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Straits Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Film picks: John Lui recommended the Italian Film Festival, The Wedding Banquet and Walking With Dinosaurs
23rd Italian Film Festival The 2025 slate of films marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Singapore, and covers the genres of fiction, documentary and animation. The Italian Film Festival is organised by the Embassy of Italy in Singapore in collaboration with The Projector and the Singapore Film Society. The historical drama Vermiglio (2024, NC16, 119 minutes, screens on June 15, 4.30pm) is set in 1944. With the war drawing to a close, a stranger appears in the mountain village of the film's title, located high in the Italian Alps. He is Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a deserter from the south of the coun try. He and Lucia (Martina Scrinzi), the eldest daughter of a local teacher, fall in love. Their relationship will transform the lives of those around them as more of Pietro's past comes to light. Film-maker Maura Delpero drew on her family's history to shape the story by returning to her family home to interview aunts and other villagers. The film won the Grand Jury Prize of the Silver Lion at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, and was selected as Italy's entry to the Best International Feature Film section of the 2025 Academy Awards. Where: The Projector at Cineleisure Orchard, 8 Grange Road MRT: Somerset When: June 7 to 22, various times Admission: $16.50 standard, with concessions for students, seniors, Singapore Film Society members and others Info: The Wedding Banquet (R21) 103 minutes, limited screenings at The Projector at Cineleisure from May 30 (From left) Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, Han Gi-chan and Bowen Yang in The Wedding Banquet. PHOTO: UNIVERSAL PICTURES This remake of Lee Ang's 1993 film of the same name kicks off The Projector's Pink Screen season of films with an LGBTQ+ theme. The story follows Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), who lives with her partner Lee (Lily Gladstone) in Seattle. They are trying for a baby through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), but are running short of funds. Angela's best friend Chris (Bowen Yang) is worried that his partner Min (Han Gi-chan), a student from South Korea and the scion of a wealthy family, will be forced to leave once his visa expires. Angela's mother May (Joan Chen) is an ally, but Min's grandmother Ja-young (Youn Yuh-jung) is unlikely to support her grandson's relationship. A plan is born: Min and Angela will marry for the sake of his residency in the US. In return, Min will pay for Lee's IVF treatments. Chaos and comedy follow when Ja-young announces a visit. A review in The New Yorker magazine asks: 'In an era of wider LGBTQ+ acceptance, how do you fashion a romantic comedy predicated on the deceptions of the closet? Korean-American director and co-writer Andrew Ahn answers that question with the knowledge that acceptance brings pointed complications of its own. It's the warmth of Gladstone's presence that endows this remake with a whisper of something new.' The May 30 premiere is a fund-raiser for Proud Spaces, a community centre dedicated to building belonging for queer folks and allies in Singapore. Among the post-show events are fake weddings and a festival opening party at the No Spoilers lounge from 10.30pm to 12.30am. Walking With Dinosaurs A close-up of a Tyrannosaurus rex as it emerges from the forest in the BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs. PHOTO: BBC When the original series was released in 1999, its realistic computer-generated creatures caused a sensation. Narrated by actor and film-maker Kenneth Branagh, it spawned a new genre of documentary that used digital images to recreate animals from Earth's past. The six-part reboot from BBC Studios updates the science with more recent findings about the way the creatures lived, hunted, fought and died using state-of-the-art visual effects, with narration provided by Olivier and Tony award-winning actor Bertie Carvel. The series is available to stream on BBC Player. It will also be on the BBC Earth channel ( StarHub TV Channel 407 and Singtel TV Channel 203 ), Sundays at 8pm, from June 1. On July 5, from 5pm, families are invited to take along their picnic mats to the BBC Earth Screening Festival at Gardens by the Bay, with this series as the featured title. Entry is free at the event, held at the Supertree Grove. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Film picks: Oscar-nominated Memoir Of A Snail, Reel Rock 19 climbing anthology, horror film Final Destination Bloodlines
Memoir Of A Snail, the stop-motion animated film by Australian film-maker Adam Elliot, makes it Singapore premiere. PHOTO: ARENAMEDIA Memoir Of A Snail (M18) 94 minutes Australian film-maker Adam Elliot's first feature, Mary And Max (2009), a bittersweet tale of a young chocolate-loving misfit from Melbourne and her pen-pal friendship with a reclusive, middle-aged New Yorker, was a hit with animation fans and critics. It established Elliot as a brilliant storyteller whose mordant sense of humour is matched by his faith in the human capacity for kindness and kinship. Memoir Of A Snail (2024) is the much-anticipated follow-up. Its Singapore premiere is co-presented by the Singapore Film Society (SFS) and The Projector, in partnership with the film festival Animation Nation. Told in a style Elliot calls 'clayography', in which pieces of clay are hand animated, frame by painstaking frame, the story of Grace Pudel (voiced by Emmy-winning actress Australian Sarah Snook) unfolds. She is a snail collector and a fan of guinea pigs and romance novels. Following a brutal separation from her beloved brother, Grace falls into despair. She meets the eccentric Pinky (double Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver), an older woman with an unconquerable zest for life. The film earned an Oscar nomination in 2025 for Best Animated Feature, and its other awards include Best Feature at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2024. Where: Majestic Hall, The Projector at Cineleisure, 8 Grange Road MRT: Somerset When: May 17. 