The Ninth Wave

This is a NYU Tisch Asia short film I acted in with Kelly Lim back in 2013. It was shot at the Peranakan quarters of Joo Chiat in Singapore. A lot of emphasis on the culture and colours of the place.  This is where I get to speak English, Malay and Cantonese in one film.

The story is about a man who realises that he needs to exit the stale marriage he is stuck in, after stumbling on a discarded painting by the bin.

Here is the video:

For more of NYU Tisch Asia shorts in this blog, click here.

Reunion

"Reunion" (2013) - A NYU Tisch Asia Film, Written & Directed by Joseph Hsu.

- A family struggles to hide the demise of a family member from the matriarch during the Lunar New Year Reunion Dinner.

This is one of my favourite short films, rich in cultural context and acting. I love the last part - the revelation - delivered very delicately by Kelly Lim and Madam Low Heng Joo. This film won the Grand Prize (Student Category) in the 1st Taiwan Weifilm Festival in 2013.

I love the Tisch Asia scripts, as they are very thought provoking. Tisch Asia was the place where I learned a lot of acting from. The stories usually involve major transformations as the plot unfolds, requiring the actor to deliver a wide emotional range in a short time. A hallmark of good scripts. I wish their Asian campus is still here.

Here is the film:

This script is inspired by a true story.

Trivia: 

The Yusheng (a very Singaporean Chinese New Year raw fish salad) was prepared by my sister with the finest ingredients. It was very yummy. We finished it after the shoot.

Here is another Reunion Dinner tragic story I did ... click here.

2nd Michael Chua Evening of Short Films (2016)

Only 80 seats available at the time of writing. ADMISSION IS FREE!
Priority will be given to Lasalle College of the Arts students and the cast and crew of the productions.

NO MINORS BELOW 16 YEARS OLD.

Number of seats available will be updated on Facebook (about this blogpost).
Admission by registration only.

Register by emailing "Name + Mobile Num" to: Mysticmichael@gmail.com
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Once in a while with the permission of the copyright owners, I would organise a screening of short films I have acted in. The last one was held two years ago. 

Some of the films are available online, but it is better to watch it on big screen in the presence of many, and to understand more about the films and how they were made during the Q&A session that follows.

SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG IF YOU WANT TO BE INFORMED OF FREE EVENTS LIKE THIS ONE.

Event Details

ADMISSION IS FREE!

DATE: 27th February 2016 (Saturday)
TIME: 6.30pm
VENUE: Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore. Room F201

Directions/Map: click here.


Map and Directions

LASALLE’s campus at 1 McNally Street is located between Short Street and Prinsep Street.

By MRTRochor, Exit A (2-minute walk)
Little India, Exit A (8-minute walk)
Bugis, Exit A (9-minute walk)
Dhoby Ghaut, Exit A (15-minute walk)

By BusSBS: 23, 48, 56, 57, 64, 65, 131, 139, 147, 166
SMRT: 66, 67, 170, 851, 857, 960, 980

CarparkThe entrance to LASALLE’s basement carpark is located along McNally Street. The carpark parking rates as follow:

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Some comments from the previous 'Michael Chua Evening':

"Generally well organized, get to see film clips completely different from the cookie cutter style comercial films. Displays how budget films attempts to wow audiences with subtle messages that address bigger issues in life"
--- Larry Lim


"I really enjoyed the short films - interesting, touching, entertaining.....Looking forward to the next screening. Thk u Michael for organising it."
--- Sally Teo

"It was a wonderful evening with a mix of talent and art from the film fraternity accompanied by the actor himself. Great work and an even humble and down to earth person. Michael truly was the star of the evening:). FABULOUS WORK! ! Looking forward to the next meet up."
--- Sankeshwari Deo

To find out about the previous 'Michael Chua Evening' (2014), click here.

Thirteen selected films in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay. 124 minutes.

Restricted to audience above 16 years of age only.

List of Films

1. Mr Postman

A Ngee Ann Polytechnic Production

Directed/Written by Mohit Rajgopal

Actors: Michael Chua & Ronald Goh

A mockumentary of a father and son team in a reality show.

(In English, 12 minutes)

2. Dispher

A Singapore Polytechnic Production.
Directed/Written by Yap Wen Hui
Actors: Michael Chua, Patrick Ong & Daeng Amer

A night taxi driver tales surrounding a mysterious box and his dilemma.

(In English, 6 mins 21 secs)

3. The Collector

Produced/Written by Mark Alexander
Directed by Darren Tan
Actors: Michael Chua, Ali Khan, Cherie Tay & Kelly Lim

A psychologically unstable man who is compelled to confront his inner demons when he discovers a small music box that sparks memories of his daughter. 
(In English, 6 mins 58 secs)

4. Penghulu

Commissioned for the Singapore Writers' Festival, Utter 2013.
Story adapted from Pak Suleh (from Penghulu) by Suratman Markasan.
Directed by Lillian Wang

Actors: Michael Chua, M Ramlee, Nurijah Sahat, Syafiq Akmal, Shaquille Daniel, Husnen Nanaz, Robiah Binte Murat & Mohd Bin Razali

Pak Suleh used to be the Penghulu (headman) of his village, but five years ago, the government relocated his family to an HDB flat on the mainland. Life is very different for him, cooped up in this “birdhouse”. Without a village to tend, Pak Suleh feels lost.

