The *SCAPE National Youth Film Awards 2021 Announces Its 56 Nominees9 min read
Reading Time: 6 minutesThe 7th National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) has announced the 56 nominees for this year’s awards. In total, the Awards received 330 submissions. The most prominent themes this year were mental health, self-discovery, as well as the importance of human connection as we battle through the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Some of the nominated films were also filmed during the Circuit Breaker to showcase how Singaporeans are powering through the unforeseen challenges posed.
NYFA will be hosting a closed-door screening of the nominated films for the nominees and media in early July, with the winners to be announced during a live online award ceremony on 24 July 2021. In the meantime, the public can catch some of the nominees on Reel Talk, a NYFA web series hosted by Fly Entertainment artiste, Nikki Muller, on *SCAPE YouTube channel on 14, 17 and 21 July.
Student Category
Live Action
Gone Are The Moat and The Walls
Dir. Joshuah Lim En
Former puppet troupe leader, Zhang, returns to Singapore after 20 years when he received recurring dreams from the City God. As he searches for answers, Zhang faces a new Singapore he does not recognise.
释怀 (Holding On, Letting Go)
Dir. Lionel Seah
A family starts to crumble, after the passing of their grandmother.
A Little Closer
Dir. Cheryl Mong
A Stay-Home Caller must help a lost dementia stricken lady find her husband or she would be left roaming around the streets alone during a pandemic in Singapore.
Scavenger
Dir. Nicholas Ong Kok Weng
An old homeless scavenger must gather offerings for her wedding or she won’t be able to marry her late fiancé before he reincarnates.
GIRLS
Dir. Tamara Tan
‘Girls’ is about two underaged teenage girls who embark on a runaway from home. Their plans slowly fall apart as they spiral deeper into their discovery of self and maturity, eventually leading nowhere.
Booking
Dir. Haziq Adam De Silva
A taxi driver must form a risqué partnership with a social escort to protect his daughter from bankruptcy.
Skeletons In The Closet
Dir. Brendan Mayle Kor Chong Li
After an intimate encounter in a closet, a university freshman embarks on an obsessive journey to unravel the truth behind his roommate’s sexuality.
After
Dir. Monika Tsang
A family has difficulties readjusting to their lives after the grieve and loss from their father’s death.
Rocketship
Dir. Mathias Choo
Ten-year-old Samuel takes it upon himself to save his parent’s marriage by recreating a precious shared memory.
As Bold as Red, As Soft as Velvet
Dir. Nguyen Minh Truong Giang
A queer man has to go through a maturity ritual to gain acceptance from others and himself.
Documentary
Eat What With Who
Dir. Stella Seetoh Wai Yeng
Deep diving into the online phenomenon of Mukbang, we explore more about the social needs of young Singaporean audiences.
Between These Bones
Producer: Li Jiaqi
An ode to the place we call home, and the ways people navigate life within her spaces
Wallflowers in the Parade
Dir. Tan Jit Jenn
Wallflowers in the Parade is a documentary film that chronicles the lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Singapore that were imprisoned since 1972 due to their conscientious objection.
Mother & Daughter
Dir. Wee Antong
Mother & Daughter is a documentary that explores the life of matriarch Mdm Teo Kerk Eng and how her story affects her daughter and granddaughter in the present.
Sum of Our Parts
Dir. Olivia Tan Jia Yi
Against the backdrop of pragmatic Singapore, four local performance artists introduce their unconventional practice—the use of the body as a vessel for artistic expression.
Reflections of a Housewife
Dir. Alena Kristine Yeo
An exploration of the life of a housewife.
Tia Gong
Dir. Enkainia Lee
Two Ah Bengs question the label they grew up with through their everyday lives in this light hearted documentary.
SORRY FOR EXISTING
Dir. Shelby Kho
We were all made from the same factory with different materials — how does your heart beat, and how does your stomach sink?
Ah Ma Number One
Dir. Michelle Choo
Ah Ma Number one follows the journey of the director’s grandma with dementia, during her transient period where she remembers that she is forgetting her memory.
Chop Thye Bee
Dir. Md Azman
The film examines the looming loss of the Chop Thye Bee convenience store and its 65-year legacy through the eyes of family members who reminisce its memories and ponder its fate.
Animation
Drive With Me
Dir. Huang Shiao-ya
Aiden decides to take a break from his corporate routine to take his suicidal wife on a road trip to nowhere.
Strange Occurrences: Bukit Bulabu
Dir. Wong Shi Teng, Hana Lee, Gloria Yeo
Two interviewees talk about their experience in the recently rediscovered bathroom atop the hill of Bukit Bulabu, joined by self-proclaimed superstitions expert Mdm Kok.
Tankboy
Dir. Novella
When Kevin’s tears become never-ending and uncontrollable, he decides to put a tank on his head.
Bolder
Dir. Alex Li
A young wizard in training is forced to deal with not only her annoying classmate, but also an angry boulder.
BirdFeed
Dir. Chia Chin Yong
A Baker has lunch at a park. What could go wrong?
Full Circle
Dir. Yeow Su Xian
The Moon and Earth’s relationship through a narrative medium — the journey through a sleepless night, conquering the semi-conscious moonlit world and the retrospective nature of the night.
To Kill the Birds & the Bees
Dir. Calleen Koh Yee Lin
To Kill the Birds & the Bees follows 3 separate stories of 4 average Singaporeans – a pair of young twins, a secondary school prefect, and a conservative housewife – who each encounter sexual situations in their day.
