New Cinematic Initiative ‘Contemporary Asian Cinema Series’ To Kick Off In Late July 20195 min read
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Singapore Film Society (SFS) and Filmgarde Cineplexes are thrilled to announce a new partnership with the launch of a cinematic initiative titled “The Contemporary Asian Cinema Series (CAC)”.
Buoyed by the rising presence and importance of Asian films in the international scene, the CAC initiative celebrates Asian films in all its diversity. It aims to bring to the local audience critically acclaimed works from emerging and established film directors from countries including South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Japan that will be screened for the first time in Singapore.
Distinct from other film events and screenings in Singapore, the CAC programme is a fixed monthly programme that bridges the professional film industry with film-goers and aficionados. It aims to build film interest and literacy through thoughtfully-curated film screenings paired with audience engagement events, such as talks by film critics, post-screening discussions with filmmakers and cast, and sharing sessions by professionals in the film and film-related industries.
The CAC will kick off in July 2019 with the screening of Clean Up by Korean director Kwon Man-ki. Clean Up is the director’s debut feature and graduation film from the Korean Academy Film Arts, and had won the New Currents Award at the 2018 Busan International Film Festival. Audience will be able to engage in a live Skype interview with Kwon after the screening.
Another highlight of the CAC is Korean director Jeong Hee-jae’s debut feature, A Haunting Hitchhike, which had won the Special Jury Prize at the 2018 Eurasia International Film Festival.
Screening also for the first time in Singapore under the CAC umbrella is Three Husbands by Fruit Chan. A stalwart of Hong Kong cinema, Chan’s films often reflect and satirise the social and political realities of Hong Kong. Three Husbands is the final instalment of Chan’s of Chan’s Prostitution Trilogy, which uses sex as a means to satirise the state of contemporary Hong Kong. Both Fruit Chan and leading actress for the film Chloe Maayan (otherwise known as Zeng Meihuizi) won Best Director and Best Actress respectively at the 25th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award this year.
Mr Kenneth Tan, Chairman of the SFS, says, “SFS is thrilled that Filmgarde shares our vision of building film literacy, and we’ve chosen together to focus on contemporary Asian films as they are closest to home, yet often not shown in Singapore or not fully appreciated by the wider public. There are so many ways nowadays to watch movie content, but nothing beats or replaces the big-screen experience, curated and presented in a conducive context of appreciation and enjoyment.”
Ms Han Minli, Founder and Director of Filmgarde Cineplexes, says, “Filmgarde is heartened to be collaborating with the Singapore Film Society on this meaningful initiative. By creating more platforms and opportunities in which the audience can access, appreciate, engage with or even critique a wider diversity of films, it is our hope that we can help build a wider audience base that will in time contribute to a more vibrant and sustainable local film industry.”
CAC Upcoming Schedule
| FILM TITLE (ENGLISH) | DATES |
| CLEAN UP Directed by Kwon Man-ki | 26 July 2019 (Fri) 27 July 2019 (Sat) |
| THREE HUSBANDS Directed by Fruit Chan | 30 August 2019 (Fri) 31 August 2019 (Sat) |
| THE PLUTO MOMENT Directed by Zhang Ming | 27 September 2019 (Fri) 28 September 2019 (Sat) |
| JINPA Directed by Pema Tseden | October (Dates TBC) |
| A HAUNTING HITCHHIKE Directed by Jeong Hee-jae | November (Dates TBC) |
General Ticketing Information
Ticket sales for Clean Up will start on 11 July 2019.
General Public: S$13.50
SFS Film Addicts* & Filmgarde Members: S$12.00
(*only for tickets purchased over the counter with presentation of valid membership card)
Tickets are available at Filmgarde Bugis+ box office and Filmgarde online ticketing site.
ABOUT THE SINGAPORE FILM SOCIETY
Having just celebrated its 60th anniversary, the Singapore Film Society (SFS) has collaborated with a wide range of partners from theatrical distribution, diplomatic missions, and academic and cultural institutions to present the best of international cinema in Singapore. SFS is renowned and popular for its leading-edge programming and organizational skills in film festival management and marketing.
Some of our key events include the annual Singapore Chinese Film Festival, European Union Film Festival, Japanese Film Festival, and MINDS Film Festival. The mission statement of the SFS has been to promote film appreciation as art and entertainment, as we hope to bridge the gap between art house cinema and the commercial film industry.
You can learn more about the SFS here >>
You can learn more about SFS memberships here >>
ABOUT FILMGARDE CINEPLEXES
Filmgarde believes that films are an integral part of our cultural fabric as much as they are a popular form of entertainment. Founded in Singapore in 2007, we have since established ourselves as keen supporters of the local film industry and an advocate of film literacy. Bucking labels or conventions to identify ourselves as a commercial cinema or an arthouse theatre, we simply believe that good films should be shared with an audience.
Known for our standards in Cinematic Technology, Filmgarde became the first Cineplex in Asia to be fully-fitted with the next generation format of Immersive Sound in cinema: AuroMax® by Auro Technologies and Barco, and the first in Singapore to launch a Cinema Website, Mobile App and Self-Ticketing Kiosk all on a Bilingual Platform (English and Chinese) for wide accessibility and reach in 2018.
You can learn more about Filmgarde here >>
