First Take – August 2012

First Take
Monday 6 August 2012, 7:30pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: Free
This is an InHouse event

First Take, usually happening every first Monday of the month at The Substation, is a popular screening of new local short films and is followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. A platform for new filmmakers and anyone who is interested in filmmaking to meet, exchange ideas and show their work. See this month’s schedule below:

1. LOST IN PARADISE / N. MOHAMMAD YAHSSIR / 5 MIN / 2011 / PG

Set in the fast paced and changing landscape of the media industry, Matt finds himself tumbling down to the bottom after years of hard work. With so many obstacles, and discouraging comments from his loved ones, he has to listen to the one voice that tells him to follow his dreams.

Yahssir’s short film Checkmate, bagged four awards at the Panasonic Digital Film Fiesta, including Best Film and Most Promising Director. It also won Best Performance for the lead actor, at the Singapore Short Film Awards 2011. Yahssir also won the prize at Project PDA, organised by MDA and OKTO, in collaboration with Hyde Park Entertainment.

2. EMERALD HILL / AUSTEN CHOO / 2 MIN / 2011 / PG

Emerald Hill is about one of the last places in Singapore that is preserved for it’s unique Peranakan influence.

A third-year student doing a Diploma in Creative Writing for TV and New Media at the Singapore Polytechnic. Austen has had work submitted for the First Film Festival (New Paper, Singapore) and the Very Short International Film Festival.

3. TAPE/RECORD / SABRINA LEE / 6 MIN / 2011 / PG

Keri thought she found the perfect life she desired, through the lens of the camcorder. Escaping from her complicated past, Keri is tempted to follow her perfect self to the depths of its pit.

With a background in Theater Arts from LASALLE College of the Arts, Sabrina Lee graduated from video production in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). She has been exploring the aesthetics of experimental filmmaking, and has even won the Best Editing Award under the NAFA short films screening.

4. QI QI / WONG JINGYU / 13 MIN / 2011 / PG

On 31st December 2011, SQ006 met with an accident at Taiwan International Airport. QiQi’s boyfriend, David, was on that plane. Ten Years later, she is still stuck in that moment in time.

Wong Jingyu is an aspiring filmmaker who is currently studying at Nanyang Technological University. She has made several short films and is most intrigued by Taiwan and Hong Kong cinema.

5. KITCHEN / ANGELINA SAW / 3 MIN / 2011 / PG

Kitchen explores the theme of belonging, inheritance, lost art and passion among third generation Singaporeans, with regards to life as a hawker.

Angie’s a third year student in Singapore Polytechnic’s Diploma in Creative Writing for TV and New Media. In 2011, her short film was screened at the Singapore Arts Festival, as well as the Very Short International Film Festival (VSIFF).

6. UNDERWATER / KRISTEN ONG / 4 MIN / 2011 / PG

A wanderer meets a fish trapped in a girl’s body by the water. While he’s intrigued by her, she’s determined to use him to turn back to her true form.

Kristen is a current student in the Film, Sound & Video course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

7. SPYCAT AND THE PAPER CHASE / PEEPING PIGEONS PRODUCTIONS / 6 MIN / 2011 / PG

Spycat hunts down Captain Chico, whose latest scheme involves robbing the world of every paper product there is.

Peeping Pigeons Productions is an artist collective which includes Darren Lim, Fung Chun Hong, Derwin Silamaya Suhali and Soh Yu Xian. Also known as The Peeping Pigeons, the animated short film Spycat and the Paper Chase is their first project together.

8. THE INVISIBLE MONSTER / LAWRENCE ONG / 9 MIN / 2011 / NC16

Time heals all wounds but for Brent and Trish, it’s a different story. Their paths cross in an indescribable event, and together they face their past and fears as their story unfolds. But is time really on their side?

Lawrence graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a film, sound and video diploma in 2003. He had his short, Beam screened at the Short Shorts Film Festival and Japan, in 2011.