5.30pm Admission: $17.50 standard, with concessions; free for SFS members Info: For details and to book, go to Reel Rock 19 (NC16) 137 minutes A still from the documentary Death Of Villains, part of the Reel Rock documentary presentation. PHOTO: GARETH LEAH Every year, this festival travels the world showcasing films dedicated to the sport of climbing. The 19th edition features three documentaries in one anthology. Death Of Villains follows a climber seeking to redeem himself with a difficult climb, helped by a partner – the villain of the title – with a shady past. Riders On The Storm sees three Belgians braving icy conditions during a hazardous ascent in South America's Patagonia region, while in The Cobra & The Heart, a climber who betrayed his loved ones and abandoned all he once cherished tries to fix his mistakes. Reel Rock's premiere day, May 17, will be marked by a pop-up market from 12.30 to 6pm on level 5, with the participation of local brands Full Crimp Milk, Boulder Planet, Mag on crag, Isaac Thread and Your Local Newsstand. Where: Projector at Cineleisure, 8 Grange Road MRT: Somerset When: May 17 and 24, June 1 and 7, various times Admission: $19 (standard), $17 for students and full-time national servicemen Info: For details and to book, go to Final Destination Bloodlines (R21) 110 minutes, now showing ★★★★☆ Kaitlyn Santa Juana in Final Destination Bloodlines. PHOTO: 2025 WBEI The sixth movie in the slasher franchise follows college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who is failing her classes because of nightmares about a mass death event. She investigates their source, involving her grandmother Iris (Gabrielle Rose) and a catastrophe she averted in 1968, creating generations which might not have existed. Death will wipe them out, unless Stefani and her brother Charlie (Teo Briones) thwart the process. This franchise is popular, but has not scaled horror fandom heights, due to its pessimistic tone. The new movie plays to its strength, death's inevitable but sudden appearance, in a way that is both darkly funny and horrifying. The opening scenes contain a catastrophe that sets Death's machinations in motion. This time, the creators opted for a more elaborate setup - the opening gorefest is pretty, with the 1960s aesthetics adding fresh poignancy. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
At The Movies: K-occult thriller Holy Night: Demon Hunters packs a punch, a bittersweet Happyend
Holy Night: Demon Hunters (NC16) 92 minutes, opens on May 8 ★★★☆☆ The story: Holy Night is an elite team of exorcists in Seoul and the South Korean capital's only defence against the rise of a devil-worshipping criminal network. A psychiatrist (Kyung Soo-jin) calls on Holy Night when her sister (Jung Ji-so) begins exhibiting disturbing symptoms no medical diagnosis can explain. The K-occult thriller Holy Night: Demon Hunters, which began as a 2024 webtoon, introduces Don Lee as the star detective and agency boss Ba-woo: His physical strength is his superpower. Sharon (Girls' Generation pop idol Seohyun) is the psychic shaman aswirl in boho-chic gowns, while young sidekick Kim Gun (David Lee) provides technical support plus comic relief. They operate, charmingly, out of a shabby antique mall, and theirs is a recognisable world of downbeat realism however fantastical the exploits as they investigate and then battle to save the possessed girl contorting and levitating in billows of smoke. The action is intense and atmospheric, until it becomes a repetitive cycle of Ba-woo punching the invading demon and Sharon bellowing 'return to hell'. They should know, after an hour in, that this approach is not working. Sharon goes all in nevertheless with her incantations and exorcism kit of knives, mirrors, copper bells and bronze rattles. Writer-director Lim Dae-hee marries Eastern mysticism with Western tropes for the detailed rituals. The first-time film-maker has also scripted an intimate backstory for Ba-woo, whose tragic boyhood is connected to the cult spreading the dark forces. The three heroes are each a captivating personality, dynamic in their synergy. The sequel hinted at in the end credits is certainly not unwelcome because they are capable of much more than just this one job. Hot take: Don Lee of The Roundup film series (2017 to present) may have found himself another hit franchise. Happyend (PG13) 113 minutes, opens exclusively at The Projector on May 8 ★★★☆☆ Hayato Kurihara (left) and Yukito Hidaka in Happyend. PHOTO: THE PROJECTOR The story: In near-future Japan, two students at a Tokyo high school prank their humourless principal (Shiro Sano), who installs an invasive surveillance system to identify the culprits. The boys' contrasting responses fissure their lifelong bond. 