Fresh reels from the next generation of filmmakers in Singapore
Held in conjunction with the Objectifs x Momo Film Co Short Film Incubator
Chapel Gallery, Objectifs
21 to 24 Aug 2024
Ticket prices (per screening programme)
Concession ticket (student) – $5 (please note that ID may be verified at the door)
General ticket – $8
Held in conjunction with the Objectifs x Momo Film Co Short Film Incubator, FreshTake! is a short film programme featuring works by current students from Singapore, or were graduates (between Jan 2023 to Apr 2024) who had completed their films while enrolled as a full-time student. Presenting a range of films dealing with topics such as growing pains, familial entanglements, and voices from the margin, FreshTake! uncovers varied perspectives from the next generation of filmmakers in Singapore.
Programmes I, II, and III will each be accompanied by a post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.
This year, FreshTake! will also include a Special Programme – Up/Down Singapore Hill: Un-Mapping Our Perspectives of the Region on Screen. This screening is one of the culminating outcomes of the 2024 Objectifs x Asian Film Archive Film Programmers’ Lab, and was programmed by Daryl Cheong and Jolie Fan.
Click here to find out more information about the Special Programme- Up/Down Singapore Hill: Un-Mapping Our Perspectives of the Region on Screen.
Overall Screening Schedule
I. Around the Bend (Wed 21 Aug, 7.30pm – 8.30pm | Programme rating: NC16 – Some coarse language)
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II. Familial Grounds (Thu 22 Aug, 7.30pm – 9pm | Programme rating: NC16 – Some coarse language)
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III. From Margin to Centre (Fri 23 Aug, 7.30pm – 9pm | Programme rating: R21 – Homosexual theme)
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IV. Special Programme – Up/Down Singapore Hill: Un-Mapping Our Perspectives of the Region on Screen (Sat 24 Aug, 4.30pm – 6.30pm | Programme rating: M18 – Mature content)
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Find out more information about Programmes I, II, and III below.
I. AROUND THE BEND | 21 AUG 2024, 7.30 to 8.30PM (Programme rating: NC16 – Some coarse language)
Constantly teetering on the cusp of discovery and knowledge, the adolescent period is often marked by transformative experiences centred on friendship, school life, and young love. Allow yourself to re-live the universal emotions engendered by these experiences through this lineup of short films that looks at what it means to be young, and what it is like to grow up.
Please note: Falling: A Three-Act Story has been rated R21 – Homosexual theme. The rest of the programme has received an NC16 – Coarse language rating. We will only admit audience members below 21 years of age during a 5-minute intermission after the screening of Falling: A Three-Act Story. Audience members are reminded to still arrive at least 10 minutes earlier before the start of the screening for registration purposes.
Falling: A Three-Act Story by Joshua Tan Yong Jun / Hwa Chong International School / R21 - homosexual theme / 4 mins / 2023
Narrated mostly through an introspective soliloquy, protagonist Olive journeys through crushes, dating, falling in love, and breaking up in Falling: A Three-Act Story.
Dream Machine by Lim Hui Ern Elizabeth / LASALLE College of the Arts / 2 mins / 2023
Dream Machine is a cynical commentary on the power that educators wield in influencing the direction of their young students’ growth and future. Using symbolic imagery, as well as a non-narrative and musically-driven structure, this animated film illustrates the impact bad teachers can have on students.
Crossroads by Gia Chen / Hwa Chong International School / 2 mins / 2023
Crossroads revolves around the dilemma of growing up as the main character, Marcy, reminisces about her life thus far and laments her fear of moving away for college.
It's Been A While by Rishi Varma Thampuran / School of The Arts / 8 mins / 2023
Two childhood friends, Lyra and Vi, who experienced a gradual rift in their relationship as they grew up, reunite at a party several years later.
Fate by Beh Xiao Min Shermeen / LASALLE College of the Arts / 2 mins / 2023
A romantic lover nurtures an innocent girl and brings her palpable happiness and contentment, making her blossom. However, after they get married during a beautiful tea ceremony, everything changes.
Passing Through by Misha Ghosh / School of The Arts / 7 mins / 2023
Saheer finds the lingering past as he goes about his day.
II. FAMILIAL GROUNDS | 22 AUG 2024, 7.30 TO 9PM (Programme rating: NC16 – Some coarse language)
Expanding and interrogating the notions of family, belonging, and community, this lineup consists of various thoughtful explorations that delve into the formative connections we have with memories and the relationships we develop with people around us.
10-0 by Jean-Pierre Pillay / LASALLE College of the Arts / 13 mins / 2023
10-0 delves into the fleeting nature of life and the importance of family, seen through the perspective of Esther, an embalmer who seems to have it all. When a dead woman she embalms comes alive, pleading to relay her last words to her daughter, Esther helps by recording her message. The realization that she could do something profound in her life renders her busy in her work life, making her unavailable to her family. In the end, she grapples with the consequences of such a choice and embalms one of them.
