Masato is a young ramen chef in Japan. When he finds his late mother's journal after the sudden death of his emotionally distant father, he takes it with him to her native country, Singapore, hoping to piece together the story of his family and his life.
This sensitive and sensual film draws together several narratives spanning several decades, all of them transpiring in the same room of the same Singaporean hotel — and all of them involving sex.
Betrayed by the Dutch colonial forces, Arana manages to escape along with his nephews Jamar and Suwo, the newborn sons of Hamza, one of the last Indonesian sultans fighting against foreign tyranny. In 1860, after wandering for years on the plains of the American Wild West, Arana and the two brothers return to Indonesia to avenge their dead loved ones and punish the evil man who caused their misfortune.
Stranded in the Philippines during World War II, a young girl finds that her duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy.
In the Pacific, 1942, a Japanese soldier and a British prisoner of war are stranded on a deserted island, hunted by a deadly creature. Two mortal enemies must come together to survive the unknown.
When ambitious young correctional officer Aiman is transferred to the country's highest-security prison, he catches the attention of the seasoned chief executioner Rahim. Aiman's desire to become the hangman's apprentice is not only professional but born of an unspeakable urge to reconnect with a past that haunts him.
A single mother and her young son discover a group of dirty and underfed children living in a mansion's attic. Upon saving them and returning them to their families, she has unknowingly snatched these children from their adopted mother - Wewe Gombel - and must now beware her vengeful wrath.
Legendary singer Claire Emery (Deneuve) flies to Japan for a final sold-out concert. But when the show ends, so does Claire’s life on earth. However, an unexpected new life in the spirit world - where she will be guided by Yuzo, one of her biggest fans - awaits.
Three tales of love wrap around the true story of a blind and deaf woman named Theresa Chan. In the first an elderly shopkeeper is devoted to his sick wife. In the second, two teenage girls become soul mates and lovers. In the third a chubby security guard tries to find the courage to woo a beautiful woman who works in his building.
A mother tries to appease the moods and demands of her borderline psychopathic son. When a new girl comes to town, her son falls quickly and deeply for the new girl and is determined to win her over possibly even against her will. When things take a tragic turn, his mother will stop at nothing to make her son happy even if it means finding a bride to join him in the afterlife.
Liang Po Po: The Movie is a Singaporean film directed by Jack Neo in 1999. It stars the comedian director Jack Neo himself, who cross-dresses as the titular old lady, which in English is translated as "Granny Neo". Liang Po Po, a lovable 85 year old granny, decides to leave the Old Folks Home in search of a new life. Believing that she can still contribute to the good of the society, the determined old lady sets on a path where she soon realizes how her trusting and naïve nature can be used against her.
Animated film based on the life and stories of Manga writer Yoshihiro Tatsumi who revolutionised the art form with darker, more adult stories. The film animates several of his stories.
A journalist meets with Pob, a Thai ghost, who confesses to a murder. Finally finding an outlet for complaint, Pob explains how the murder happened and requests for his story to be published. However, the journalist declines and the two make a deal of a lifetime.
A group of underdogs form an amateur football team to play in a local league. The prize for the winners: a trip to the 2002 World Cup Finals. The team include a common man's hero who raises his two children single-handedly after his wife passes away, an ex-con with major anger management problems, a lounge singer struggling against his deadly nemesis - the karaoke machine, and a tender but tough tomboy. The story is built around the team struggle against the odds from no-hopers to title contenders. Through the game of football, the team learns not just sportsmanship, but life lessons that help them to mature as individuals, and ultimately, help each other to become better human beings.
A Pontianak, the vengeful spirit of a woman who died during childbirth, is awakened when a foreman and a construction worker attempt to bury the body of a dead girl instead of burning her. A series of unfortunate events begin to occur at the construction site.
In the evocative landscape of wintry Hokkaido, Monkeyboy (a young man in a monkey suit) searches for his stolen heart – but even the serene beauty of a mountain cannot redeem the failed connection.
A strange film that comprises as much fiction as documentary and actually transcends the genre of the mockumentary, the fake documentary. Its maker Toh Hai Leong (in reality primarily a critic) more or less plays himself as a cult film maker looking for actors for a snuff film. He rattles off monologues about film and all kinds of things. He lives like a hermit in a grubby apartment with his elder brother. They criticise the material and sterile life of Singapore, but do not really make their scruffy alternative very attractive. You could suspect a skilled actor was behind the figure of Toh Hai Leong, but local connoisseurs point out that in reality, he is no different. A confusing supporting role - confusing because of its authenticity - played by Lim Poh Huat, the extra who also performs in the short film in this programme. (GjZ)
A profile of Toh Hai Leong, the director of the Singaporean mockumentary Zombie Dogs, and his battle with Type 2 diabetes.
Johnny, a popular megachurch pastor, adopts Chinese Confucian values into his sermons and performs Shaolin-esque stunts as testimony of his strength from God. When Johnny becomes infatuated with Yang, his new disciple, it disturbs those around Johnny. Until one day, Yang goes missing.
