The programme highlights the collective’s exploratory
approach to film techniques, genres and mysterious subjects.
Many of the films reveal the bonds that shape human
relationships, from monetary and material exchanges to ideas
of karma and redemption. Written and spoken texts are used
to bring to the surface hidden thoughts and to evoke the
presence of mystical figures. These moments demonstrate the
transformative capabilities of film: its ability to bring people
together, express difficult emotions, and transport us to
imagined scenarios and places.
The Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore presents
Spirits of cinema, the first curated screening of short films by
Singaporean film collective 13 Little Pictures, celebrating six
years of the collective.
Introduction
Tan Bee Thiam, Kopi Julia, 2013
Sherman Ong, Tickets, 2010
Wesley Leon Aroozoo, A lion’s pride, 2008
Gladys Ng, My father after dinner, 2015
Daniel Hui, Animal spirits, 2013
Lei Yuan Bin, An autumn afternoon, 2015
Liao Jiekai, Silent light, 2015
Yeo Siew Hua, 牛魔王 (The Minotaur), 2015
1 hour 25 minutes (approx.), no interval
Running order
Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore
The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) Singapore is the curatorial division of
LASALLE College of the Arts, dedicated to supporting innovative and emerging
creative practices. Through an annual programme of interdisciplinary artistic and
curatorial practices across the visual arts, design, new media and performance,
it provides a dynamic site for contemporary culture in Southeast Asia.
www.lasalle.edu.sg/institute-of-contemporary-arts-sg
13 Little Pictures
13 Little Pictures supports independent filmmaking through ideas,
collaboration and production support. The collective encourages diversity and
experimentation, and the development of vision. Since its founding in 2009, it
has organized three regional film labs and produced twenty-seven films. Many
of these films take inspiration from the personal stories of their makers, and the
history and cultural identity of the people and geography of Southeast Asia.
www.13littlepictures.com
Credits and acknowledgements
Spirits of cinema is curated by 13 Little Pictures and Melanie Pocock, Assistant
Curator, Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore.
Spirits of cinema is part of Singapore Art Week (16–24 January 2016). An initiative
by the National Arts Council, in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board
and Singapore Economic Development Board, Singapore Art Week reinforces
Singapore’s position as Asia’s leading arts destination. It is a nine-day celebration
of the visual arts, offering a myriad of quality art experiences, from art fairs,
gallery openings, exhibitions, lifestyle events and public art walks, to enriching
discussions on art and culture.
www.artweek.sg
Supported by:
Part of:
Image: Wesley Leon Aroozoo, A lion’s pride (video still), 2008, digital video, colour, sound, 8:07 minutes.
© Courtesy the artist
Spirits of cinema. Short
films by 13 Little Pictures
screened under the stars
Saturday 23 January, 8:00 pm
Films
Tan Bee Thiam,
Kopi Julia,
2013, digital video,
black and white,
silent, 7:04 minutes
One rainy day, Ikram brings his friend
and classmate Rashad home to feed
his stepmother, Julia, a blood-sucking
spirit. When Julia starts flirting with
Rashad, Ikram flies into a rage of
jealousy, revealing tensions in their
relationship.
Adapted from a short story by Faizal
Sulaiman, Kopi Julia fuses two film
genres—the silent film and 1950s Malay
horror.
Daniel Hui,
Animal spirits,
2013, 16 mm
film converted
to digital video,
colour, sound,
8:54 minutes
Animal spirits compares the
experiences of an American woman
moving to Los Angeles with those of a
Korean immigrant living and studying
in the United States. In the film the two
main characters frequently address
the camera, sharing intimate thoughts
and confessions through conversation
and written text. These confessions
reveal the impact of economies on
individuals, and the financial and
emotional bonds between families and
partners.
‘Exceptionally charming … Full of
sensuality as the spirit flirts with its
prey.’ Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Sherman Ong,
Tickets,
2010, digital video,
colour, sound,
10:20 minutes
In Tickets, cinema ticket seller Xiao
Jing reflects on her arrival in Singapore
and aspirations to become an actress.
Blurring documentary and fiction, the
film highlights immigrants’ difficulties
integrating into local society, and
their search for personal identity. Ong
filmed Tickets at the former Oriental
Theatre, a cinema built in the 1920s
by film distribution company Shaw
Organisation.
Lei Yuan Bin,
An autumn afternoon,
2015, digital video,
colour, sound,
9:17 minutes
A new film by Lei Yuan Bin, An autumn
afternoon pays homage to Japanese
filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. Shot in Japan,
it shows lingering views of recurring
motifs in Ozu’s films—trains, family
outings, and children taking pictures.
Known for his observational approach
to filmmaking in works such as 03-Flats
(2014) and White days (2010), Lei
updates Ozu’s style with his own sense
of composition, duration and pace.
Wesley Leon Aroozoo,
A lion’s pride,
2008, digital video,
colour, sound,
8:07 minutes
A lion’s pride follows the return of a lion
dancer to his ‘natural’ habitat in the
jungle after performing during Chinese
New Year. In the jungle, he hunts for
prey and meets a female lion with
whom he falls in love. A lion’s pride is
Aroozoo’s sixth short film, and reflects
his unique comic style. In the film, the
lion—the national symbol of Singapore
and icon of Chinese culture—becomes
a funny, humanlike character.
Liao Jiekai,
Silent light,
2015, 16 mm film
converted to digital
video, colour, sound,
11:45 minutes
In Silent light, Liao Jiekai experiments
with the physical texture of film,
presenting broken views of his
grandmother’s funeral at the Kong
Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery
and HDB estate in Queenstown,
Singapore. The sequences are
accompanied by a sound recording of
an interview with a woman recalling
her memories of growing up in
Singapore in the early 1940s. Shot
on expired 16 mm film stock, the film
literally brings the past to life, a quality
enhanced by its evocative sound.
Gladys Ng,
My father after dinner,
2015, digital video,
colour, sound,
15:38 minutes
My father after dinner is a semiautobiographical film about Ng’s
relationship with her father. Featuring
her father in the title role, it tells the
story of a man who carefully prepares
dinner for his children every time
they visit him on weekends. The film
was recently awarded Best Singapore
Short Film at the 26th Singapore
International Film Festival.
Yeo Siew Hua, 牛魔王 (The Minotaur),
2015, high-definition
digital video, colour,
sound, 13 minutes
A young boy feels worried after
killing a snail about what will happen
to him in the afterlife. Unable to
sleep, he seeks his grandfather for
solace. Instead of comforting him,
his grandfather recounts a mixture of
myths and fables that both intrigue
and frighten the boy.
‘When I was growing up I observed my
father’s culinary obsessions, and how
he prepared food for our family dinner
every Sunday. It was always a blissful
occasion, when the house would come
to life with joy and laughter.’ Gladys Ng
牛魔王 (The Minotaur) is part of a
larger collection of works by Yeo
that explore the Chinese concept of
hell. It combines horror aesthetics,
mythical storytelling and percussive
sound to create a sense of mystery
and foreboding. Yeo worked with other
artists on various aspects of the film:
Mark Thia, Mike Chang and Adeline
Setiawan made the mask and costume
for the Minatour, and SA(仨) composed
the soundtrack featuring Bani Haykal
on drums.