NYFA 2019 Nominees

List of Nominated Films – Media Student

LIVE ACTION

AVE MARIA
Director: Andrea Flavia William
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
An Indian woman seeks help from a Catholic family in the middle of the night. She goes through a rite of passage with the hope of self- redemption. Over the course of that night, she slowly starts to reveal herself.

Bodhi / 菩提
Director: Zhen Yu Png
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
The film follows a single mum, Li Ping, who is affected by her Son, Jun Hao’s decision to ordain as a monk. When reality kicks in the day before her son’s ordination, Li Ping’s fear for loneliness becomes prominent as her son prepares to embark on a new journey as a monastic. She begins to cast doubts on her faith and struggles to choose between her faith and her only son.

Foul Ball
Director:Kayue Li
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
A determined boy attempts numerous rounds of base-running at a baseball pitch, striving for his desired timing. Despite his progressive improvement, different obstacles came his way – the weather, an injury, and his fatigue. Finally, his watch malfunctions and he was left in a hopeless disposition, where the purpose of his pursuit was questioned. He takes a moment to ponder and soak in his circumstance. Floating beyond control, he can only let go and let nature take its course

Progress
Director: Alistair Quak
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Far into the future, in a dystopic, totalitarian state, we follow a regular day in the life of Sergeant Major Lam, as he oversees his troops on a mission to take down a rebel building. However, as the film unravels he is forced to come to terms with himself, as we explore the true extents of his relationship between work life and family… Oh and also, a heck of a lot of intense violent action.

Adam
Director: Junxian Shoki Lin
Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Tired of his turbulent family life and caught between identities, Adam seeks out an alternative arrangement in hopes of finding his place.

Boys Will Be Boys
Director: Shannen Mok
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Sixteen-year-old schoolboy Thomas gets a call one night from his ex-best friend Chanel, who hasn’t spoken to him properly since getting attached. His initial defenses fade as she tells him about her break-up. Their camaraderie rekindles his previously-suppressed feelings for her. When she rejects his confession, he pretends he is joking and advises her to block her ex-boyfriend on social media. This aggravates the ex-boyfriend, who starts spreading rumors about Chanel. Thomas confronts him to defend Chanel, complicating the situation.

Farah

Director: Pavithran Nathan
Institution: LASALLE College of the Arts
A semi-retired seamstress attempts to mend the relationship with her daughter when strange phenomena starts to occur in her house

DOCUMENTARY

Bare
Director: Martin Loh
Institute: Nanyang Technological University
In a surreal take on the documentary form, the film questions our treatment of naked bodies. Richard, curious about naturism, chances upon a YouTube video discussing public nudity in Singapore. With his interest piqued, Richard manages to contact two Singaporean naturists, Lim and B, and they decide to meet up in real life. As they begin sharing their reasons for being naturists, Richard imagination comes alive. Eventually, he grows to understand what it means to bare it all.

Life is Live
Director: Keziah Wei
Institute: Nanyang Technological University
Life is Live follows the journey of a live-streaming celebrity in China, Danny, whose life is built on today’s digital entertainment culture of instantaneous user-generated content. We dive deeper into his relationship with his fan, uncovering the impact of technological advancements on human interactions in this new age.

China Man
Director: Jerrell Zhi Hong Chow
Institute: Nanyang Technological University
At the age of five, Ek Kiat left his family and village in China to be adopted by new parents in Singapore. This drastic transition led to a troubled childhood, as he grew up with the self-inflicted pressure to suppress his past. China Man, a 24-minute documentary short, follows Ek Kiat as he confronts the deep-seated insecurities that have plagued him the past 20 years.

Sweet Like Sugar
Director: Chin Yun Ru
Institute: Nanyang Technological University
Sugar dating platforms are growing and gaining more traction with Singaporeans but society views it as glorified prostitution, where girls provide sexual favours in exchange for a glamorous life. However, reality is not always as it seems and these sugar babies have to hide their identities in fear of the shame. We delve deeper into the psyche and circumstances of those in this lifestyle to understand why they took part in it and to challenge society’s perception of sex.

