ARTICLE
Five Short Films from '15 Shorts'
By Edric / 09 Feb 2018 (Friday)
The Buddy, One at a Time Shelter, Ali Baba, and Waiting Room unveiled at 15 Shorts at a private screening earlier yesterday. 15 Short is a landmark film project by local film company Blue3Asia, the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and 15 Singaporean filmmakers to support the SG Cares movement.
The 15 Shorts film project showcases lesser-told stories of everyday Singaporean heroes in the 1970s to the 1990s with the aim to inspire acts of giving. The films aim to raise awareness on critical and emergent social issues such as social isolation faced by the elderly, support of learning disabilities and autism, as well as the fair treatment of migrant workers.
Leading the 15 Shorts project is veteran filmmaker Daniel Yun. He said, "Some filmmakers and I believe there are Singapore stories that have not been told - especially during our nation-building years when the main narrative was about surviving the odds. We have a culture of campaigns, including campaigns to be gracious and kind. Some fo the untold stories will show that graciousness, kindness, and selflessness have always been there, right from our striving years. We hope the millennials will get to know the people behind these stories."
Shelter
Synopsis
Abandoned by this father, Aaron, a 17-year-old Chinese boy, is left in debt and homeless together with his mother and younger sister. They are forced to live in a tent at East Coast Park, against the backdrop of metropolitan, developing Singapore. The family meets a suspicious Indian man named Rashid, who claims to want to help them.
Shelter focus on a family's spirited fight against cruel circumstances, and how Rashid restores their faith in people. This film creates conversations and provokes thoughts about racial stereotypes and prejudice in our society.
One at a Time
Synopsis
One At A Time tells the inspiring story of Teresa Hsu, a well-known Chinese-born Singaporean social worker. At 67 years old, Hsu founded the Home of the Aged and Sick, one of the first homes for the sick elderly in Singapore where she worked tirelessly as the matron of the home before being made to retire at 85. Following retirement, Hsu continued to care for the poor in her own capacity such as by collecting old clothes for needy families and founded Heart-to-heart Service, a non-profit, informal direct-help service. Through key highlights, this short film reintroduces this icon to a new generation of online audiences, through charting her life's points and what shaped her relentless spirit of giving.
The Buddy
Synopsis
Hidayat is an 8-year-old boy tasked to be a buddy to his classmate, Tam, and find that he is frightened by Tam's erratic behaviour. Despite having Tam's parents and teachers dismiss him as reclusive and "weird", Hidayat chooses to accept Tam as different and tries to understand his behaviour and the two develops a special relationship. Although Tam's condition is not explicitly stated, the film addresses the topic of autism, and the lack of knowledge of this disorder, especially in the 90s. Delivered in the spirit of acceptance, the film aims to portray the innocence of childhood and centers on Hidayat's dilemma in doing the right thing for his friend.
Waiting Room
Synopsis
Waiting Room tells the story of Tommy Yu, a man who opens up his life and hope to help those who are all alone in their last hour, as they move from the world of the living to the world of the dead.
The film is a poetic reflection on death and friendship. It intertwines the moments of the dead and the living, by ritualising the day-to-day gestures that Tommy extends as part of his giving, together with the space and time that is inhabited by the people who pass away. This film shows the human bond between Tommy and those who left, through the simplicity of his gestures.
Ali Baba
Synopsis
In 1997, journalist Augustine Pang braves the risks of breaking the news of an illegal immigrant left for dead by this employer in the forested areas of Singapore. In a time when stories of migrant workers were still largely untold, Augustine challenges convention in the newsroom, and his life is forever changed by the experience.
This film portrays the dilemma that we often face in life; choosing to embark on the right path or the easier one. Augustine's persistence to stand up for minorities in our community is both touching and bold.
Check out all 15 films on www.15shorts.com following their release.