Sinema Weekly Digest (7 – 13 June)8 min read
Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Sinema Weekly Digest presents a weekly roundup of Asian film news and the latest trailers, releases and events to check out over the weekend!
Top Stories
CJ ENM Teams With Local Filmmakers To Produce Three Singaporean Series For Streaming
In collaboration with Korean media conglomerate CJ ENM and supported by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority, three Singaporean series will be making their to the streaming world.
Produced by Eric Khoo’s Zhao Wei Films, five-parter romance Hungry Ghost details the love between a young chef and a hungry ghost in 1970s Singapore. Produced by Mocha Chai Laboratories, Venus On Mars is a six-part sci-fi romantic comedy about an undergraduate accidentally transported into a parallel world where there are only men. Produced by Akanga Film Asia, directors Yeo Siew Hua and K. Rajagopal will share writing credits with playwright Kaylene Tan on Deep End, a five-part psychological thriller about cyber sex crimes in Asia.
Read more at The Straits Times.
Myanmar Filmmaker Ma Aeint Arrested and Detained by Military Regime
Myanmar filmmaker Ma Aeint disappeared without a trace after being arrested by authorities earlier this month. She was the producer and co-writer of Money Has Four Legs (2020), a satirical film that premiered in Busan last year, following a young filmmaker’s journey to realise his first feature film in Myanmar. She was also a regular participant at co-production and project promotion events intended to boost independent filmmaking in Asia. These included the SEAFIC Open Fair, Ties That Bind, FAMU Summer Filmmaking Initiation Campus and the Locarno Festival’s Open Doors consultancy.
Find out more in Variety’s report.
‘F9’ To Screen at This Year’s Cannes Film Festival
After weeks of teasers, F9 has been revealed as the mystery blockbuster to be screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The arthouse film has scored record earnings at the Chinese box office and is slated to race to theatres here on 24 June 2011.
Events, Festivals and Happenings
Experience The Golden Era of Singapore and Malayan Cinema With SAM Mini Mobile Museum
Slander!, a presentation of multidisciplinary artist Jeremy Sharma’s research into Singapore’s films and popular culture of the 1950s and 1960s, is now open at Woodlands Regional Library till 25 July 2021. Sharma revisits a range of films shot and produced in Singapore from 1958 to 1963, the post-war period between the heyday of Singapore’s film industry and Singapore’s eventual independence.
Slander! is the fourth exhibition of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) Mini Mobile Museum. Following its stop at Woodlands Regional Library, subsequent installments will be presented at the Jurong and Tampines Regional Libraries from 28 July to 12 September, and 15 September to 31 October 2021 respectively.
For full details, visit http://bit.ly/SAMMMM-Slander.
Celebrate Pride Month with Singapore Film Society’s Kopi & Movi #6: Mystery Movie
The Singapore Film Society is back with another edition of Kopi & Movi this Sunday, 13 June! This time around, the watch party will be celebrating pride month with Taiwanese queer drama Your Name Engraved Herein, decided by the society’s Telegram channel. Get updated on the watch party from its Facebook event page.
Learn All About Film Review Writing With Eternality Tan in Introductory Workshop
Have a passion for films and writing? Polish your skills with Eternality Tan, one of Singapore’s most prolific film critics, in a 10-hour introductory workshop. The workshop will take place online every Saturday from 19 June to 17 July 2021 across 5 sessions. Sign up now at https://bit.ly/3v49BIM.
New Trailers
First Trailer Revealed For Wong Kar-Wai’s Upcoming TV Series ‘Blossoms Shanghai’
Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-Wai’s next project Blossoms Shanghai stars Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Kris Wu, and Xin Zhilei. Adapted from Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel Blossoms, the TV series is set in early 1990s Shanghai and follows an enigmatic, self-made millionaire and his journey of reinvention from a young opportunist with a troubled past to the heights of the gilded city.
‘The Year of the Everlasting Storm’ Chronicles The Pandemic Through The Stories of Seven Auteurs
Slated to be screened at the upcoming Cannes film festival, The Year of the Everlasting Storm brings together seven auteurs from around the world, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Singapore’s Anthony Chen, as they meditate on the emotions brought forth by the global pandemic.
‘Shutter’ Director Returns With New Terrifying Supernatural Flick ‘the Medium’
Banjong Pisanthanakun, co-director of horror classic Shutter, returns with upcoming horror film The Medium. Set in the Isan region of Thailand, the film looks to feature shamanic rituals and demonic possession. The film will be haunting Korean theatres in July.
New Releases to Check Out On Streaming
Animated Adaptation of Award-Winning Filipino Comic ‘Trese’ Now Streaming on Netflix
Based on the award-winning Filipino comic of the same name, Trese follows the adventures of the titular detective in modern-day Manila as she investigates criminal cases surrounding the supernatural. Stream the animated series now on Netflix.
Be Inspired by Tales of Courage in ‘The End/Beginning’
Unfolding in two one-hour episodes, the first season of 2011 documentary The End/Beginning details the lives of two inspirational individuals and their exceptional tales of courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. Stream now on Netflix.
Catch a Selection of Asia’s Best Short Films From The Prestigious Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2021
A plethora of Asian short films are now streaming on Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2021’s website from now till 21 June 2021. Check them out on the film festival’s landing page here. Do note that you will have to register for a free account to access the films.
Opening in Theatres This Week
In lieu of the increase in community cases, Sinema.SG would like to remind readers to stay safe and observe social distancing measures if they decide to head to the theatres over the weekend.
Spielberg classic ‘Jaws’ Returns To Golden Village Theatres For One Month Only
Since March 2021 in a joint collaboration, the Singapore Film Society, Golden Village and Park Circus has presented international classic films including Fargo and Casino Royale. This month, they will be featuring Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic Jaws. For one month only, the film will be screening at GV Plaza, VivoCity and Suntec from now till 23 June 2021. SFS Fam members have the privilege of enjoying $5 OFF these screenings and other GV Pictures titles all year round. Tickets are now available for sale on Golden Village’s website.
Rock Out With Bon Jovi in Exclusive Concert Film Part of Encore Nights Concert Series
For two weekends only, be among the first in the world outside of the US to experience a Bon Jovi concert and the electrifying energy they will bring right in the comfort of a cinema. The concert film will screen exclusively in Golden Village theatres for the 10 to 13 June and 18 to 20 June weekends — just in time for Father’s Day. Grab your tickets now here.
Romance Drama ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ Ready To Turn On The Waterworks
Recently premiering in China, Love Will Tear Us Apart has received much positive feedback and rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. The emotionally tender yet heart-wrenching film follows two young lovers, Lu Qinyang and Ling Yiyao, played by Qu Chuxiao and Zhang Jingyi respectively.
Qingyang professed his undying love to Yiyao and promised to marry her one day. But after ten agonising years, Yiyao is getting married to someone else. What will Qinyang do to get her back? The heartrending drama is now showing in theatres.
Banner Image credit: Courtesy of Jeremy Sharma
