Detour

Written/Directed by Michael Kam
Produced by Mabelyn Ow
Shot by Amandi Wong
Edited by Alicia Lim

"Detour" has been selected in October 2013, for the 23rd edition of the Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival – Curta Cinema 2013 in Brazil (http://curtacinema.com.br/) International Competition programme.

I played the role of the impatient taxi-driver father who on a steamy hot day ferrying his boys around unwittingly led them into the unexpected. 

The dialogue is in the Southern Chinese Fujian dialect of Hokkien, which the boys didn't know how to speak and had to learn it during the rehearsals. I think they do brilliantly well as two loving but yet squabbling brothers, who in their hearts of hearts, want to care for each other.

Here is the trailer...

Post Scriptum:

DETOUR won the Best Short Film Award of the International Short Films Competition, at the

32sd IFF of Uruguay (2014)

"Detour" won 4 categories of the 5th Singapore Short Film Awards - Best Fiction, Best Director, Best Performance (Michael Chua, Presley Lim & Yolby Low) and Best Script. The full schedule and details of screenings for the nominated films should probably be up soon at The Substation's website (www.substation.org).

"Detour" screened at the 13th Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short & Animation Films over in India from 3 to 9 Feb '14. (http://miff.in)

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/

Hired & Fired, episode 2

With Wendy Toh 

Watch me as I morph into a nasty boss in:

"Hired & Fired"

Monday 18th November 2013, 10pm

Mediacorp Channel 5

This is a docu-drama series that portrays the malpractices that occur in the workplace. This episode educates viewers about the prejudice against pregnant women and the reluctance of companies to incur the overheads of maternity leave and benefits.

The office scene was at Golden Mile Shopping Centre, some called "Little Bangkok" (of Singapore) with delicious Thai curry and retail shops. We chanced upon a friendly garment shop next door that was kind enough to lend us some extra clothes as costumes for the actresses. Thank you so much.

Stop Press:
After the broadcast of episode 1, Mediacorp has decided to take the series off-air.

 

Surreality in the Act.

There are times when the story gets surprisingly surreal -  stories so close to my life that I get into character in an instance. But to have the story appearing right next to me is another matter and outright ridiculous. Here are some surprising coincidents:

Story One: Right next to the apartment where I played the role of the Karung-guni man (rag-and-bone man), is an apartment where an old man stored the house with mountains of junk right up to his living room. He is more than likely a real Karung-guni man!

Story Two: In a video about "Pandemic", I acted as a hawker who persisted to cook and prepare food despite being sick. In between the takes in the scene where my character sneezes and turns dizzy under the weather, I found a real life cook next to me preparing the day's food moaning about how he has to work despite being sick.

"Why are you not at home resting," I asked. "Nobody else here knows how to prepare the dishes," said he.

Well...

With Wendy Toh.

Story Three: In a TV docu-drama about unfair dismissal and draconian bosses, in the office where we used as location, there was a prominent slogan on the wall that speaks to the effect of:

"If you do not work hard today, you will be working hard to find a job tomorrow."

It is arguable if the slogan is meant to be motivational. My guess is that a truly motivational environment needn't be explicitly reminding their folks with such intimidating slogans. What do you think? 

But,... all is good! It goes to show that they got the stories right and that some people really need to be educated on some issues.

In Cold Blood Season 3 Episode 8

Mediacorp Channel 5 

10 pm, 7th October 2013.

 

In this episode, someone is going to die during the familiar HDB Residents' party. It is based on a true story, so watch it and see if you can figure out Whodunnit!!!!  

The plot unravels the surprising intensity inside the petty minds of some volunteers and RC members that leads to the tragedy; ironically amid their quest to serve and better the community.

This is one of the most enjoyable shoots I have done to date, with lots of laughter and twisted humour, particularly from our star, Henry Heng. :)  The happy chatters persisted via WhatsApp beyond the end of the shoot at 11pm... until I had to switch off the phone at midnight to catch up with some sleep.

For those who have missed the programme on TV, here it is:

Justice Devil - The Big Project

The Big Project is on to get the BIGini girl, as The New Paper likes to call her, back to shape - the healthy way! This is no anorexia, so Ris will continue to eat, and eat ... :)

Wearing my fitness trainer hat.

I didn't know that becoming a co-producer will require so much more, but now I do. The Project starts today.

We will be keeping tabs on her progress...  :)

"Justice Devil" is going through the Singapore Media Development Authority's (MDA) rating process now. We hope to launch it by the end of October 2013. We will keep you informed.

As of Singapore Time 0935H 23rd September 2013, our trailer has reached 120,363 hits since 4th September 2013. It increased exponentially since the media interviews. Our daily hits now is about 10,000 a day. So there must be something that we are doing right. :)

Also, thanks to your valuable feedback about the sound peaking in the trailer. We are aware of that and have corrected that in the movie per se. 

Thank you for making "Justice Devil" a devil of a hit!

For all "Justice Devil" posts, click here.

American Dreams in China

"American Dreams in China", directed by Peter Chan, is about three young men who grew up yearning to make it to the US for the American dream during the post-Mao era when China was going through sweeping economic reforms. As it resulted, only one of them, Meng Xiaojun (played by Deng Chao), managed to pass the visa interviews and board the plane to America. Ironically, after facing many trials and tribulations in the States, Meng returns later to join the other two, who had remained, to make their 'American Dream' happen in China. 

The film depicts the lead characters' struggles between the old system of communist education and bureaucracy versus the free market economy which is creeping into China at a breathtaking pace in the 1980s. Together with the opening up of the Chinese economy came the need to speak English and embrace the free market as espoused by the flagship of America, the Chinese people's symbol of freedom and prosperity, at that time.

The story of "American Dreams in China" is the epitome of the determination and sacrifice of the Chinese people to achieve what they want when opportunities arise amid relative chaos with the arrival of the free market. The motivation of the Chinese students to learn English and to do well in the TOEFL examinations reminds me of my own days as a student seeking to study in the West in the early 1980s. Many of the accusations by the American academics surrounding their suspicions of Chinese students' cheating in exams, didn't surprise me a little bit. I have heard those prejudicial remarks and worse before, first hand. Watching it on screen still evoke some anger, but at the same time a delight that at last we have progressed and are able to beat the West in their education system and their brand of market economy.

The three main actors fleshed out their characters very well in the movie. Meng, as one who has been transformed in the US and is now back to teach his old buddies about the American Way.  His hard and harsh assertions clashing with the conservative Cheng Dongqing (played Huang Xiao Ming), thus testing the relationship of the trio who are as close as brothers. The disputes occasionally moderated by the Bohemian and carefree Wang Yang (played by Dong Dawei).

I would recommend anyone who wants to experience the story of the struggles of three good friends who go on  to build a business empire, to watch this film. 

I had the privilege to watch it during the special screening on the 10th September 2013, courtesy of Clover Films. Thank you. I love special screenings and galas, as they are occaions when happy people gathers to celebrate, and in this case, to celebrate an inspiring movie.