Discoveries from Singapore World Cinema

A man returns to his old country house to put it up for sale. He meets his father, and together they retrace their past.

Teenage Mei hides her sexuality while hooking up with classmate J, drifting aimlessly until she meets a mesmerising Pontianak, Lina. The bond they form reveals their broader yearnings.

A voice screams from the shower drain of a luxurious house. The plumber has two choices: hack through expensive tiles to save him or silence him forever with a few quick pushes of a plunger.

Amidst Singapore’s unending redevelopment, the golden legacy of P. Ramlee lives on as the Malay community continues to reminisce about his work, honour his achievements and sing his anthems.

Disaster Free is an AI film that speculates upon the shifting hydrological systems driven by global warming. Set in the near future, the film narrates a third-person account of the events leading to the flood of Singapore. It challenges the common perception of Singapore as a disaster-free zone, confronting the notion that we are distinct and somehow protected from the waters that surround us. The film follows Yuexi, a young Singaporean who grew up believing Singapore was disaster-free. As rising sea levels and storms ravage the island, she watches Singapore transform into a half-submerged city. Once-familiar places become vague memories, clashing with a new reality of floating retrofitted homes and skyscrapers turned shelters. Reflecting on the past, Yuexi realizes that the boundaries between land and water were never as clear as she thought.

Far away from home, the monkey king misses his family on his long journey westward. The other pilgrims try to help ease this homesickness in their own ways.

As the last evening on earth concludes, Joyce waits on the beach as the sun sinks into the horizon, trying to convince her friends to meet up one final time.

The making of tofu house film's 'holding your hand in public'

Forgotten and desperate for fame, Mr Pac battles endless visions of assassin J. Wick stealing a legendary lightning bolt that rewinds time. Joined by Bart S. and a Minion, he uncovers the truth: the visions are failed loops. To break free, Mr Pac must sacrifice the past and accept the pain of moving on.

A telemovie paying tribute to stepfathers, the unsung heroes. Before Faiza died, Erik made a promise to never abandon her children and her mum and care for them. Erik upholds that promise but it is not easy for Erik especially when the children’s biological father returns to take his claim.

A ‘break’ can be a moment of rest, a violent act or a deviation from routine. This film attempts to encapsulate the sights, sounds and smells of the local Kopitiam in Singapore. It's a space for togetherness, conversation or maybe just lunch. Images of consumption and decay flicker against arrhythmic, chattering texture.

Falsely accused of infidelity, Mahsuri, a woman of grace and purity, faces betrayal and death, leaving behind a curse that will haunt the village for generations. Shot in evocative black-and-white and presented as a silent film, Mahsuri pays homage to early cinema and bangsawan theatre (a form of Malay operatic theatre), where folklore tales were brought to life on stage. The film’s soundtrack blends electronic music with traditional Malay sounds, creating a unique fusion that bridges past and present while reinforcing the tale’s enduring legacy.

In a Cryptozoology club meet-up, two members representing Singapore attempt to find evidence of local mythical creatures before the presentation's deadline. It is only when all hope seems lost that they find out that the statue of the Merlion is alive, and attempt to capture evidence before the creature harms them.

After a long day, Kai returns home and finds a strange note warning there's no escape. Dismissing it as a prank, he enters the lift, only to become trapped in a repeating cycle. No matter what he tries to do, he can’t break free. Will he ever escape this endless loop?

Karter Thevar is a budding filmmaker. He dreams of making films in the vein of Werner Herzog and Michael Moore. One day, he decides to make his magnum opus: a poetic documentary. With the help of his friends Li Hui and Dhaarsini, he sets out to film the greatest film that will ever be made. But when things start going south on shoot, will Karter be able to salvage the film?

An old woman reluctantly leaves her house and steps out into a white space with a bell. She drags her house with her and rings the bell, causing a door and its Gatekeeper to appear. She struggles to pull her house through the narrow door, and fights off the Gatekeeper who tries to stop her from doing so. Eventually, she fails and must let go of her house to walk through the door. However, she realises that she can immortalise her house through the memories she has of them and she willingly moves on, letting go of her worldly attachments.