'Something big is about to change,' warns the prologue. It will not be due to a devastating earthquake, which is a constant threat seized on by the government to expand its emergency powers. The changes in the J-teen drama Happyend are Kou's (Yukito Hidaka) and Yuta's (Hayato Kurihara) central dynamics, with city-wide civil protests against authoritarianism the backdrop. Kou is a working-class Zainichi Korean. His people were massacred by the thousands in the wake of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and the darkening national mood is rekindling the xenophobia: 'hikokumin' (traitor) is graffitied outside his family restaurant one night, rousing him into political activism. He becomes serious and distant. Seems like only yesterday he and Yuta were horsing around, and Yuta still is, this coddled aspiring deejay without a care. The tensions expose the fundamental differences between the boyhood best friends. Their rift is perhaps inevitable. Also in their tight circle of half-dozen sharing a love of underground music are a half-black American (Arazi) and a Chinese girl (Shina Peng), all of them destined to go their separate ways: Japanese writer-director Neo Sora limns the shifts during their final graduation weeks, at that wistful transitional moment between adolescence and adulthood. Kurihara is the winner of Best Newcomer at the 2025 Asian Film Awards, and Sora's subtle, observational debut feature is deceptively simple in story. It is titled after a composition by his father Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the score, too, honours the late musical mage in synching with the youthful vitality of the cast. Hot take: Here is a bittersweet coming-of-age experience, unassuming but emotionally textured. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Time Out
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Time Out
GE2025: How to watch the live results of Singapore's General Election 2025
It's finally May 3 – the much-awaited Singapore General Election 2025 Polling Day, where millions of citizens are casting their votes for who they'd like to see representing their constituencies. Well, all except for the residents of Marine Parade-Braddel Heights GRC who don't have a say in the matter due to a walkover. Either way, this year's election has been a particularly exciting one, especially since it's been 10 years since any in-person rallies were held due to the pandemic. We probably speak for plenty when we say that everyone's eager to know tonight's results, not just limited to that of their own neighbourhood. So here's your cheatsheet to watching the GE2025 results announcements live, be it on television, online, at an assembly centre, or even at indie cinema The Projector. P.S.: If you haven't already cast your vote (please do – every vote matters!), check out our ultimate guide to voting in the Singapore General Election 2025, which answers all the frequently asked questions including whether you can vote at any polling station in your neighbourhood, how to check for live queue updates, and what happens if you're overseas for work or a holiday. How to watch the live results for GE2025 on television The Singapore General Election 2025 results will be screened live on various free-to-air local TV channels from 8pm onwards this May 3 – which is right when voting ends – till the wee hours of May 4. Depending on the channel, this can go all the way up to 4am. Tune in to the following channels in all four official languages for the live GE2025 results: Channel 5 (8pm to 4am) Channel News Asia (8pm to 4am) Channel 8, in Mandarin (8pm to 4am) Suria, in Malay (8pm to 1am) Vasantham, in Tamil (8pm to 1am) Where to watch the live results for Singapore General Election 2025 online Those who'd rather watch the Polling Day live results on their mobile devices instead of on TV can do so via meWATCH, CNA's YouTube broadcast, or CNA's livestream. You can also turn on Channel News Asia's radio channel, CNA938 for the live broadcast of today's polling results. Watch the live results of GE2025 in person at designated assembly centres in stadiums If sitting on the edge of your couch just doesn't cut it, soak in the electric revelry with your fellow party supporters in person at approved assembly centres, where candidates and members of the public are officially allowed to gather in wait of the results. These sites are open from 8pm, once voting ends, until 30 minutes after the last result has been announced. This could be as late as around 4am, so you might wish to bring along some snacks just in case. While you're at it, bookmark our extensive list of best supper spots in Singapore, which includes quite a number of 24-hour establishments and those that'll still be open past four in the morning. According to the Singapore Police Force website, there are a total of five assembly centre sites located within stadiums, with each one dedicated to a specific party and their supporters. Singapore GE2025 Polling Day results assembly centres: People's Action Party (PAP): Bedok Stadium, Bukit Gombak Stadium, Yio Chu Kang Stadium Workers Party (WP): Serangoon Stadium Singapore Democratic Party (SDP): MOE (Evans) Stadium Attendees are to refrain from bringing weapons, sharp objects, glass bottles, laser pointers, canned items including drinks, and anything that might be deemed dangerous or offensive. Note: Please refer to SPF's latest newsroom update dated 2 May for the most accurate information. There is another SPF page dated 23 April which mentions 13 assembly centres – that information is now outdated and incorrect. There are only five approved assembly centres as per the latest announcement. Shoutout to independent cinema, The Projector, for coming through on this momentous occasion. This May 3, its newly opened Golden Village x The Projector at Cineleisure is hosting a watch party for the Singapore General Election 2025 results livestream at starting from 7pm. Arm yourself with The Projector's gourmet hot dogs and pizza to cosy up for the long night ahead. Buy a drink and you'll even get a sticker to cast a cheeky vote for your choice of superhero: The Flash or Thor, who utilise lighting and a hammer as part of their respective superpowers. Go figure.
