Bye bye

The end of a long and arduous journey. 23 years of formal education, 21 to be exact, if you exclude National Service.

crying for a country

Just do it.

"Pick up a camera. Shooting something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you're a director. Everything after that you're just negotiating your budget and your fee."
- James Cameron

Filament 2010 is here!

We have confirmed the time and location for Filament, which is the annual public showcase of thesis films from Wee Kim Wee School.

6th of May 2010:

1. Masperati (docu-drama)

2. Riding East (narrative)

3. Soi Chang (documentary)

4. A Light in the Darkness (narrative)

7th of May 2010:

1. A New Hope (documentary)

2. Epiphany (narrative)

3. Post-Love (documentary)

4. Zombies Saved My Cold Dead Heart (narrative)

Programme starts at 6:30pm and should end by 9:30pm. For more information visit Filament 2010

Love Suicides

Short Film by Edmund Yeo, Singapore-born Malaysian filmmaker now based in Japan.

I don't remember how we got to know each other except by our passion for this craft, which transcends spaces and boundaries through this fantastic thing we call the Internet and its offspring, the New Media.

And he may be one year older but he is going to Cannes.

I only just found out that Fighting Spiders was shot entirely (90%) on the Canon 7D and the remaining shots on the Canon Legria camcorder. It's only as big as a coke can and doesn't cost you more than $800.



Read more here.

It just gets better and easier for anyone to pick up a camera and just shoot.

Political parties in Taiwan and even in Malaysia operate profit-making businesses as another source of income to fund their political activities.

In Singapore, the situation is different. Temasek Holdings and its GLCs, and the GIC are state-owned and does not belong to the party. The money and profits go back to our national treasury, the MAS. If another party takes over the government, the management of the funds and money will be passed over . The previous government won't be able to take it away.

Figures from the government reveals that the GLCs contribute 13% of our GDP though the United States government figures put it at 60%. That's a huge percentage and a reading of it shows that the government is still the biggest machinery in our national economy. Something I realise with the impending graduation that many of my peers are either going into the civil service or working with state-owned companies. There's pros and cons. One thing for sure, our economy and its direction will not be headed by profit-seeking corporations that may see its influence seeps into politics, as it is with the United States.

The drawbacks would be the lack of transparency, as with most GLCs and sovereign weath funds in other parts of the world. This is a tricky situation. We cannot expect state secrets and strategies to be publicly available. Our only security is that the funds must be in the hands of a credible government.

Give credit where Singapore can pride itself for relatively clean and efficient state-owned companies. A peculiarity and uniquess rarely seen elsewhere.

A capitalist system will see an economy and country constantly manipulated by profit-maximising businessmen. A nationalised economy may a country being plagued by corruption and inefficiencies. What would then be the middle path through this two ends?

Maybe this tiny red dot already has an answer.

Boss Won!

He has been a very good boss during my internship and I am happy for his victory. One lesson I've learnt from him is generosity. He once told me that filmmakers should never be afraid to share our stories and ideas with one other. Even if our ideas are being copied, we should be proud and happy that our stories can find an audience.

20 Films I Wish I Had Made

Chungking Express


Farewell to My Concubine


Last Life in the Universe


Just 3 of it.

Ultimate Sports Camp

Remnants of a war zone.

The 4th year student studying for his last paper in his undergraduate life suddenly faces a huge outpour of incoming Wee Kim Wee freshmen from the lecture theatre. The contrast between old and new, a renewal, a constant never-ending cycle. Interesting to observe the excitement and curiousity of these students, especially so if they are about to step into their dream school, their dream course, after slogging it out for so many years. That was what I felt 6 years ago (National Service inclusion). An anticipation for the next phase of life is shared between both groups.

Estelle asked if I would miss this place. I said yes. I will miss the friends and of course the freedom and security to dream big. Welcome to the real world where it isn't kind to 99% of all dreamers. It is a daunting world to dream without the refuge of a school or an institution. The insecurities, the anxiety. But it's time to stand on your two feet and see how the world will let your carve your passageway through. Lets see how long we can all last.

Cannes.

