 Forest of Copper Columns by Russell Morton, 14'35 Singapore
Rated (NC16)
In the forest of copper columns, a man performs a ritual of cleansing.
Russell Adam Morton is an artist and filmmaker. He is a graduate from The Puttnam School of Film, Lasalle College of the Arts (2010) and obtained an MA in Fine Arts from Camberwell College of the Arts, UAL (2012). His films have been part of the Athens Video Art Festival 2012 and participated in several group shows in London. His film, The Silent Dialogue of All Artworks was screened at the National Museum of Singapore’s 10th Singapore Short Cuts, The Substation’s 4th Experimental Film Forum and the Thai Short Film & Video Festival 2014. The film later went on to win Best Experimental Film at the 5th Singapore Short Film Awards. His second film, Forest of Copper Columns, has won the Cinematic Achievement Award at the Thessaloniki Short Film Festival 2016 and has been selected at several festivals in 2016 including the Thai Short Film & Video Festival, Jogja Netpac Asian Film Festival and Cine Pobre Film Festival. Bani Haykal is a sound artist experimenting with text + music. His work stretches across several disciplines including installation, poetry and theatre. He is a member of b-quartet, OFFCUFF and sound-painting ensemble Erik Satay & the Kampong Arkestra. Haykal has collaborated, exhibited, performed and toured internationally. He is currently an associate artist with The Necessary Stage.
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One Minute of Breath by Elysa Wendi, 12'15, Hong Kong
Rated (PG)
A dreamlike and contemplative journey as the protagonist holds a minute of breath under the water before letting go.
Pre-occupied with the abstraction of memory from place, time and biographical traces, Elysa Wendi explores her works in film and performative-act / installation. In 2008, Wendi ended her chapter of choreographic journey with ARTS FISSION as Assistant Artistic Director with 4 full-length dance works and many collaborative dance projects with the company locally and internationally. Wendi continues her choreographic considerations with cinematic presence since 2009. Her dance films were screened in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and Beijing under Jumping Frame Video Dance Festival, Singapore Short Film Festival, Romania Digital Art Festival and Pool-Dock-11 Berlin, International Video Dance Festival of Burgundy and Turkey International Dance Film Festival. In 2013, Wendi received a mentorship grant from National Arts Council to study with Chinese filmmaker Ying Liang (2013-2015) and co-founded CineMovement, a platform to promote dance film laboratory together with film producer Jeremy Chua in 2015. |
 The Mist by Liao Jiekai, 12'20, Singapore/Vietnam
Rated (PG)
Two women recollect the sounds and images from places in their collective memories in an evocative dance-inspired film.
Liao Jiekai is a filmmaker, artist and educator based in Singapore. In 2009, he co-founded film collective 13 Little Pictures with like-minded friends and made his debut feature film “Red Dragonflies” the following year, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Jeonju International Film Festival. In 2012, Jiekai was conferred the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore. In 2013, his 16mm film installation “Brother’s Quarters” received the Credit Suisse Artist Commissioning Award at the President’s Young Talent Exhibition. In 2016, his short dance film “The Mist”, produced as part of the dance film collective Cinemovement, won the best director prize at the Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen Awards. |
CineMovement is co-founded by Dance Artist Elysa Wendi and Film Producer Jeremy Chua, Cinemovement is initiated to be an artist-run platform for filmmakers and choreographers to explore the notion of contemporary dance film in a laboratory, residency and cultural exchange setting. Cinemovement aims to create an open platform whereby filmmakers and dance artists are able to collaborate freely and expand on their appreciation and understanding of other artistic practices outside of their routine. Through interdisciplinary exchanges, the intention is for artists to be able to experiment with new forms, expressions and aesthetics and communicate with new audiences. In 2015, Cinemovement organises two lab sessions for a group of 12 artists (6 trained in dance, 6 trained in film) to encounter each other's practice and collaborate. The intended outcome is for contemporary dance and film artists in Singapore to experiment, innovate and re-invent the "grey area" of dance film in a Singaporean scene and context. Encouragingly 2 films received promising awards in 2015, Smiling Tiger directed by choreographer Aaron Khek received a commission prize from Jumping Frame Video Dance Festival Hong Kong 2016 and The Mist directed by filmmaker Liao Jiekai received The Best Director Award in Singapore International Film Festival 2016.