Tatler Asia
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
The accidental animator: how an aspiring chef found her voice in animation
From art school to Hollywood In 2009, Ong moved to San Francisco to study at the Academy of Art University. There, she sharpened her drawing skills at workshops thrice a week and worked towards her dream of becoming a visual development artist who decided the look of specific scenes in a film. Fast forward to today, she's worked on critically acclaimed animated films like Kubo and the Two Strings , Missing Link and Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning Pinocchio . Each project was a learning experience, pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling. Read more: Reel vision: how The Projector's Karen Tan turned a forgotten cinema into Singapore's coolest cultural hub Above Guillermo del Toro, Alexander Bulkley, Gary Ungar and Mark Gustafson after receiving the Best Animated Feature award for 'Pinocchio' at the 95th Annual Academy Awards in 2023 (Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Image) On Pinocchio , for instance, Ong discovered the beauty of collaborative creativity. 'Guillermo del Toro trusted his team and allowed us to channel our creativity,' she explains. Unlike other productions where artists might feel like 'a cog in a wheel', the experience was liberating. She landed the job after a producer friend contacted her. Ong had just been fired from her previous assignment when the call came. 'I was like, 'Oh. I really like The Shape of Water . So I said yeah, definitely, please, please, please.'' After completing the film, however, she shares that she started seeing a therapist due to burnout. 'But it's good, it's good,' she quickly adds. 'I think film as a medium is a way to sort of process how far we've come with certain narratives and where we want to go from here, right?' Their work isn't just about creating beautiful images—it's about translating complex narratives into visual language. 'There's a lot of science in animation and art,' Ong explains. She speaks about how understanding molecular diffusion influences how fog is depicted, or how fractal compositions can create depth in animation. Read more: Visual artist Kumari Nahappan is behind some of Singapore's most recognisable public sculptures Spotlighting important narratives through animation Looking ahead, Ong is developing a project called Root , focusing on illustrating the direct impacts of climate change and biodiversity on human life. Her goal is to use animation to make these complex scientific concepts accessible. 'Animation can bring ideas to people who are landlocked and let them see beauty they might not otherwise have access to,' she says. This stems from her deep belief in animation's transformative potential; that It's not just entertainment, but a medium for education, empathy and exploration. Read more: No jump scares, no problem: this horror filmmaker can terrify you without the shocks Quick take To get to know Ong beyond her professional achievements, she answers a round of rapid-fire questions: The film that sparked your animation dreams? Desiree Ong (DO): Coraline . It was one of the first cartoon animation with a female lead character and it was so whimsical because it was stop motion. I was so curious to know how it was made and how I could work in this industry. Your current favourite animated show? DO: Scavengers Reign. The scenes and narratives are so beautiful, and the illustrations are so visceral. Who's a director you want to work with? DO: I want to say James Cameron, but I was at a concept artist talk at the LightBox Expo and all of his concept artists were men. So I'm not sure he'll hire me. That being said, I'm putting this out there. Read more: Meet Tanaka Daisuke, the Japanese designer infusing anime culture into romantic garments If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? DO: [Marine biologist] Dr Sylvia Earle. She comes from such an amazing generation, where she helped push forth science for ocean-related matters so much. It would be amazing to sit in front of her at dinner and ask her questions. What's one advice you would give to anyone who wants to break into the animation industry? DO: Focus on expressing your story and build that into a film. That's going to be your calling card. There are a lot of free and affordable software and platforms like Blender and Procreate. You also have your phone, which has a powerful camera, so you can make any film you want right now. You can exercise your creativity. It's more of a question of what's stopping you? Why don't you try it and give it a shot? It's going to be really fun. Credits This article was created with the assistance of AI tools
