Dated: 6 May 2005
Singapore will be presenting a strong lineup of eight new film projects at Marché du Film 2005 (Cannes Film Market 2005) in Cannes, France from 11 to 21 May.
The films include the highly anticipated Be With Me by Eric Khoo, which has been selected to open the 37ème Sélection Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (37th Selection Directors’ Fortnight), a special event where legendary directors such as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Nagisa Oshima have had their films screened. The world sales rights for the film has also been acquired by Munich-based sales agent Bavaria Film International.
The other films, in various stages of production, premiering for sale at Cannes are 1942 (horror/action), Cages (drama), The Maid (horror), One Last Dance (a Chinese Triad-Mafia noir thriller), Leap of Love (romantic-comedy), Zodiac, The Race Begins… (animation) and 0430 (drama). The Cannes lineup represents films produced by Singapore production houses - Zhao Wei Films, Boku Films, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures, Aquafire Productions and Cubix International.
In addition, the Media Development Authority (MDA) will be leading eight media companies to the event at Cannes. Their participation marks the third year that the MDA and the Singapore industry are showcasing made-by-Singapore films and Singapore media companies at the Cannes Film Market, one of the key platforms for Singapore film-makers and producers to market their films world-wide and explore collaborative partnerships with international media players.
Commenting on Singapore’s participation at Cannes, Mr Seto Lok Yin, Director of Industry Development at the MDA said, “A month after some of Singapore’s best TV producers and production companies participated at MIPTV in Cannes to sell Singapore media content, an equally promising group of film-makers and media companies are now making their foray overseas to sell their films and meet international buyers, distributors and investors.
By participating in one of the world’s key market for films, the local media industry will get the opportunity to gain international exposure and showcase their vitality, creative talent, as well as the considerable production, post-production and animation capabilities offered by the Singapore media industry.”
The Singapore contingent comprises Aquafire Productions, Boku Films, Cathay Organisation Holdings, Cubix International, Encore Films, Festive Films, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures, Oak3 Films, Overseas Movie Distributions, Shaw Renters, Storm Pictures, Zhao Wei Films and the MDA.
The Singapore pavilion/Singapore Film Office is located at the Riviera, Stand F9 at Cannes’ Palais des Festivals.
For more information, please contact:
Yvonne Poh (Ms)
Assistant Manager
Corporate &Marketing Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel: (65) 6837 9894
Fax: (65) 6336 4142
Email: Yvonne_POH@imda.gov.sg
Tan Poh Cheng (Ms)
Assistant Director
Corporate and Marketing Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel: (65) 6837 9369
Fax: (65) 6336 4142
Email: TAN_Poh_Cheng@imda.gov.sg
______________________________________________________________________
SYNOPSIS
BE WITH ME (completed)
Produced by Zhao Wei Films
Directed by Eric Khoo
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 90 minutes
Format: 35mm
Language: Mandarin and Chinese dialects with English subtitles
Cast: Theresa Chan, Ezann Lee, Samantha Tan, Seet Keng Yew, Chiew Sung Ching, Lawrence Yong, Lynn Poh
A tapestry of three stories woven around the themes of love, hope and destiny. The protagonists are distinctively different, but their intertwining lives are defined by one similar trait –their need to love and be loved.
Contact: Mr James Toh, Executive Producer, Zhao Wei Films
Email: zhaowei@pacific.net.sg
1942 (completed)
Produced by Boku Films
Directed by Kelvin Tong
Genre: Horror/Action
Running Time: 85 minutes
Format: HD/35mm
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Cast: Hiroyuki Hasegawa, Toshihide Onitsuka, Seiichiro Okawa, Tetsuya Chihiro, Fumikazu Hara
A Japanese patrol gets lost in the deadly jungles of Malaya during WWII encounters the greatest horror of all.
Contact: Mr Leon Tong, Managing Director, Boku Films
Email: leon@bokufilms.com
CAGES (completed)
Produced by Aquafire Productions
Directed by Graham Streeter
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 115 minutes
Format: Digital/35mm
Language: English
Cast: Makoto Iwamatsu, Zelda Rubinstein, Tan Kheng Hua, Asrani, Bobby Tonelli, Dickson Tan
Set in the forgotten suburbs of modern Singapore, the attempts by a single mother, with a blind son, to escape repeated bad relationships ironically put her before her estranged and despised father - the man she most resents.
Contact: Ms Tania Sng, Producer, Aquafire Productions
Email: Tania@aquafire.tv or info@cagesmovie.com
THE MAID (completed)
Produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
Directed by Kelvin Tong
Genre: Horror
Running Time: 95 minutes
Format: 35mm
Language: English and Chinese dialects with English subtitles
Cast: Alessandra De Rossi, Chen Shu Cheng, Hong Hui Fang, Benny Soh
The Chinese 7th Lunar Month is a time when the gates of Hell open. Often known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, a Filipino maid arrives for work on the first day. All hell breaks loose.
Contact: Ms Chan Pui Yin, Senior Manager, Marketing and Distribution, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
Email: puiyin@mediacorpraintree.com
ONE LAST DANCE (to be released in third quarter 2005)
Produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Ming Productions
Directed by Max Makowski
Genre: Chinese Triad-Mafia Noir Thriller
Running Time: 95 minutes
Format: 35mm
Language: Cantonese with English subtitles
Cast: Francis Ng, Ti Lung, Vivian Hsu, Harvey Keitel, Joseph Quek
A stylised film with an international cast of icons from classic genre movies. In the rarely seen underworld and mean streets of Singapore, a killer faces off with the dance of life... and the dance of death.
Contact: Ms Chan Pui Yin, Senior Manager, Marketing and Distribution, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
Email: puiyin@mediacorpraintree.com
LEAP OF LOVE (to be released in December 2005)
Produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
Directed by Jean Yeo
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Running Time: 95 minutes
Format: 35mm
Language: English and Mandarin
Cast: Ananda Everingham, Li Lin, Qi Yu Wu, Vernetta Lopez, Nadya Hutagalung
A chance meeting on the 29th of February in a leap year, then seeing each other every four years. An English romantic comedy from Asia romances the whole idea of finding "The One". The One who is your destiny, but fate makes a U-turn.
Contact: Ms Chan Pui Yin, Senior Manager, Marketing and Distribution, MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
Email: puiyin@mediacorpraintree.com
ZODIAC, THE RACE BEGINS… (to be released in first quarter 2006)
Produced by Cubix International
Genre: 3D Animation
Running Time: 90 minutes
Format: Digital/35mm
Language: English
The story of the birth of the Chinese Zodiac... the journey of 12 animals, ordained by the gods and immortalised for eternity.
Contact: Mr Benjamin Toh, Executive Producer, Cubix International
Email: benjamin@cubix.ws
0430 (production starting July 2005)
Produced by Zhao Wei Films
Directed by Royston Tan
Genre: Drama
Language: Mandarin and Korean
0430 traces the relationship between Ren, an 11-year old Singaporean Chinese boy and his tenant, Jung, a 30-something Korean man. Told entirely from the perspective of Ren, this story of two very different characters is less about friendship than a shared experiences and appreciation of solitude.
Contact: Mr Low Yuen Ping, Director, Managing Director, Festive Films
Email: yuenping.low@festivefilms.com
.webp)