(In Malay, 16 mins 29 secs)

5. Checkmate

A Nafa Production

Directed/Written by Willy Tan

Actors: Michael Chua & Amy Yan-Luong

David Lee, a man disillusioned with life, goes through counselling in prison for the murder of his wife.

(In English, 14 mins)


6. AFLOAT  斗鱼

A Ngee Ann Polytechnic Production

Directed/Written by Reuben Foong

Actors: Kong Ling Jing Sherry Tao & Michael Chua

Xiao Wen and her mother are a close-knit pair, but the former’s wish to return to their homeland remains only hers. When her mother’s new partner enters their lives, Xiao Wen decides to take action.

(In Mandarin, 14 mins)


7. The Next Plot

A Michael Chua Production and Red Dot Filmmakers 

Directed/Written by Michael Chua

Actors: Michael Chua, Amy Yan & Joann Wu

Kit Lee is in deep grief over the lost of his wife and the complications that follows.

(In English and Mandarin, 5 minutes 28 seconds)








8. 有情常在 BFF

A Production by Revelation Productions

Directed/Written by Kelvin Sng

Actors: Michael Chua, Hui Xin, Shawna Wu, Sun Yifang & Daniel Moore.

Xiao Hui lives her life like many young people, living a busy and hasty life, until an life changing event hit her, as a reminder to cherish the people close and dear to her, and that life is after all, beautiful.

(In English and Mandarin, 11 minutes)

9. The Piano Teacher

A United World College, SEA, Singapore Production.

Written by
Directed by David Boot 

Actors: Michael Chua & Edmund Heng.

The story of a once well established piano teacher, now in dementia. 

(In English,  8 minutes)


10. I Could Have Been Happy

A Nanyang Technological University, School of Arts, Design and Media productions.

Directed/Written by Anson Goh

Actors: Michael Chua, Linda Goh & Rosemary Lau.

A middle-aged man futile attempt to seek love and happiness. 

(In English,  7 minutes)

11. Last Week My Brother Raped Me

A Lasalle School of the Arts, Puttnam School of Films Production

Directed/Written by Say Peng

Actors: Michael Chua, De Zhong & Leeiann

The trauma that follows the rape of the daughter in the family.

(In English, 12 minutes)




12. My Father's Smile

A Lasalle School of the Arts, Puttnam School of Films Production

Directed/Written by Marisa Goh

Actors: Michael Chua, Yolby Low & Kelly Lim

A divorced man takes his son to a journey of fantasy and make-belief to mask the harsh realities of life.

(In English, 12 minutes)

13. Hua

A Ngee Ann Poly

Directed/Written by Derek Ong

Actors: Michael Chua, Derek Ong, Kelly Cheung & Catherine Ho

A picture paints a thousand words and more, much to his astonishment in the barn.

(In Cantonese, 9 minutes)


SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG IF YOU WANT TO BE INFORMED OF FREE EVENTS LIKE THIS ONE.

The Collector

"The Collector" is a tale of a psychologically unstable man who is compelled to confront his inner demons when he discovers a small music box that sparks memories of his daughter. This is a short film made by a bunch of fresh graduates from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Film Sound and Video School, while waiting for their National Service enlistment into the Singapore Armed Forces.

I love the atmosphere at the flea (thieves') market along Sungei Road. It is so spontaneous and uncommon in today's highly organised Singapore. Unfortunately, 'Sungei Road' will soon vanish to make way for urban renewal.

Crowd control was the main problem there. We had to hide the camera at a safe distance to allow the crowd to pass by and move on, so that they won't stare at the actors or the camera. Annoyingly, one of them followed us around and appeared in front of our camera several times, pretending that his presence in frame was just a coincidence.

The climax of the shoot occurred during the confrontation scene when a public-spirited man, not knowing that we were on a shoot, rushed in to intervene and stop me from snatching the little girl away. We should have kept the camera rolling to capture the commotion. That breaking of the fourth wall, incorporated into the film, would have been priceless.

Some directors are very quick to capture such rare windows of opportunities. To these directors, the camera would roll until he shouts "cut", unless the situation was life threatening.

I have acted in several films as a karung-guni (rag-and-bone) man. For more, click here.

For other films about father-child relationships, click here, here and here.

Some production photos:

Dinner - 180 Short Film Competition - Frontliners - Winner of Open Category

Producer/Director/Writer : Lim Heng Le. 
Camera: Rudyanto Akil.

This two-minute film took two evenings to make in the suburbs of Tampines and along the corridors of Temasek Polytechnic. It was an enjoyable production that went smoothly and one of many that I have worked with Kelly and my second with Ezekiel. The first with Ezekiel was just the day before (for  Comchest), though he couldn't quite recognise me with certainty at first as I was heavily made-up as a clown. :)

This is the fourth film that I have acted in that have won a competition/award within the last three years (excluding "ilo ilo", that won an award at Cannes, but one which I only played a minor role in).

Thank you everyone for your support and for believing in the work I have been in. For more details, click here.

Note:

The "180 Short Film Competition" was conceptualised to heighten the appreciation and encourage respect for frontline workers in the Cleaning, Security, Landscape, Floristry and Social Service sectors, and the important role they play in society.

Organised by the Singapore Media Academy (SMA) and supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) together with other industry sponsors.
See http://www.180shortfilm.com/