Objectifs’ Women in Film 2017 Showcase Shines Spotlight on Singaporean Talents
PUBLISHED October 4th, 2017 06:30 am | UPDATED June 3rd, 2020 12:16 am
We don’t see enough female filmmakers in the industry, so it’s always great to see them get more exposure for their contributions to the arts. In Singapore, we have the annual Women in Film showcase by Objectifs – the independent gallery and education space that aims to advance the appreciation and practice of film and photography – in its Bras Basah space.
The third edition, which runs from 19 to 28 October 2017, will celebrate in particular the works of Japanese filmmaker, producer, and director Kiki Sugino, known for her role in Odayaka (2012), Yokudô (2014) and Hospitalité (2010). Commonly referred to as ‘the muse of Asian indie cinema’, she will visit Singapore from 19 to 21 October for a public lecture and participate in post-screening discussions of three of her films that will screened here for the first time: Kyoto Elegy (2015), based on the award winning novel by Shiki Asaka; the aforementioned Odayaka; and her latest work Snow Woman (2016), which taps into Japanese folklore in a beautiful ghost story.
Closer to home, Women in Film will see two short films produced by homegrown talents Kirsten Tan (whose debut feature film POP AYE won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at the Sundance Film Festival early this year) and Gladys Ng, whose work The Pursuit Of A Happy Human Life opened the 27th SGIFF last November. The short film, together with Kirsten’s Wu Song Slays the Seductress will be screened side by side on the 26 October session, alongside Singapore-based Megan Wonowidjoyo’s Woman at Home, and works by filmmakers from Poland and the United States.
Other films premiering in Singapore include The Divine Order by Swiss filmmaker Petra Biondina Volpe, a comedy about a young housewife fighting for women’s suffrage in 1960s Switzerland, New Zealander Alison Maclean‘s The Rehearsal, where a young theatre student discovers a sex scandal in his girlfriend’s family, and Zaineb Hates the Snow by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, which follows 9-year-old Zaineb as she moves to Canada from Tunisia when her mother finds a new husband.
In an industry that’s largely dominated by men, it is time we start highlighting the important contributions that women, not just those in front of the camera, but also those behind it, make to the film world. And for a glimpse of the important stories that they tell, you now know where to go.
Women in Film 2017 is running from 19 to 28 October 2017 at Objectifs. For information about the Women in Photography group exhibition, click here.
