Best of First Take 2011

The Best of First Take
Sunday 18 December 2011, 5-9pm
Session 1: 5-6:30pm / Session 2: 7:30-9pm / Prize Giving: 9-9:30pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission:  Entry by donation (no minimum amount)
This is an InHouse event 

Supported by the Singapore Film Commission.

See the line-up below:

1. I MAKE T-SHIRTS / STEPHANIE BOUSLEY / 10 MIN / 2010 / PG

Rick Shamus writes (what he thinks are) hilarious t-shirts.

Stephanie is in her final year of Masters of coursework at NYU School of the Arts Asia. She likes making funny, weird, low budget films.

2. SUMMER AND ITS RAIN / JOSHUA SIMON / 10 MIN / 2010 / PG

In a world that has lost its colour, a young woman uses music to restore vibrancy to her life.

Joshua recently graduated from the Film, Sound and Video course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. His film, 25th of Laura, was a finalist at the 2010 Singapore International Film Festival.

3. TRIO DEKIL (TRIO) / GHAZI ALQUDCY / 40 MIN / 2010 / PG

Three boys try to escape poverty by heading to the city to form a band. The journey of them being discovered leaves their mother all alone at home.

Trio Dekil was produced as part of the director’s objective while participating in the Jatiwangi Artists in Residence Festival (JARF 2010). The director conducted a scriptwriting workshop with the educators and acting workshop with the elementary school theater club. With the script from the educator, he works with the fifteen kids to produce the film that was inspired from an open source street song.

Ghazi Alqudcy enjoys telling stories through digital film. His works vary in its approach – from fictional narratives, to documentaries, to experimental projects. Thematically, Ghazi has touched on issues of sexuality, spirituality, and death.

During his free time, he loves to indulge himself in a slumber party with his friends and that is how he usually gets inspired. Currently his motto is, ‘ Buy less t-shirts and do more films’.

4. MOVIE STAR – SLEEQ / PHILIP TAN / 4 MIN / 2010 / G

This MTV is a collaboration with local Hip-Hop/R&B duo SleeQ. It’s an attempt to use concert style lighting technologies, to suit a cinematic visual style that features the glamour that is Moviestar.

Philip Tan is currently undertaking a Bachelors’ in Fine Arts at Nanyang Technological University, part of the Digital Filmmaking program at the School of Art, Design and Media. As a cinematographer, he has embarked on various short film projects which have received various local and international screenings. Being a visual storyteller with a passion for lighting, he believes that he can contribute to the growing visual culture in this very young country of Singapore, hoping to highlight scenes with a Singaporean aesthetic.

5. EPIPHANY / HAN XUEMEI / 23 MIN / 2010 / PG

On a particular morning, three vulnerable individuals unknowingly cross paths and play a part in changing one another’s destinies.

Xuemei has directed and produced many short films. She edited television trailers for many of Channel 8′s programmes during her internship at Mediacorp. Some of the projects she has worked on include the TrueHearts Charity Show commissioned by the Community Chest, and National Day Parade. She is currently a freelance editor.

6. SKATE / MUHD AFIQ BIN SA’DON / 13 MIN / 2010 / PG

About a rival group of skaters taking part in a competition and the desire to be champions.

Muhammad Afiq is a recent graduate from ITE Choa Chu Kang and plans to further his studies in Audio Visual Technology at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Skate is his first film.

7. COMPLACENCY / TING SZU KIONG / 8 MIN / 2011 / PG

Complacency is a black-and-white short silent comedy that tells of a man searching around Singapore for an answer to satisfaction in life for his unhappy wife. It is shot with simply an iPhone and a minimal budget.

Szu Kiong, a self-trained filmmaker, has contributed to a variety of Singaporean independent films. His works, supported by the Singapore Film Commission, include My Keys (comedy/fantasy), The Triumph  (film noir) and The Forest Spirits (fantasy/wuxia). This time, without any funding, he uses an iPhone to create Complacency (silent comedy) which is in the tradition of the hilarious Charlie Chaplin’s silent films.

8. AN UNCONVENTIONAL LOVE STORY / DANIEL YAM / 11 MIN / 2010 / PG

Nicole believes in destiny. One day, she bumps into the guy she has been thinking about for many years.

Daniel was from the pioneer batch of Film Sound Video graduates at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He founded The Creative Room with a former classmate in 2002 and began working on TV programmes and corporate/marketing videos. He was the cinematographer for short films such as Super Dong which was screened at Cannes Film Festival 2007 Director’s Fortnight and 23rd Interfilm Short Film Festival 2007, as well as Madam Chan which was in competition at the Singapore International Film Festival.

9. YOURS TRULY / KEVIN CHAN / 12 MIN / 2010 / PG

Through serendipity, Rachel, a bubbly florist, meets and falls in love with Chris, an introverted photographer. However, Rachel soon discovers she has an eye disease that requires a cornea transplant. In a twisted act of fate, Rachel, who was involved in a near-accident, receives a pair of corneas from the person who saved her. But upon regaining her sight, Rachel soon reaizes that she has lost more than she actually gained.

Kevin Chan began his career as a promotions producer in Singapore, where he won several awards, including a Promax World Gold in 2007. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema and subsequently obtained his Master in Film & Television at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) School of Film and Television in Melbourne. Yours Truly is his graduation thesis film.

10. MI FA SO / PAMELA LOH / 11 MIN / 2011 / PG

A blind girl finds an unexpected creative outlet through the piano.

Pamela Loh is a student from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, taking her diploma in Film, Sound and Video.