Sinema Showoff “Return of the Alpha Male”6 min read
Reading Time: 5 minutesSinema Showoff! returns this month with “Return of the Alpha Male”.
“Return of the Alpha Male” is a selection of short films by male filmmakers that spotlights on various male themes. This past year we’ve seen the trend for many film festivals and curated programmes to have ‘female’ themed screeenings, so we thought we balance the equation for the ‘boys’.
This month’s Sinema Showoff! will be on the 27 of July, 7.30pm at Sinema Old School (11B Mount Sophia, B1-12, Singapore 228466). Admission is free!
The session will be moderated by Sharon Lin Tay, Visiting Associate Professor, School of Art Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
All filmmakers will be in attendance for a Q&A and photo taking session.
For more enquiries or interview requests with the directors, feel free to drop me an email at sueanne[at]sinema[dot]sg.
1. MISS A SHOT
Ghazi Alqudcy & Ezzam Rahman | Malay | 8 mins | M18
OFFICIAL SELECTION, PURNAMA 2 – A SCREENING OF SHORT FILMS 2009
OFFICIAL SELECTION, SINGAPORE SHORT CUTS 2009
OFFICIAL SELECTION, SHORT CIRCUIT, SINGAPORE 2008
OFFICIAL SELECTION, SHORT CIRCUIT, LONDON 2009
A true enchanted tale from Woodlands New Town Garden. A transgender strikes up a conversation with a man and they start engaging in coy, flirtatious repartee. Despite the humidity, sparks fly.
Director’s Bio:
Both Ghazi Alqudcy & Ezzam Rahman are childhood friends from Primary School. They have been collaborating, participating and presenting their works in numerous local and international film & art festivals and events.
Ghazi is an undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University’s School of Arts, Design and Media, majoring in Fine Arts and Digital Filmmaking. He has been previously awarded the Goh Chok Tong Scholarship Award and the Temasek Holdings’s Sunburst Scholarship Award.
Ezzam is a speech and drama teacher and has been practising as a multi-disciplinary artist for the past decade. He graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fine Arts. He has also been previously awarded the Georgette Chen Scholarship award by National Art Council (NAC), The NAC Bursary Award And the Lee Foundation Education Grant.
2. IS THERE MONEY IN THIS?
Tan Siang Yu | English | 6 mins | PG
OFFICIAL SELECTION, SINGAPORE SHORT FILM AWARDS 2010
OFFICIAL SELECTION, FIRST TAKE (JULY) 2010
BEST FILM AWARD, 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT SINGAPORE 2009
BEST DIRECTING AWARD, 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT SINGAPORE 2009
Two jobless friends attempt to turn robbers with hilarious consequences.
Director’s Bio:
Trained in Fine Art at The University of Leeds (United Kingdom), Tan Siang Yu teaches Art at Hwa Chong Institution. In his spare time, he loves to paint, do illustration/design work, read, write stories, and make films. He chanced upon filmmaking at Objectifs – Centre for Photography & Filmmaking, and has produced eight short films to date.
3. CONTAINED
Henry Zhuang & Harry Zhuang | Dialogue-less | 5 mins | PG
FINALIST, SINGAPORE SHORT FILM AWARDS, SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2010
OFFICIAL SELECTION, INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL KROK 2010
In this animated film a man sets up his containment on an isolated island with his beloved flower. His obsessive care towards the flower causes it to whither, leading him to despair.
Director’s Bio:
Born in 1982, Henry and Harry Zhuang are twin brothers.
Both Henry and Harry Zhuang are currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Animation at Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media with the assistance of a Media Education Scholarship grant by Media Development Authority (MDA). Contained marks their first independent short film.
4. NATIONAL DAY (CURATOR’S PICK)
He Shuming | Mandarin, Chinese Dialect (Hainanese) & English | 19 mins | PG
OFFICIAL SELECTION, RENCONTRES HENRI LANGLOIS, POITIERS, FRANCE 2009
OFFICIAL SELECTION, PROJECT:SLINGSHORT, LONDON, UK 2010
OFFICIAL SELECTION, SINGAPORE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2009
OFFICIAL SELECTION, SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY (SMU) FILM FESTIVAL 2010
Wei has finally collected enough National Day Parade tickets for the whole family. But National Day happens to fall on the 7th day after his father’s sudden death. The family gives up the Parade to observe a traditional Chinese custom: waiting for the father’s soul to return home for the last time before its final journey into the afterlife.
Director’s Bio:
He Shuming recently graduated from The Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of The Arts, majoring in Film Directing. Shuming’s strength lies in narrative drama and he manages to often capture the essence of ordinary Singapore households in his stories.
He has to date written and directed four short films. ‘National Day’ (2009) is his third short film. He will soon be releasing his latest short ‘Labour Day’ (2010).
5. HENNIE
Ethan Page | Dialogue-less | 4 mins | PG
OFFICIAL SELECTION – SINGAPORE PANORAMA SHORTS, SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2010
OFFICIAL SELECTION, MASKARA SHORTIES 2010, KUALA LUMPUR
Hennie is the story of a waitress, Samantha, who plays a game of cat and mouse on Ben, an American Naval Commander-all with the intention of teaching him a lesson about ‘treating a lady right’.
Director’s Bio:
Ethan Page worked as a Production Manager & writer in New York for eight (8) years. He holds a Bachelor in Arts (Philosophy) from Oberlin College, USA & a Masters in Arts from London Film School. Originally from the USA, Ethan is currently working towards completing his Masters in Film Directing at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia, Singapore.
6. THE NEW WORLD (CURATOR’S PICK)
K. Rajagopal | Tamil | 14 mins | PG
OFFICIAL SELECTION, SINGAPORE SHORT CUTS 2008
OFFICIAL SELECTION – SINGAPORE EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS, EXPERIMENTAL FILM FORUM 2010
The film is a personal story of a young boy’s coming of age in the movie halls of New World, Singapore’s iconic entertainment venue of the 1960s and 1970s.
A father obliges a young boy and takes him to watch movies at New World. The boy is enthralled, growing up on a gamut of film genres in various languages. Oblivious to the real world at times, he is suddenly forced to face the unexpected death of his father.
For many who grew up watching movies at New World, just like the boy in the film, the place remains a memory ““ sweet, bittersweet and sometimes sad.
Director’s Bio:
Raja is an accomplished actor who ventured into filmmaking after a decade in theatre. He won the Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Award consecutively for three years from 1995 to 1997 (a record he still holds). Raja remains busy with television work.
TICKETING.
You may book your tickets online now!