阿芥 A Jie
Director: Lian Ying
Institute: Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
A documentary basic on real family life, telling the story of my grandparents who live in the southern towns, recording their support for the last days of their lives, and the grandfather’s care for the sick grandmother.

Blaq
Director: Damien Eu
Institute: Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
An intimate portrait of a youth born with a birthmark on his face, how he copes with his discriminating environment growing up and how he finds acceptance within himself.

Pigeonhole
Director: Mei Fong Lim
Institute: LASALLE College of the Arts
Mdm Chua and Ah Hong live together in a one-room rental flat. Despite getting along well initially, their relationship turns sour when Mdm Chua confronted Ah Hong one night as she assumed that Ah Hong has meddled with the television. As the pair becomes more open about the issues they have with each other behind the other’s back, Ah Hong eventually finds another flat to move into with the help of a cleaner, leaving Mdm Chua alone in the end.

ANIMATION

For Lorn
Director: Hoo Yan Han & Im Eun Sue
Institute: Nanyang Technological University
Stationed on a satellite orbiting the moon, Naut finds herself trying to reach Earth to no avail. As her circumstances become dire, her reality begins to merge with her memories. Taking cues from films like THE RED TURTLE and SOLARIS, For Lorn is an atmospheric film hoping to convey a sense of melancholy, solitude and longing. It hopes to reassure people that, despite everything, happiness is possible.

Balance
Director: Raymond Limantara Sutisna
Institute: Nanyang Technological University
Balance is a 2D animated short film about a boy and a girl fighting for painting space. Both refusing to give in until the mess they create goes out of control. They then realise the only way out is to work together and strive for coexistence.

Dandelion in the Wind
Director: Do Thi Ngan Giang
Institute: Nanyang Technological University
A man, while looking for his dog, stumbles upon a magical world of dreams. The main character, through the journey, discovers himself and his unwavering determination to be united with his beloved pet. The film pays homage to Renee Magritte, the master of illusions, dreams and the uncanny.

The Growth
Director: Sarah Cheok Ling Fay
Institute: LASALLE College of the Arts
Boy leaves home to pursue his ambition.

To Be Apart
Director: Jamie Goh
Institute: LASALLE College of the Arts
A pigeon tries to fit in with a community of Mynahs.

Reversion
Director: Yu Sichao
Institute: LASALLE College of the Arts
A creative young girl who fights to pursue her dreams.

Now Or Later
Director: Muhammad Yusri Bin Muhammad Yusof
Institute: LASALLE College of the Arts
Two train crew members need to deliver an ice sculpture across a vast desert filled with distractions within a day.

List of Nominated Films – Open Youth

LIVE ACTION

萍水相逢 A Time For Us
Director: Alvin Lee
A pregnant woman from the countryside travels to Beijing to purchase a Beijing Hukou (Residency Permit) for her unborn child through the black market. There, she was arranged into a sham marriage with a man who can’t express himself vocally.

Enlistment
Director: Tang Kang Sheng
Ron, Jacky and Navin hang out for one last night before enlisting into two years of military service. Through the night they reflect on their time together only to discover that the cracks in their friendship were deeper than they thought. This leads to an escalation and they will never be able to return to how they were before

Sarah
Director: Andre Chong
‘Sarah’ is a short film on a newly inducted Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight attendant who faces difficulty adjusting to her job. Together with her Filipino domestic helper, the two form an unusual bond over their conscious sacrifices of being away from home.

A Spectacular Sight
Director: Rifyal Giffari
A young woman, Lynn, is getting dressed as her family hounds her to hasten. There’s excitement outside her room and as she goes out she sees her family dressed and their faces are painted. Excitement builds as they listen to National Day songs in the car. However, Lynn’s father suddenly clutches the wheel and begins sweating profusely. The National Day parade plays out on the hospital TV. A sliver of the fireworks is seen bursting outside the window.

STILL
Director: Lee Jing Wei
STILL is an audio and visual journey centered on an old lady whom is forgotten by the people she loves.

You Idiot
Direction: Kris Ong
‘You Idiot’ follows Darren and Matt, two Singaporean teenagers at a crossroads of their life. On a night spent wandering around the city-state, the pair write a song about what is to come in their happy-go-lucky world. ‘You Idiot’ is an observation of a gentle and playful friendship between two young men, set against the backdrop of a relentlessly developing country that demands more from them than they can give.

