2 feature films and 2 short films with Singapore participation to screen at 77th Cannes Film Festival
Singaporean talent will have a chance to shine again at the Cannes Film Festival. Two feature films and two short films made with Singapore participation will make their world premiere at the festival's 2024 edition.
The 77th Cannes Film Festival, held from May 14 to 25, will screen Viet And Nam and Mongrel. Mongrel is helmed by Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang and both films are co-produced by Singaporean producer Lai Weijie.
Both films were awarded grants from the Singapore Film Commission (SFC) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), said IMDA in a press release on Thursday (May 2).
Viet And Nam by Vietnamese director Truong Minh Quy will be screened in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, which presents films with unusual styles and non-traditional stories.
The drama follows the story of two young miners, Nam and Viet, as they embark on a journey to find the remains of Nam’s father. Meanwhile, Mongrel has been selected for Directors’ Fortnight, an independent section that presents adventurous works simultaneously with the main festival. Also a drama, the film follows Oom, a caretaker who has no papers or formal training, as he chooses between survival and dignity after the mountains become too much for him.
“For years now, I have put all my energy and time towards this film, and I am excited to finally share it with the world. I hope that Mongrel’s selection at Directors’ Fortnight will help this film find its audience around the world,” said director Chiang Wei Liang.
The short films, both of which are directed by Singaporean filmmakers, are Withered Blossoms by Lionel Seah and Cold Cut by Tan Siyou.
Withered Blossoms follows a young woman visiting her grandmother after trying to evade and conceal her separation from a long-term partner.
It was selected out of over 2,260 submissions from film schools worldwide to compete in the La Cinef (formerly Cinefondation), a section catered specially for young filmmakers and students.
Cold Cut will be screening as part of a special programme under Directors’ Fortnight, the Directors Factory Philippines project. The short film follows 19-year-old student Joy, who is about to compete at the local talent show, when a mysterious butcher “takes her to unknown horizons”.
“For more than 25 years, the Singapore Film Commission has been nurturing our promising young local directors and film talents, enabling them to showcase their flair and passion in telling universally appealing stories on the global stage. To date, we have had over 30 projects by Singaporeans premiering at the Cannes Film Festival,” said IMDA’s Assistant Chief Executive of Media, Innovation, Communications and Marketing, Justin Ang.
Last year, three feature films made with Singapore involvement made their world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. They are The Breaking Ice by Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, Tiger Stripes by Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu and Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell by Vietnamese filmmaker Pham Thien An. The latter two were co-produced by Singapore companies and partly funded by grants from SFC and IMDA.