414 is a documentary short set in Hong Kong, a city where the dead and living fight for space. In this city, space – both size and location – directly correlates with costs, and discussions about final wishes are necessary but frequently overlooked and neglected. 414 unearths the cultural and societal hesitations surrounding discussions about funeral arrangements, types of burial and final resting places. The film invites viewers into contemplative conversations about the philosophical and practical wishes of the dead – past, present, and future.

Mdm Chan's first trip to Europe is documented on Super 8 - complete with a set of intertitles that capture her best insights of the Continent.

A short film written and directed by Arun K.

Documentary film about the people who live around the Mayon volcano in the Bicol region of the Philippines.

Waking up to be confronted with the sight of her Girl wrapped in tape, with razor sharp edges, a Lady is confronted with Girl's inevitable mortality. Following Lady's struggles to save her, we see her grapple with truly accepting the unavoidable.

1957 / Salah Sangka / Misunderstanding / B. N. Rao / Keris

During the partition of British India in 1947, Hindu Sindhis were compelled to leave the land that has now become Pakistan. However, as the indigenous people of Sindh, both Muslim and Hindu Sindhis shared a rich and unique cultural heritage, blending Hindu, Islamic, Persian, and Greek influences in their traditions, language, and even religious practices. This distinct identity often left Hindu Sindhis feeling out of place in independent India. Amid rising nationalism and growing divisions, this film seeks to document the fading yet remarkable culture of the Sindhi people. Through intimate interviews with members of a large Sindhi family now living in Japan, America, and Singapore, it explores questions of identity, belonging, and how both their adopted homelands and their Sindhi heritage continue to evolve and coexist.

Happy Chaos

When a group of four children discovers a mysterious phenomenon in the form of a claw machine that can grant wishes, they start to play around with it, unaware that everything comes at a steep price.

Joan Hung is a 27 year-old visually-impaired para athlete from the Singapore national goalball team. Despite her happy-go-lucky demeanour, Joan faces the struggle of coping with her deteriorating eyesight, all while maintaining her deep passion for sports. Through sports like goalball and judo, Joan challenges societal norms, emphasising themes of vulnerability, passion, and perspective. Eyes Forward portrays Joan’s world, where she breaks free from environmental limitations to inspire viewers to push their boundaries and find their own form of freedom.

As an impending cosmic catastrophe looms, a father and daughter set out on a final, emotional journey to release their cherished pet terrapin into the wild. The adventure becomes a reflection of love, loss, and the fragility of life as they confront their deepest fears and unspoken feelings. As the world teeters on the edge of destruction, they have to come to terms with the inevitability and absurdity of the situation and existence.

In a world ravaged by severe water scarcity, a devoted father embarks on a desperate quest to secure the last remaining water for his beloved 7-year-old son. With the last of his money, he manages to purchase a precious bottle of water, a glimmer of hope in these dire times. On his journey back home, he encounters a ruthless scavenger who attempts to steal the water. A violent struggle ensues, leaving the father gravely injured and the bottle shattered.

After the reclamation of Pulau Semakau, the residents had to move to mainland Singapore. We explore the life of one of these former residents, Isa Talip, and his feelings towards his move to the mainland.

Grieving her lover’s death, Khalisah turns to a witch doctor who claims he can resurrect him. To prepare for the ritual, she follows the nauseating instructions from a satanic book and faces supernatural disturbances. Nearing the end, she discovers that the ritual will endanger her mother, forcing her to choose between maternal sacrifice or letting her lover remain dead.

Rubiah, a retired mother, is determined to get her driver’s license. Despite failing numerous times, Rubiah has never given up even for a second. Motivated by a desire to reconnect with her distant son Luqman after a tragic family accident, she dreams of reliving happy moments through driving. However, Luqman fears a repeat of the past and opposes her efforts.

A Singaporean family’s silenced grief over the death of an uncle parallels the country’s removal of diverse dialects and funeral rituals that conceal mourning.

