First Take – November 2009

Monday 2 November, 8pm

The Substation Theatre

Free admission, donations welcome.

Sponsored by KODAK.

November’s First Take brings you more new shorts from Singapore! Featuring stories from an account transfer gone wrong, a triad bloodbath, an accidental vigilante in Singapore and more. Join us for another exciting screening, as well as a Q & A session with the filmmakers at The Substation Theatre this month. You can also vote for your favourite short, all of which will lead to our Best of First Take, coming soon!

1. CASHLESS/ DEREK AND MELINDA TAN/ 34 MIN/ 2009/ PG

CASHLESS revolves around a man’s reckless pursuit of his misplaced cash after he mistakenly transfers an important sum of money meant for his mother into the wrong ATM account. When time and money are at stake, how far must he go before he finally finds himself? Starring Danny Jow, and featuring music by local bands The Lilac Saints and RustyNailz.

A three day crash course on “how to use the camcorder” back in secondary school started Derek on his journey in filmmaking. Melinda is a Psychology graduate who enjoys the creative and collaborative process of filmmaking. Derek and Melinda are currently working with nuSTUDIOS Film Productions in producing short films.

2. SELF PORTRAIT/ ER KIA HUI/ 6 MIN/ 2007/ PG

A portrait – how do we complete a portrait?

KIAHUI is a filmmaker who previously trained in painting. Inspired by her mentor, her interest in film grew and she went on to pursue a degree in digital filmmaking. She is keen to find out how she can infuse elements of painting in filmmaking and hopes to investigate human struggles to cope with the changing relationship, their roles and their identity.

3. THE TRIUMPH/ TING SZU KIONG/ 7 MIN/ 2009/ PG

A simple village girl works as a singer in a Chinese teahouse frequented by gangsters. In this short film that sets in the 1950s, her simple background is in stark contrast to her devious achievement in getting rid of gangsters who she despises. By killing the gangsters at the right moment by just a strike of a chord, she kills all of them and gets possession of their Buddha pendants, their lucky charms, and thereby triumphs over them. Does she still have room for love? The audience is free to interpret for themselves by analyzing the last few shots.

Ting Szu Kiong is one of the most prolific self-trained filmmakers in Singapore. His first short film, MY KEYS, was nominated for Best Short Film in Asian Festival of First Films. His second, MICHELLE, was selected for screenings under Asian Film Symposium. THE TRIUMPH is his third. He is now preparing for his fourth, THE FOREST SPIRITS.

4. BRIGHT/ ALEXA CARAVIA/ 10 MIN/ 2009/ PG

A charming tale about love and imagination, BRIGHT tells the story of Abby, an inquisitive 9-year-old from a remote fishing village, who is gifted with a visual impairment that enriches her vivid imagination. She is lured to Singapore by her inventive father, under the pretense that her pet whale, Atari, has headed there. When Abby discovers her father’s real intentions for their trip, and her reality is threatened by the dissolution of her fantasy, she discovers that seeing the world in different shades is the greatest part of the journey.

Alexa Caravia graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Magazine Journalism from the University of Florida in 2003. Her first short film, IN LIMBO, received the Honourable Mention for Artistic Short Film at the Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archive Film and Video Awards. She is currently pursuing an MFA at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts-Asia.

4. MANU SAVES THE DAY/ SHAWN LEE MILLER/ 9 MIN/ 2009/ PG

Roaming the shopping centres in Singapore, foreign worker Manu chances upon a suspicious character with an even more suspicious bag. Instinct leads him to take the bag by force and report it to authorities. What follows are a series of comedic, almost tragic events.

Shawn has been working in the industry since 2003 as an Assistant Director and more recently, director. In 2008, he set up birdmandog to create his own content. MANU SAVES THE DAY is only his second short film since his award-winning CELL 118.