SIN-SFO
Director: Leon Cheo
As they drive to San Francisco, married couple Angie and Danny debate a decision which will change their lives forever.

DOCUMENTARY

Trailer Boys
Director: Yusri Shaggy Sapari
Trailer Boys follows the journey of Muhammad Irfan Rafieh, a key member of Abam2 Trailer Singapura, which is a community of heavy vehicle drivers from Singapore. Truck drivers are mostly seen as uneducated and unskilled compared to the rest of society, especially in fast-paced competitive Singapore. This film explores how young truck drivers in Singapore such as Irfan find ways to break stereotypes and improve how society perceives them through their day to day work and their trailer club

White Gorilla
Director: Charles Packer
Filmmaker chronicles his grandfather’s life using old photographs, home videos, interviews, letters, and footage taken while following in his grandfather’s footsteps, exploring how we remember our departed loved ones.

Rojak Romance
Director: Christine Seow
In this documentary film, a young mixed-race couple (a Malaysian Ceylonese Tamil male and a Chinese American female) interrogate differing religious backgrounds, expectations on children, and meeting each others’ families, as they speculate on how to exist as a mixed-race couple in multiracial, yet CMIO- centric Singapore. Through Tinesh and Jane’s personal journey, Rojak Romance examines the history and identity of the Ceylonese Tamil community.

Corridors of Diversity
Director: Kevin Siyuan Ma
Filmed in Singapore, “Corridors of Diversity” is a multi-layered showcase of urban planning, architectural and day-to-day elements that characterised the urban image of this high density city state. This short film is a montage of communal corridors along various HDB blocks of different regions, subzones and neighbourhoods, of different designs, each offering a unique view that forms an integral piece of the Singapore built environment.

Religious Procession
Director: Dave Lim
Religious Procession is an experimental documentary film of public religious processions undertaken Hinduism and Taoism. In heavily contested and regulated space, syncretic religions intermix with each other, forming a curious mixture of religious harmony. Shot over the period of 2 years, the 17-minute two channels film compares trance, acts of penance and rituals. Weaving between histories and contrasting understandings of religious processions, the film throws a question at the audience: How do we build religious harmony in increasingly fragmented societies?

Trespass: Stories from Singapore’s Thieves Market
Director: Ong Kah Jing
Moving on is a documentary short film telling of Madam Hsueh’s return to her last home in Pingtung, Taiwan. The house built by her late father stands preserved in time, its items fading yellow under a thick layer of dust. As Madam Hsueh sieves through the belongings, sweet and painful memories bubble to the surface. She recalls her experiences decades later, scrubbing the house clean before the next owner calls it their new home.

回娘家 / Moving on
Director: Vanessa Tan
Moving on is a documentary short film telling of Madam Hsueh’s return to her last home in Pingtung, Taiwan. The house built by her late father stands preserved in time, its items fading yellow under a thick layer of dust. As Madam Hsueh sieves through the belongings, sweet and painful memories bubble to the surface. She recalls her experiences decades later, scrubbing the house clean before the next owner calls it their new home.

ANIMATION

Kingdom
Director: Wei Keong Tan
A lost man falls apart in a forest. The quiet, atmospheric terrain of the forest is undisturbed until a man comes along. Seemingly lost, he enters the unknown space, observing and exploring the area, before he starts to fall apart. Beneath the deceptively simple actions of the character lies a layered approach to his psyche, which hinges on isolation and a sense of belonging.

The Way Home
Director: Kai Lun Pang
Ana crash lands on a dangerous planet and meets a curious creature while waiting for rescue. When it ruins her one-way ticket back, Ana must learn to trust her newfound friend to find the way home.

Automatonomy
Director: Jerrold Chong
In a dystopian sci-fi society amidst social unrest between Humans and Automatons, an orphan rescues an injured girl from the rumble of violence. As they hide out together in a bunkerlike room, their burgeoning friendship gets tested as external forces threaten to fracture how one sees the Other.