Boo Junfeng's debut feature film, Sandcastle, will be premiering at Cannes Film Festival's International Critics Week, the same programme which opened the eyes of the world to the works of Wong Kar-wai, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and co.

There hasn't been much news of Sandcastle until this week and is definitely another proud moment for our young film industry.

I like how Boo is always constantly trying to renegotiate and explore the Singapore identity and our history in his short films, yet he does it without overcrowding the main narrative. I think and hope the same will go with his debut feature, which seems to be a small and subtle exploration of the trauma from our nation's troubled political past. Films should always be a filmmaker's vehicle of exploration and dialogue with their country.

Read the production talk here with Boo Junfeng by Sindie.

Democracy or Demon-Crazy?

I like Thaksin, his economic reforms and what the Red Shirts stand for. But a question to ask ourselves,

Democracy...

or Demon-Crazy?

The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.
- Winston Churchill.

"...tight political control is motivated not by megalomania, greed or corruption but their very opposite: a genuine concern for the welfare of the society. Admittedly, not even the harshest critic of the PAP can doubt its passionate commitment to the nation."

- Catherine Lim, 20 Jan 2006.

As announced earlier by Group of 8, the G20 will replace the G8. Japan's Prime Minister now backs Singapore to be part of the G-20.

It is no big deal but it does signify the importance this tiny island-state has in the world.

To all the graduating students from BCS who are jobless but looking for a big break:

(Caution: M18 content)

National integration and a unified discourse.

I'll go for socio-conservatism and stability anytime.

One paper down and one more to go.

Makhmalbaf, Kiarostami...

It is no wonder that Iranian filmmakers are some of the world's best.

Make Films Not War presents Postcards From Iran, a series of films by young amateur and hobbyist filmmakers, one of whom as young as 13 years old. They may be young and amateurs but their films speak volume.


The Piggy Bank I Found by 13 year old, Arsham Naghshbandi.

High Crime

la polizia incrimina la legge assolve

Final-Year-Projects Presentation Day

The title says it all, and the last time the entire cohort will see each other until our convocation in July. Lots of bitter sweet memories here in NTU and especially in Wee Kim Wee School. I count this 4 years as the best time of my entire education journey of 21 years.

Class of 2010 has about 180+ students. We were lacking 1/5 here.

There are only 25 boys to 160+ girls here. A luxury for probably the only few boys in the world who get to study in a "girls' school".

Zakaria Zainal. My best friend since junior college days in 2003 is still my best friend throughout my university education.

Nanyang Pictures. The first few friends whom found our passion in filmmaking together.

And this was how we looked, back in Freshman Year.

With Phoebe. A dear friend who've always stood by me. Thank you.

With The Evil Twin, Pangsy & Emoboi85.

Take care everyone and see you all again at convocation.

Sign Board

看板 SIGNBOARD from WEI LIANG CHIANG on Vimeo.

This is the short film which, imho, is the best student project I've seen from WKWSCI thus far. Shot like a docu-narrative, this is not just another emo-student work, but a very sincere and realistic voice of a filmmaking die-hard. Will be even more meaningful if you have an in-depth knowledge of Taiwan's film culture, where the characters in the film are actually personifications of Taiwanese film history.

Home

Singapore Awakens from karl von moller on Vimeo.

I want to keep making films about Singapore. How can you not make a film about Singapore? It's beautiful, it's a dream. Most importantly, it is my home.

Prof Z's comments were positive and it lifted my morale very much, especially after much self-doubt.

A Light in the Darkness

It has been a long journey. Thank you Small Island Films. And thank you all my peers, who have watched and enjoyed the school's presentation screening.

The official screening of A Light in the Darkness and all the other thesis films from Wee Kim Wee School will be held at The Substation in early May. Will update!

4 years and 1,592 posts

I've been contemplating for sometime and finally did it this evening. Deleted all the old posts. Exactly 1,592 posts in 4 years.

Coincidentally, today was also the final-year-project presentation and definitely the last time the Class of 2010 came together, before our convocation. It has been a fine 4 years here in NTU.

The next stage of life beckons.