SCREENING

Imaging Paradise

Come ponder the past, present and future of what a modern utopia means to local filmmakers, and how one can better understand, appreciate and preserve our collective memory through film this August in celebration of National Day.

Featuring timeless classics such as Tan Pin Pin’s Invisible City, new classics like Tiong Bahru Social Club, and anthology series like 667, this film programme revives the little-seen past of Singapore’s rich tapestry of stories, while charting the uncertain future with no small measure of humour and earnesty.

FAQs

Films and Showtimes

667 (2017)

Dir. Eva Tang, He Shuming, Jun Chong, Kirsten Tan and Liao Jiekai
60 minutes | NC16 (Some Sexual Scenes)
Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka,
Cantonese and Mandarin with English and Chinese Subtitles

TICKETED ADMISSION

Showtimes

7, 14, 21, 28 Aug
Sun | 4.30pm

Featuring five short stories of the reflections, interpretations and perspectives of these Singaporean filmmakers as they go on a journey in search of their cultural roots and how they make Singapore home, the omnibus seamlessly weaves the past and present as generations seek to understand, appreciate, preserve and pass on our heritage.
03-Flats (2014)

Dir. Lei Yuan Bin
90 minutes | PG13 (Some Mature Content)
English, Mandarin, Malay with English subtitles

TICKETED ADMISSION

Showtimes

6, 20 Aug
Sat | 2pm

8 Aug
Mon | 2pm

9 Aug (National Day)
Tue | 2pm

03-FLATS follows the domestic experiences of three single women – an artist, a retiree and a trans woman – all whom live alone, and all of whom are at different stages of their lives in Singapore’s iconic HDB flats commonly built to house families. It records how domestic resilience might resist the ennui of mass housing, turning housing into home.
Tiong Bahru Social Club (2020)

Dir. Tan Bee Thiam
88 minutes | NC16 (Some Sexual References)
Cantonese, Tamil, Mandarin, Malay, English, with English subtites

TICKETED ADMISSION

Showtimes

6, 13, 20, 27 Aug
Sat | 4.30pm

8 Aug
Mon | 4.30pm

9 Aug (National Day)
Tue | 4.30pm

For his 30th birthday, a man's mother gives him a membership to the Tiong Bahru Social Club, a planned community dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. While he conforms to the strict rules at first, he begins to question the ideals of the group.
Invisible City (2007)

Dir. Tan Pin Pin
60 minutes | PG
English, Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles

TICKETED ADMISSION

Showtimes

7, 14, 21, 28 Aug
4 Sep
Sun | 2pm

9 Aug (National Day)
Tue | 12.30pm

Chronicling the ways people attempt to leave a mark before they and their histories disappear, 'Invisible City' director Tan Pin Pin interviews people — photographers, journalists and archaeologists — who are propelled by curiosity to find a City for themselves.
Lizard On The Wall (2017)

Dir. K. Rajagopal
49 minutes | R21 (Sexual Scenes)
English and Punjabi with English subtitles

TICKETED ADMISSION

Showtimes

9 Aug (National Day)
Tue | 11am

13, 27 Aug
Sat | 2pm

4 Sep
Sun | 4.30pm

Inspired by the first English-language novel "Inheritance" of acclaimed Singaporean novelist Balli Kaur Jaswal about Singapore's Punjabi-Sikh diaspora, the film surrounds the story of a Punjabi family and the characters' struggles against traditions and belonging.
Old Friends (2015)

Dir. Debe Hoo, Boi Kwong, Alvin Lee and Royston Tan
68 minutes | PG
Various languages with English subtitles

FREE ADMISSION

Showtimes

1 – 8, 10 – 31 Aug*
1 – 8 Sep

Mon – Fri | 11am, 5.30pm
Sat – Sun | 11am

*No screenings on 9 Aug

Food is the platter on which personal stories of ordinary people from all walks of life are collected, unravelled and served.

Just like an old friend who has shared or weathered significant moments with us, most of us connect to certain foods that comfort us and trigger nostalgic recollections of childhood and growing up.

By compiling these collective voices of Singaporeans, preserving their intimate takes of joys and woes, love and loss, Old Friends offers future generations a scrumptious taste of the past through our binding passion for food.
Old Romances (2012)
Dir. Royston Tan, Eva Tang and Victric Thng
66 minutes | G
Various languages with English subtitles

FREE ADMISSION

Showtimes

1 – 8, 10 – 31 Aug*
1 – 8 Sep

Mon – Fri | 12.30pm, 4pm
Sat – Sun | 12.30pm

*No screenings on 9 Aug

Old Romances takes us on a journey to experience Singapore through the collective voices of ordinary Singaporeans.

Through their voices, we hear personal stories from members of the public who shared their anecdotes on radio. Everyday spaces come alive with these special memories, which are bonded forever with these places.

Old Romances is a journal of love letters to places that we grew up with.
Old Places (2010)

Dir. Royston Tan, Eva Tang and Victric Thng
77 minutes | PG
Various languages with English subtitles

FREE ADMISSION

Showtimes

1 – 8, 10 – 31 Aug*
1 – 8 Sep

Mon – Fri | 2.15pm

*No screenings on 9 Aug & 3 Sep

Old Places shows us oft-forgotten, yet almost immediately familiar areas in Singapore through the eyes of ordinary people. Prior to the production, members of the public were invited to call in to the radio to recount their significant memories of places in Singapore – places that will soon disappear or be redeveloped.

These personal stories come alive through the callers’ narration and the stunning visuals that capture the nostalgia and hidden beauty of the places. Re-discover Singapore and journey to places like a playground in Toa Payoh, a barbershop at Commonwealth Avenue, Capitol cinema, and an unassuming bakery in Whampoa.

Old Places celebrates personal stories of joy, love or loss, and weaves it into a tapestry of memories amounting to a collective and yet typical story of life in Singapore.