Civic Life in London .....

Almost one week ago, on 31 January 2011, 'Civic Life' was shown in London at the Curzon Renoir Cinema - where the latest addition to the body of work by Chris and Joe - Tiong Bahru - received its London Premier!

Needless to say, during the Q&A, many, in the almost full house - were impressed by the body of work, and also how Tiong Bahru brought together many of the duo's earlier themes and concerns in a well considered and lyrical manner.... (more reviews in separate posting coming up soon!)



Here are some pictures of the event - kindly sponsored by the Singapore International Foundation, who brought over not just the taste of home - but also, lots of items that gave the UK audience an idea of the architectural and social heritage of Singapore (thanks to White Canvas Gallery for the posters of the sketches that was done last year!!! Big shout to you all there!) ...





and also of the multi-ethnic-lingual-cultural environment that we should be proud of and should cherish and nurture!



Amongst the guests were many ex-expats who spent time in Singapore, film buffs, and also those who were interested in community engagement through art.... and during the reception, many groups of Singaporeans based in London were seen discussing what was the meaning of 'home' in a globalised world...







Your correspondant here with Chris and Joe... who we have to thank for working with us in Tiong Bahru to realise the film...





And here is Ms Tan Shzr Ee, who provided the Mandarin voice-over for part of the film, with the poster of the film!



We were also very pleased that the event was graced by our High Commissioner H.E. Michael Teo... more pictures to follow!

In the meantime, wishing one and all - a GREAT START to the New Year!

Short film, nice prize! just 90 Seconds!

WIN A CANON EOS 7D in just 90 seconds!



Show us WHERE YOU HEART IS and you could win a CANON EOS 7D and a trip to the UK's leading short film festival.

Click here for details.

We are asking you to show us the places in Singapore that matter to you, and already we have had some lovely work submitted.

See: http://civiclife.sg/competition-gallery-new.php

Check out details of the CANON EOS 7D, which has full HD video recording capability, here: http://www.canon-europe.com/cpn_eos7d/ and find out more about Encounters, the UK's leading short film festival, here: http://www.encounters-festival.org.uk/

Closing date is Friday, September 17th, so get filming!

WHERE THE HEART IS is a collaboration between the British Council, the National Museum of Singapore, Encounters Short Film Festival and the Singapore International Foundation.

Have you entered the competition yet?

The British Council sponsored Civic Life project is having its 'Where the Heart Is' film competition for all who live on this island of Singapore...




90 seconds is all it takes to get your chance to win a place to the world's most prestigious short film festival later this year...

read more about it on:

WHERE THE HEART IS

All the best!

Where the Heart Is - Civic Life - the Film Competition and More

Hear from the 2 directors, on the motivation behind the filming in Tiong Bahru, and also, the launch of the Film Making Competition - 'Where the Heart Is'.



You also get a quick sneak preview into how some of the scenes will look!

So, get your digicams/cameras/mobilephone ready to make your film of Where your Heart Is, in Singapore... share with your friends and family....

And thank you once more, to all who took part in the film project, and to British Council and National Museum for bringing this project - Civic Life - to our hometown!

Civic Life - Tiong Bahru The Movie - Read all about The STARS

Hello!

Some of you were seen at the filming over last weekend... I am sure all of you had fun! For the rest of you... find out more about how it looked - lots of lovely pictures shot by Samantha Tio....and on the Flickr Album here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48246027@N05/sets/72157624257551435/

The event was also covered substantially by many journalists, including The Online Citizen. Read all about TOC's review of it and their interview with the STARS from our community here, where the 'stars' from the community are featured!



From Left: Joe Lawlor, Christine Malloy, Leo Mak, Mdm Lim, and Veronica Patricia Rio
Picture by Samantha Tio

Singapore in the 1970s... in colour!

Thought to help advertise one of my favourite films of Singapore's recent past - Peter Bogdanovich's interpretation of Paul Theroux's 'SAINT JACK'.

What will you see? Here's some hints:
Singapore River (before it was cleaned up)
Bugis Street (before it was cleaned up)
Ann Siang Road (before it was cleaned up)
Amoy Street (before it was cleaned up)
Orchard Road
Raffles Hotel, and some really interesting aspects of Singapore's history from the 70s that we have forgotten/not told ourselves.

This film was banned in Singapore until only a few years ago. Read more on this part of its history on Ben Slater's Blog.



Its showing on:

THU 26 NOV 2009 7:30pm &

FRI 27 NOV 2009 1:00pm

Gallery Theatre, Basement

National Museum, Stamford Road.

Here is the blurb from our National Museum's event site:

The only American film to be shot entirely on location in Singapore, Saint Jack was completed in secrecy in 1978 and then swiftly banned for nearly three decades. It’s an adaptation of an early novel by Paul Theroux about a middle-aged Italian-American drifter called Jack Flowers (played by Ben Gazzara), hustling a living in the seedier corners of Singapore. Director Peter Bogdanovich and his team set out to tell his story as authentically as possible, and spared no effort in scouting locations and casting locals. What they created was a vivid, colourful document of the swinging Lion City of the ‘70s, capturing the high and low-life, the gangsters, the towkays, the Brits, the Yanks, the good-time girls and boys, the glitzy hotels and the crumbling mansions with immense wit and style. Watching Saint Jack is a chance to return to a forgotten time and a vanished city.

Members of the cast and crew will be present at the screening on Thursday 26 November, 7.30pm, which will be hosted by Ben Slater, author of Kinda Hot: The Making of Saint Jack in Singapore.

Don't forget to join in the mystery tour!

City and Memory on Film

Some of us might have read the recent letter in the ST Forum - titled 'Where did you go, my Singapore of old?' by Mr Vincent Paul Carthigasu, and kindly highlighted on Alvin's Blog.

One beautiful example of capturing a 'lost' city will be shown this weekend at the National Museum during a retrospective of noted director - Terence Davies, from the UK.



In particular, Davies’s most recent film, Of Time and The City (2008) is both a love song and a eulogy to Liverpool which revisits the territory of his earlier narrative films. It is also a response to memory, reflection and the experience of losing a sense of place as the skyline changes and time takes it toll. Davies believes passionately that British stories like Of Time and The City must be told by British film makers. There can only be truth in a story which is truly specific to a time and place. And it is in that truth that universal appeal will be found.

Do try to catch this, and his other films, this weekend. It is rare for his films to travel to Singapore. And some films just don't look good on the small screen.

Perhaps one day, we will have a film about Singapore, just like this. But I also hope that we will not have lost all of our treasured spots... in the meantime, here is one view of Singapore in 1938, caught on film, from an outsider,s eyes...