Ebb and Flow by Teo Wenxuan Nicole / Singapore Polytechnic / 6 mins / 2023
60-year-old Mdm Urifah tries to keep her village, Kampung Cabut Duri, afloat after strong floods threaten to destroy the milkfish deboning community she started 30 years ago. Determined to find ways to expand her trade and instill new hope into the hearts of the next generation, she embarks on an emotional journey of finding new and innovative solutions to save her village’s identity.
Like Mother, Like Daughter by Ng Yun Shuang Valere / LASALLE College of the Arts / 8 mins / 2023
Like Mother, Like Daughter explores the complex interplay of mother-daughter relationships across two generations. Through parallel storylines, we delve into the intertwined paths of a grandmother, mother, and daughter, each navigating their own unique struggles and victories. With the filmmaker intimately involved in the narrative, we embark on a journey to deepen understanding between mother and daughter as strained relations prompt a closer examination of the ancestral bond. Unpacking the intricate layers of the maternal lineage sheds light on the challenges and rewards of familial connection.
Working On It by Antonia Charlotte Winn / NTU ADM / 7 mins / 2023
This film follows the stories of several people’s youths and how they’ve processed and perceived their childhoods, exploring how they relate to each other and how they’ve affected them as present-day adults.
How Long is Now (瞬) by Soo Yu Neng / NTU ADM / 25 mins / 2023
After the Singapore-Malaysia border reopened, marking two years into the post-pandemic era, Ky, a Malaysian employed in Singapore, finds the opportunity to return to his hometown in Penang at last, thanks to the assistance of Ah Lim, a private car hire. As the journey unfolds, Ky’s personal challenges gradually surface. Unexpectedly, Ah Lim emerges as the catalyst for a profound transformation in Ky’s outlook on life.
M.U.R.B.Y by Jonyl Tan & Arcilla Meghan Setyabudi / LASALLE College of the Arts / 9 mins / 2023
In a world where dogs consume feathers to become powerful wolves, Rob, a lonesome dog, steals a bag of rare feathers 一 The M.U.R.B.Y feathers 一 in order to achieve his dreams of becoming the most magnificent wolf.
However, after losing all of his M.U.R.B.Y feathers to a strong gust of wind, he falls deep into the trenches of the swamps but finds something unexpected that’s about to take him on a journey of moral dilemmas and maybe even befriending an unlikely companion along the way.
III. FROM MARGIN TO CENTRE | 23 AUG 2024, 7.30PM to 9PM (Programme rating: R21 – Homosexual theme)
Turning the lens on individuals who exist along certain peripheries, this lineup of 6 well-wrought short films lends them perspective in order to bring their voices front and centre.
The Parade by Ryan Benjamin Lee Meng Kiat / California Institute of the Arts / 6 mins / 2023
In Singapore, politics is often described as a dance: one step forward and two steps back; a city where socio-economic change moves with incremental cautiousness. However, in this animated film, the quiet city-state transforms into a rowdy street parade synthesised by a manic flurry of pop culture, karaoke and colour.
Bridging Our Times by Toh Jia Jun / Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste / 25 mins / 2023
Chi-Lun, 27 years-old, is on the autistic spectrum. He loves taking and watching trains. Studying maps and watching videos of trains and other modes of transport in operation, he is well-versed in the transport routes around Taiwan. The gradual easing of the epidemic in Taiwan allows him to once again go on a train physically. Unable to express himself as he would like, Chi-Lun has to rely on the guidance of his family to make plans for a train trip.
The World I Live In Doesn't Exist by Tan Ker Wei / LASALLE College of the Arts / 15 mins / 2023
The World I Live In Doesn’t Exist is a documentary about depersonalisation and derealisation, a form of dissociation where those afflicted experience sensations of isolation, alienation and unreality as they experience dream-like, out-of-body feelings and sensations, as well as distress and doubt over whether they are real or in control.
Recounted through surreal animation and poignant soundbites, the film follows the anecdotes of Trith, an anonymous individual from France who has battled chronic symptoms for 20 years, leaving him feeling ‘non-existent’ and ‘like a robot’, and Lamthan, a young Thai art graduate with an artistic interest in identity. Through their anecdotes, the film reveals how these symptoms affected their lives, emotionally and socially, but also challenge our understanding of identity and humanity.
Sacred Cow by Chong Ya Hui / LASALLE College of the Arts / 15 mins / 2024
A cow mysteriously appears in the dormitory, leaving the migrant workers confused. Amidst the events, Murthi, a lorry driver, discovers an uncanny connection between the cow and his best friend, Murugan.
Unlearning, Relearning by Wayne Lim / NTU WKW / 6 mins / 2023
Three queer Singaporean creatives navigate faith, identity, and young adulthood.
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