sharing what Singapore means to us through film.There are so many stories to tell. These stories will be an important document to relate ourselves in the years to come.

Here is the final product done by the team.

UTTER 2014

I am so honoured to be selected as one of the filmmakers for this initiative.  This is the first time I have adapted a book into film. I see this exercise more of re-interpreting the original text with respect rather than a direct visual translation of the written material. I had the privilege to consult the author himself, Muhammad Salihin, for my film re-interpretation of his work prior to the shoot.

The premiere screenings took place on 30 July, 3+6 August at GV Vivocity. The second wave of screenings is ongoing at The Arts House, 1-6 September. For more details and updates on future screenings, kindly visit Sinema.

UTTER is a special Singapore Writers Festival initiative, which showcases the best of Singapore writing and celebrates its potential to be adapted into different media and across languages, giving audiences fresh perspectives and a deeper understanding of our homegrown authors. Utter 2014 will feature four short films inspired by Singaporean short stories in our national languages.

* Directors and writers will be present for a post-screening discussion.

* Each ticket comes with a complimentary Utter 2014 book featuring behind-the-scenes content, original screenplays and film storyboards.

FEATURING

Title: Tin Kosong (Empty Cans)
Rating: PG
Duration: 14 minutes
Genre: Drama
Director: Sanif Olek
Written by: Mohammad Zulfadli Bin Mohd Rashid
Language: Malay with English subtitles
Cast: Khalid Babu, Michael Chua, Aminah Ahmad
Inspired by: Tin Kosong by Muhammad Salihin Sulaiman

Title: Hui Jia (Going Home)
Rating: PG
Duration: 10 mins
Genre: Drama
Director: Kenny Tan
Written by: Kenny Tan, Asa Lee
Language: Mandarin and some Chinese (Hokkien) dialect with English subtitles
Cast: Steven Woon, Michael Tan, Bernard Tan
Inspired by: Hui Jia by Lin Jin

Title: Un Vasalil (At Your Doorstep)
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Duration: 11 minutes
Genre: Drama
Director: Don Aravind
Written by: Wesley Leon Aroozoo
Language: Tamil with English subtitles
Cast: Sithira Thevi D/O Sinnathamby Selvalingam, S. Siva Kuma, Prasakthi D/O Allagoo
Inspired by: Mukadukal by Kamaladevi Aravindhan

Title: That Loving Feeling
Rating: PG
Duration: 12 minutes
Genre: Romance
Directed: Wee Li Lin
Written by: Teh Su Ching, Wee Li Lin
Language: English with English subtitles
Cast: Glory Ngim, Neo Swee Lin, Kamil Haque
Inspired by: Homecoming by Gopal Baratham