ASIAN RESTORED CLASSICS
Now in its third edition, this selection of Asian works painstakingly brought back to life and screened the way the film-maker intended includes Yellow Earth (PG, 89 minutes, 1984) by celebrated fifth-generation Chinese film-maker Chen Kaige.
In 1939, a naive Communist soldier is sent to rural Shaanxi, China, in search of folk songs to repurpose as propaganda. He finds his happy peasants and learns how brutally harsh their lives are, especially the women's.
WHERE: The Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Road MRT: Dhoby Ghaut WHEN: Till Sun, various timings ADMISSION: $13 INFO: arc.asianfilmarchive.org
ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL
Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Language Film and Academy Award nominee in the same category, the animation feature Waltz With Bashir (R21, 90 minutes, 2008) is a highlight of this year's festival. Film-maker Ari Folman's memories of war in Lebanon when he was a teen soldier and how his former army mates cope with post-trauma stress and guilt in the present day form the basis of the story.
WHERE: The Projector, Level 5 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road MRT: Bugis/Nicoll Highway WHEN: Till Sunday, various timings ADMISSION: $13.50 INFO: theprojector.sg/category/israelfilmfestival
3RD ANNUAL MINDS FILM FESTIVAL
This festival has, in the past, brought in films that challenge perceptions of people with intellectual disability and this year, for the first time, the event will showcase two specially commissioned short films, Rehearsal and Layang-Layang Terbang, executive-produced by film-maker Royston Tan (3688, 2015, and 12 Lotus, 2008).
Jointly organised by the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds) and the Singapore Film Society, the festival opens with American documentary Swim Team (PG13, 90 minutes, 2016). Three young men with autism live to compete in the pool and their struggle for recognition brings joy and heartache for themselves and their parents.
WHERE: Golden Village Cineplexes (various venues) WHEN: Sept 15 to Oct 7, various timings ADMISSION: $6 INFO: www.singaporefilmsociety.com/mindsff