In Tune
Dir. Dianna Koh
In Tune is a short film about Ah Gong’s fatherly love towards Cheepcheep, his songbird. Set in a park, Ah Gong transitions from a strict, guiding figure to one that puts his pet’s desires over his own.
Grave Encounter
Dir. Hasya Amryna Nur Adly
Two ghosts fight over who gets to rest in peace, over a hole in a graveyard.
The Nights
Dir. Yap Jing Wen
The film is about 9 pm to 9 am as a loop of time every night.
Student Category
Live Action
The Cup
Dir. Mark Chua, Lam Li Shuen
In a surreal tableau, a man with a brewing machine for a head, discontent with the bland taste of the brew from his own body, attempts to do what he can to improve its flavour.
The Day The Rhythm Went Away
Dir. Cheng Chai Hong
A student goes out of sync with the world around him, and gradually finds himself losing all sense of self.
Heart Shape 莲蓉包
Dir. Lim Siew Rong
Heart Shape 莲蓉包 is a sprinkle of magic in the ordinary. It is the beginnings that blossom after endings, and an aching solitude where love still finds its way to flow.
In Between these Pages
Dir. Rifyal Giffari
When a woman brings her grandmother to stay with her after a fall, her personal, religious, and family values are questioned and criticised as her grandmother learns more about her lifestyle.
Tuition
Dir. Alistair Quak
ALAN, a 13 year old boy, tries to get evidence of abuse, while attending a tuition with a physically aggressive teacher.
Kasih Sayang Untuk Layla (Love For Layla)
Dir. Nur Munawarah Mohamed Hussain
When a young girl’s mother travels abroad for work, she needs to find a way to overcome her longing for her mother and convince her strict grandmother to allow her to call her mother.
Guang Ming
Dir. Amanda Tan
KS, a single parent to his son, Feng, makes an honest living working as a car mechanic. The humble and driven KS finds his morals tested when a situation arises between him and the workshop’s newest hire, Yue, a migrant worker from China. Caught in a dilemma, KS struggles to do what is right whilst setting an example for his son.
The Cabbage Statue
Dir. Megan Lim En
Seeing The Cabbage Statue of Ranau, Malaysia is an once-in-a-lifetime, never going to happen again experience: A presentation on why it is imperative that Ruth and Kelly go see this statue.
Dark Light
Dir. Vikneshwaran Silva
Mari, a construction worker in Singapore, seeks companionship on his day off, but instead gets into a misadventure that he will never forget.
Bulan
Dir. Syamsul Bahari
A 12-year-old boy secretly keeps his late grandfather’s beloved pet beetle named Bulan without his mother knowing. He vows to keep his grandfather’s promise of passing Bulan to a worthy pet owner before his mother finds out.
Documentary
partitions
Dir. Vishal Daryanomel
partitions tells a story of Sindhi migration to Singapore following the Partition of India in 1947, juxtaposing fragmented recollections of the past with enduring practices of the present.
The Spaces Between Us
Dir. Dave Lim, Adar Ng
Investigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on contemporary Singapore society, the film excavates the delicate balance between the interior lives of citizens and the society.
While You Were Sleeping
Dir. Jeremy Ho
A photographer revisits his body of work over the past two decades of dark spaces in Singapore, finding many of these places irrevocably changed.
Last Day Today
Dir. Liu Yihong
Due to the pandemic, Denny and Ivy, the largest poster retailer in Southeast Asia, decided to close their 16-year-old physical store in Singapore’s landmark, the Esplanade.
148: Shangri-La Confectionery
Dir. Kyle Ong
This documentary tells a story of the iconic bakery’s beginnings and the passing of the mantle to the next generation.
Just A Call Away
Dir. Jessica Heng
In the peak of circuit breaker, a moth flutters about the house, accompanied by conversations between grandparents and grandchildren. As snippets of daily life and tender longing play out, we remember the conveniently forgotten community that is just a call away.
Sleep Is A Waste Of Time
Dir. Chew Jia Hui
Live life to the fullest. Meet Nick, an artist / inventor / designer /multihyphenate who takes this saying to a whole other level.
A Short Film for my Son
Dir. Hariz Zulkifli
A father attempts to make a short film for his ever busy son in hopes of getting closer to him.
Animation
Hindsight is 20/20
Dir. Yanyun Chen
A glimpse of a Singaporean artist’s life under lockdown.
Would This Be Too Much To Ask For?
Dir. Lan Yu, Lim Joo Hwee
A glimpse into the life of a rough sleeper, where basic needs that were once taken for granted in everyday life become a luxury.
BANGAU
Dir. Fanny Bratahalim
A film exploring the (de)construction process of my diasporic identity.
Turning To Self Surgery: A Transgender Woman’s Journey
Dir. Lee Yu En
A transgender person shares the harsh realities of her life in China.
Breaking Bread
Dir. Elizabeth Xu Yuan Li
A question of what it means to love as God fearing gay person.
Another Day in Paradise Part 5 (Animal)
Dir. Ang Geck Geck
Struggling to cope with isolation and loneliness during the pandemic, Lau finds an unexpected friend that changes his life.
The Visit
Dir. Morrie Tan
A young girl visits her father in prison. The glass in-between would never separate them anyways.
Waiting for the End – A Mother’s Regret
Dir. Chew Jia Hui
An elderly lady writes a letter to her estranged child as she wastes away the last years of her life.