Is a parent’s love truly unconditional? Joy and Jordon are the youngest of five siblings, and the only two left living with their aged parents. In between family meals and confessionals, we discover the four perspectives of living in a multigenerational household. With topics such as generational trauma, parental expectations, and familial sacrifices, we unveil a tale of love and neglect within the Gan Family.

Nearly a decade ago, Sherwin Tang’s life was upended when a devastating stroke left him afflicted with expressive aphasia. This devastating impairment left him struggling to form coherent words and sentences. As he journeys through life seeking a newfound purpose amidst his frustrations, he encounters several surprises and revelations along the way.

When her widowed father Karthik starts to date again, Nithya begins to reconsider her father’s relationship with her late mother. When she finds a song that ties her past, present and future together, Nithya must decide if she will choose to accept her father’s new partner, Sakthi.

It is the Hungry Ghost Month in Singapore, the gates of hell opened for spirits to visit the mortal realm. Among them was the spirit of an old man, and his interesting encounter with a boy.

Footbinding: the act of tightly binding a girl's feet, breaking her bones in the process, to achieve the beauty standards of the tiny lotus feet in Ancient China. Inflicted by the older female generation onto young girls.

After an anxiety attack at work, world-weary 28 year old Saiful retreats to his only source of comfort; the forest and its lone inhabitant — Buni, a mysterious being dressed in leaves.

A man who is forced to sell a phone, encounters a drunk man.

In this essayistic short, the quotidian lives of Singaporeans unfold in a series of collages narrated by a synthetic voice. Dreaming in Broad Daylight explores the tension between wishful desires and the mundanity of residents under scrutiny by the state

The Yu family is having dinner together, and on the table there is a bowl of live guppies and four fish dishes: Turmeric Fried Fish, Hong Kong Style Steamed Fish, Fish Head Curry, and Otak Otak – all made of tilapia. How did things end up like this?

Happily Ever After attempts to add layers of meaning to the ubiquity of wedding photography services. In so doing, the filmmakers adopted an ingenious methodology. Three wedding photography sessions are framed in long shots to provide viewers with unfettered access to the dynamics of a family. The unfurled dramas are further enriched by the sense of real time elicited from fixed camera positions, giving way to a story told beyond the narrative constraints normally associated with family dramas.

1955 / Chinta Abadi / Eternal Love / Jaafar Wiryo & S. Roomai Noor / Keris

A movie adapted from 1941 movie

1954 / Menchari Jodoh / Sweetheart Quest / M. Wijaya (Hsu Chiao Meng) / Nusantara [f]

An exploration of the lengths one will go to for love and how readily we will bury the truth.

Kerana Kau / Because of You / K. R. S. Sastry / Malay Film Productions

A Chinese documentary film about the Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese Army’s struggle during the Japanese Occupation.

Filmed in an observational style, BEFORE WE FORGET is the interwoven story of two Singaporean families and their year-long journey with dementia.

Adapted from the poem The Walk Back, written by Tania De Rozario – BEFORE YOU GO is a short film about two lovers pondering on their relationship on their last night together.

A son witnesses a confrontation between his father and an assassin sent by his longtime arch-rival. Filmed in sepia tones and seeping with sleepy suspense, this Singapore-style HDB Western in the vein of Sergio Leone was first screened at The Substation’s First Take in 2008.

In a galaxy far, far away, space grunts Pete and Dave are scrubbing hangar decks when they eavesdrop on a dangerous top-secret mission assigned to Agent Lilith, their superior officer - and also Pete's workplace crush.

At their first anniversary, a couple talks about their relationship only to realise that they have fallen out of love.

While being interviewed for a documentary about her deceased celebrity friend, a woman gets suspicious when the interviewer’s questions start getting increasingly sinister.

This story revolves around a group of short film makers whom get in trouble when caught by a gangster.

A grandma tries to recall the familiar stranger sitting next to her. With much difficulty and frustration, she weaves her hazy memories of the stranger together, only for her to forget them once again.