Film Picks: Perspectives Film Festival, Animation Nation, Anora
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
(From left) Gyaos and Gamera battling in Gamera: Guardian Of The Universe, directed by Japanese film-maker Shusuke Kaneko.
PHOTO: PERSPECTIVES FILM FESTIVAL
Follow topic:
Perspectives Film Festival 2024
The 17th edition of the Perspectives Film Festival, titled Breakthroughs In Cinema in 2024, explores the world of visual effects, ranging from stop-motion animation to miniatures to digital deepfake technology.
Organised by undergraduates from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore’s first and longest-running student-led film festival kicks off with the Singapore premiere of Gamera: Guardian Of The Universe (1995, PG, 97 minutes, Nov 1, 7.30pm, The Projector at Golden Mile), directed by Japanese film-maker Shusuke Kaneko.
Known for his innovative use of special effects, Kaneko tells the story of a teenage girl who shares a bond with Gamera, an ancient guardian resembling a giant turtle. That bond becomes crucial after Gyaos, a bird-like creature, attacks Tokyo.
The film employed suitmation, a live-action technique that uses an actor in a monster suit. This film, to be screened in a restored 4K format, was critically praised for Kaneko’s skilful blending of classic suitmation with modern visual effects.
Where: The Projector Golden Mile, 05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road; and Cineleisure, 8 Grange Road, 05-01 perspectivesfilmfestival.com
MRT: Nicoll Highway/Somerset
When: Nov 1 to 3, various times
Admission: $14 (standard), $12 (concession); a bundle of three films costs $33; individual tickets to Gamera: Guardian Of The Universe are $16 (premium) or $14 (concession); Festival Pass is available for $72
Info:
Animation Nation 2024
Animation Nation, Singapore’s longest-running animation festival, is currently running till Nov 3 with a vibrant celebration of animated works. Organised by the Singapore Film Society, 2024’s has a line-up with Japan as the country of focus and “Discover” as the theme for its 20th anniversary.
Film enthusiasts can look forward to daily screenings at the ArtScience Cinema, featuring a Student Showcase of works from world-renowned animation schools such as Aardman Academy, Savannah College of Art and Design and Gobelins Paris.
The ArtScience After Dark programme offers a selection of international short films, including the Oscar-nominated Israeli-French work Letter To A Pig (2022), directed by Israeli film-maker and visual artist Tal Kantor. It tells the story of a schoolgirl who, after hearing the recollections of a Holocaust survivor, drifts into a dream in which she deals with questions of trauma and identity.
The Oscar-nominated Israeli-French work Letter To A Pig (2022) is directed by Israeli film-maker and visual artist Tal Kantor.
PHOTO: ANIMATION NATION
Animation Nation closes on a high note with the South-east Asia premiere of Miyazaki, Spirit Of Nature (2024) at Golden Village Suntec on Nov 30 and Dec 1.
This documentary, which debuted at the Venice International Film Festival, explores the profound connection between acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki and nature, offering insights into the environmental themes in his iconic works. Tickets for Miyazaki, Spirit Of Nature at $16.50 (standard) are available at str.sg/wToW3
Where: ArtScience Museum, 6 Bayfront Avenue; Golden Village Suntec, 03-37, 3 Temasek Boulevard www.animation-nation.co
MRT: Bayfront/Esplanade
When: Until Nov 3; closing film screens on Nov 30 and Dec 1
Admission: Many events are free; go to the festival website for details on ticketed events
Info:
Anora (R21)
139 minutes, opens on Oct 31
★★★★☆
Sex worker Ani (Mikey Madison) marries Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the debauched son of a Russian oligarch, after a whirlwind romance. When Ivan’s disapproving parents send thugs after the couple, a wild chase ensues through New York’s Russian and Ukrainian neighbourhoods.
Mikey Madison (left) and Mark Eydelshteyn (right) in Anora.
PHOTO: UIP
Film-maker Sean Baker (Tangerine, 2015; The Florida Project, 2017) crafts a genre-bending tale that seamlessly shifts from workplace comedy to romantic comedy to thriller. Shot in documentary style by cinematographer Drew Daniels, who worked on teen drama series Euphoria (2019 to present), the film offers a frank, unromanticised look at strip club life while celebrating non-conformity.
Madison delivers a magnetic performance as Ani, portraying her as both professionally driven – money always comes first – and emotionally vulnerable.
A masterful 25-minute housebreaking sequence showcases Baker’s talent for blending physical comedy with suspenseful, scary action. Karren Karagulian stands out as Toros, a menacing Orthodox priest moonlighting as a family enforcer.
