From 11 November till 17 December 2017

Level 3

ArtScience Museum is proud to co-organise with the Singapore International Film Festival a new film installation by Japanese filmmaker and artist Daisuke Miyazaki. Specters and Tourists is a two-part film installation that depicts urban life, and scenes from Singapore, as seen through the eyes of Daisuke Miyazaki.

In the first part of the installation, Specters, Miyazaki weaves scenes from existing footage into a new multi-screen portrait of characters trapped like ghosts, or specters, in their everyday lives. In fragments we follow them, as they oscillate repeatedly between life and death, human and animal forms, and feelings of bland uniformity and seclusion.

By contrast, in the accompanying installation, Tourists, two friends, played by Nina Endo and Sumire Sato, win a lottery ticket and travel abroad on a whim. Their adventures lead them to Singapore. Unexpected encounters in unfamiliar surroundings cause them to explore a new side of the city, and in the process discover a new side of themselves.

This inaugural exhibition of Specters and Tourists is co-organised by ArtScience Museum and Singapore International Film Festival.

Thursday, 16 Nov | 8pm 
Expression Gallery, Level 4
Free on a first-come-first-served basis. Limited capacity.

Experience this immersive, exuberant performance 'All Life is Tour' by independent sound project and art rock band, ARE, directed by Japanese filmmaker Daisuke Miyazaki as part of his exhibition Specters and Tourists. Live improvised music and filmic images of anonymous suburbs and everyday landscapes create a unique encounter for each viewer, moving in and out of life as both specter and spectator. 
 
Daisuke Miyazaki
Born in Yokohama, Japan in 1980, Daisuke Miyazaki is the director of Yamato (California), which screened at SGIFF in 2016. He is also one of the Berlinale Talents directors of the omnibus film, 5 to 9, which world premiered at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2015 and subsequently screened at SGIFF in the same year. His first feature film, End of the Night, was selected for numerous international film festivals and won the Special Mention Prize at the Toronto Shinsedai Cinema Festival.

ARE
ARE is an independent sound project and art rock band based in Singapore by Frank and Lily. The duo invites the listener to psych-art arrangements that sway between loud guitars, colourful electronics, and lyrical tales in impossible time. They have performed and recorded in Japan, Australia and Singapore.

This performance is held in conjunction with the inaugural exhibition of Specters and Tourists, co-organised by ArtScience Museum and Singapore International Film Festival. 

Sponsored by: 

3 Dec | 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm
4 - 5 Dec | 5:00pm

Expression Gallery, Level 4
90 mins | Free admission

Classification: M18: Sexual scenes & coarse language

Mandarin, Japanese, Thai with English subtitles

5 to 9 comprises four short films that transpire across 5pm to 9am on the evening of the historic Brazil-Germany match at World Cup 2014, spanning intimate vignettes of unrequited love and final meetings.

In China, a young migrant worker has saved 3,000 RMB to finally spend a night with a middle-aged prostitute, but she plans to leave the city the same night instead. In Singapore, a local teacher and his paramour from China are out for a rendezvous, submitting the fate of their future to the result of the football match. The Japanese counterpart centres on a porno-projectionist collecting debts from the punks for the poor. The film concludes in Thailand with the filming of the last scene of a sci-fi movie. Behind the camera, the director is suspicious of his leading actor and the actress who is also his wife.

Directed by Tay Bee Pin (Singapore), Daisuke Miyazaki (Japan), Vincent Du (China) and Rasiguet Sookkarn (Thailand)

This screening of 5 to 9 is co-presented by ArtScience Museum and Singapore International Film Festival.

Saturday, 2 December | 2:00pm

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Expression Gallery, Level 4

Register here

“Every story being told is an idea for rebellion,” says award-winning director Shekhar Kapur. This is no less true with his body of work, especially from two of his most famous and critically acclaimed works, 1994’s Bandit Queen and 1998’s Elizabeth, both of which courted controversy over his reimagination of famous lives in history. A visionary filmmaker and storyteller, Kapur believes that the fundamental idea to his work lies in changing ideas and perceptions. Find out more about his rebellious streak, the differences he sees between storytelling in Asia and Europe, and what he wants to say with his future projects during the masterclass.

