Singapore International Film Festival

1 – 6 Oct | 2:30pm & 5:00pm

7 Oct | 5:00pm

8 Oct | 11am, 2:30pm & 5:00pm

Gone Shopping is a satirical drama about how a nation’s obsession with shopping changes the course of one woman’s life. Clara, a 40-year-old tai tai (a wealthy lady of leisure) faces a mid-life crisis and decides to run away to the only place that has ever made any sense to her – the shopping centres. There, she crosses paths with an eight-year-old child abandoned by her parents in a 24-hour mall; an angst-ridden 23-year-old who avoids work and hangs out at the mall; and an ex-boyfriend who is now the manager of the bedding and linens department of a store. Together, the ‘creatures’ of the mall lead us through a journey of love, loss and liberation through the heart of Singapore.

Released to critical acclaim in 2007, Gone Shopping is the first-full length directorial debut of female director Wee Li Lin, who is known to be the most prolific female short filmmaker in Singapore. In celebration of its tenth year anniversary, the film is presented as part of ArtScience on Screen in collaboration with Singapore International Film Festival.

For more information on SGIFF, please refer to Marina Bay Sands’ Entertainment page or our Facebook Event Page.

7 October 2017, Saturday | 2:30pm – 4:00pm

Expression Gallery, Level 4

Gone Shopping is filmmaker Wee Li Lin’s bittersweet look at the intense relationship between Singaporeans and the space of shopping centres. When Li Lin made the film in the mid-2000s, Orchard Road was at its prime with ION Mall being constructed and the promise of more retail fantasies to be met. Our happiness as Singaporeans and the space of the shopping centres was, arguably, one and the same.

Today, Orchard road, the state of shopping centres and our relationship with them, has changed. Our panel will discuss what does the space of the shopping centre mean to us now and perhaps in the future. We will also look at the themes of fantasy, home, identity and individuality as explored in Gone Shopping.

About the Speakers:

Wee Li Lin
One of the pioneer female filmmakers in Singapore, Li Lin’s work ranges from feature films, shorts, telemovies to online/commercial content and has a distinct comedic and fantastical touch. Awarded as ""Best Director"" at the Singapore International Film Festival and receiving a ""Star Award"" at the Shanghai International Film Festival for actress Joanna Dong for her starring role in Li Lin's sophomore feature ""Forever"", Li Lin’s films have travelled to prestigious festivals such as the Tribeca Film festival in New York, the Cairo International Film festival, the Shanghai international film festival, the Hawaii International Film Festival and many others. In 2011, the Substation's Singapore short film awards presented Li Lin with an honorary award for her commitment to the local filmmaking scene. Li Lin is a graduate of Brown University (BA in Art Semiotics) and NYU-Tisch School of the Arts (MFA in Dramatic Writing). Li Lin is also a film educator teaching film related studies at various tertiary institutions around Singapore, something she enjoys tremendously.

Professor Chua Beng Huat 
One of Asia’s leading commentators on the sociology of shopping and consumption, Professor Chua Beng Huat has written and published multiple articles on popular culture in Asia. His book, Life Is Not Complete Without Shopping: Consumption Culture In Singapore was published in 2003. He is a professor in the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore and has held teaching and directorship positions at Trent University, Canada and Housing and Development Board respectively. 

Sonya Nair
Sonya Nair’s debut in Gone Shopping created a stir with her poignant acting and charming demeanor as Renu. Playing an abandoned child at a 24 hour shopping mall, Renu’s character is a reflection of the lost souls who seek comfort and fantasy in shopping malls.

For more details, please refer to our Facebook event page.