"Decades from now, these movies are going to serve as some of the most authentic cinematic documents of how we actually lived in Singapore in the early 21st century. I’m impressed."
- Ny Yi-Sheng (Poet, Playwright, Singapore Literature Prize 2008)
Synopsis
What if suddenly the water supply runs dry in Singapore?
This fusion of documentary and fiction narrative depicts the lives of foreign migrants as an impending water crisis begins to seep into their lives. With water, or the lack of it, becoming the central motif, this two-part feature length film takes us on a journey across 8 interweaved stories and 10 languages, as the protagonists, consisting of non-professional actors, grapple with this hopefully temporary discomfort, amidst their dalliance with human foibles, and their fantasies of everlasting loves and broken romances.
This aberration is a memento mori as the narratives grazed across the vague impressions of the racial tensions lingering past the 1997 riots in Indonesia, World War II, ritual beliefs, and ethnic discrimination in Southeast Asia which has been ingrained over generations and transported along with the migrant communities. Nonetheless, amidst the sporadic ventures into death and violence, sexual relations and sexualities, these are the lines of division that bind us to each other, in one way or another, as people survive through their crises.
Technical Specifications
DROUGHT - 92 mins | Color | with English subtitles
Language: Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Tagalog, Mandarin, German
FLOOD - 92 mins | Color | with English subtitles
Languages: Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Hokkien
Country of production: Singapore
Year of production: 2009
Original Format: HD Video (PAL)
Screening Format: HDCam (PAL) or DigiBeta (PAL)
Cast (Drought)
Sanjay Gautam | Gayatri Devi Mishra | Inder Kocher
Nathan Boenjamin | Agnes Christina
Giovanni Lombardo | Sofia Lombardo | Giulio Lombardo | Elia Lombardo
Faridah Bte Abdul Hamid | Anke Liebnitz
Richel T Hidalgo | Consulta Gian Carlo | Teresa Cua
Cast (Flood)
Sean Lee Puay Yang | Ng Lee Eng | Rose Marie Lee | Chin Kean Kok
Shin Hye Jung | Kim Yeon Jung | Shawn Kiyotaka Fukuzaki
Adelyn Leong | Sayid Wijilianto Utomo
Rattanan Channoi | Pacheun Maleipan | Wazini Masmintrachaiyanara
Xiao Jing | Zheng Mengtian | Kent Chan
Production Team
Director of Photography : Sharon Loh
Editor : Ming An
Production Designers : Chin Kean Kok , Looi Wan Ping
Assistant Director : Swee Wee Keong
Sound Recordist : Kent Chan
Camera Assistant : Looi Wan Ping
Set Photographer : Han Tan
Singing : Zheng Mengtian
Music : Indra Perkasa, Arief Yudhanto
Sound Post : Takuya Katsu
Colourist : Max Chia
Colour Supervisor : Han Tan
Online Post Producer : Fabian Tan
Post House : Iceberg Design Singapore
Producer : Sunny Yong
Co-Producer : Tan Bee Thiam
Director & Writer : Sherman Ong
Production Companies: Paddy Pictures | 13 Little Pictures | Studio Shermano
Generously supported by:
Singapore Biennale 2008
National Arts Council Singapore
Iceberg Design Singapore
Singapore Film Commission
Asian Film Archive Singapore
The Substation Singapore
Press/Sales Enquiries Contact:
Sherman ONG
ben [at] shermanong [dot] com
www.shermanong.com
TAN Bee Thiam
13 Little Pictures
bthiam [at] gmail [dot] com
+65 9768 9986
www.13littlepictures.com