Friday, 24 November 2017 | 3:00pm

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Expression Gallery, Level 4

Register here

Patterned like the music of Rajasthan’s desert civilization and unfurling like a folktale, The Song of Scorpions explores another mystic realm related to love - reflecting on possession, revenge and compassion. Anup Singh’s stunning feature stars Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, fresh off her Paterson fame, and acclaimed Indian actor Irrfan Khan as two individuals confronted by their desires, fury and fervor amidst the unforgiving sparseness of their homeland. Join us in this In Conversation session with the director and cast, and find out how much of their own passions radiate within the film.

With director Anup Singh and cast Waheeda Rehman.

Tuesday, 28 November 2017 | 3:00pm

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Expression Gallery, Level 4

Register here

In Christopher Doyle and Jenny Suen’s The White Girl, Hong Kong’s reimagined future is painted as a city on its last legs of authenticity before commercialization and gentrification take over. Essentially a love paean to their hometown, the film is a search for identity and space at the moment of its disappearance, drawn from their own personal feelings. Starring ingénue Angela Yuen as The White Girl and Japanese award-winning actor Joe Odagiri, we find out more about film’s conceptualization, the birth of the characters and how the film relates to Hong Kong today.

With directors Christopher Doyle and Jenny Suen, and cast Angela Yuen, Joe Odagiri and Tony Wu.

Wednesday, 29 November 2017 | 7:00pm

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Expression Gallery, Level 4

Register here

Clara Law is one of the most interesting directors to emerge from the Second Wave of Hong Kong cinema of the late '80s, creating works that are thought provoking, imaginative and honest. Diaspora is a theme that runs through a lot of her works. But more importantly, from the dispossessed and exiles, she goes further to explore the nomadic existence of the modern man, the alienation and loneliness of the contemporary human existence, and the transience of existence itself.  Her works can be described as a poetic diaspora - with concerns steeped in humanity and a continual search for the ultimate truth. In this intimate conversation session, we find out more about Law’s poetic narratives, her focus on the aesthetics of cinema, and the impact her own personal journey in life has made on her works.

Thursday, 30 November 2017 | 3:00pm

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Expression Gallery, Level 4

Register here

Oh Lucy! tells the story of Setsuko, a middle-aged wallflower who comes out of her shell after falling for her American instructor, John, played by Josh Hartnett. In this bittersweet and funny feature, director Atsuko Hiranayagi examines the idea of what it would be like if the “quiet one” in the family speaks up, or if the shy coworker becomes adventurous, seizing prime opportunities in their lives. We get to know Hiranayagi’s inspiration behind the film, how it was like filming in both Japan and America, and what were the casting auditions like for the colourful characters portrayed in the story.

With director Atsuko Hiranayagi and cast Shinobu Terajima.

Friday, 1 December 2017 | 7:00pm

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Expression Gallery, Level 4

Register here

Philip Lee has been involved in numerous projects throughout his career. From thought-provoking science-fiction, historical biopics, a video game adaptation and currently, a franchise series, Lee’s diverse choices in stories and directors to work with transcend the usual formulas of successful filmmaking. Instead, they focus on exciting works that are as original as they are adventurous. In this conversation session, we find out more from the experienced producer on what attracts him to a story, what his passions are and what he hopes to see in the future for Asian cinema.

Saturday, 2 December 2017 | 5:30pm

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Expression Gallery, Level 4

Register here

A celebrated figure in world cinema, Koji Yakusho has made his mark in both arthouse and commercial realms, steadily rising from Japanese success to international recognition. Whether playing a white-collar worker, a burnt-out detective, a powerful samurai leader or father to a rebellious teenager, Yakusho's natural screen presence is as commanding as it can be heartwarming to audiences and critics alike. In this celebration of his work as a cinema legend, we get up close and personal with the star and find out what drives him to continue reinventing himself in his diverse filmography up till today.