The Migration Film Festival '07
15th December 2007
2-4pm & 6-8pm
Pitch Black, 63 Haji Lane
Tickets: $8
To book, email Pitch Black at insaf@pitchblack.com.sg
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Film Synopsis
Foreign Dreams (Singapore)
Rated PG
By Elgin Ho
Duration: 7 minutes
About a letter home written by an Indian construction worker. Born in Hong Kong, Elgin Ho was exposed to the film industry as early as five years old. He is currently an undergraduate majoring in Digital Film at the NTU School of Art, Design & Media. Foreign Dreams was awarded the Silver Crow bar at the prestigious Singapore Student Creative Awards 2002 and has been screened in film festivals around the world.
Lucilla (Singapore)
Rated PG
By Loo Zihan, Boo Xinying, Lincoln Chia and Tan Wei Keong
Duration: 4 minutes
A girl, her maid, a strand of hair, a memory. "Mommy, if I don't need you anymore one day, can I send you back to your agency?" A young girl comes to terms with the reality of life after her maid/ nanny is sent away. This film won the Judges' Choice Award for Fly-By-Night 2006. In 2005, Loo Zihan directed three short films and edited two others, one of which 'Untitled' (2005), was done in collaboration with Kan Lume and was developed into his debut feature length film, Solos.
The Call Home (Singapore)
Rated
By Han Yew Kwang
Duration: 31 minutes
The Call Home examines the background story of one of many construction workers who seek employment in Singapore. The story follows Kasi (Soundrarajan J), a new migrant worker and his adjustments to life in a strange new world. The audience will learn why he's here, and how he feels the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Crossing Arizona (USA)
Rated PG
Directed by: Joseph Mathew
Duration: 97 minutes
Crossing Arizona examines the crisis through the eyes of those directly affected by it. Frustrated ranchers go out day after day to repair cut fences and pick up the trash that endangers their livestock and livelihoods. Humanitarian groups place water stations in the desert in an attempt to save lives. Political activists rally against anti-migrant ballot initiatives and try to counter rampant fear mongering. Farmers who depend on the illegal work force face each day with the fear that they may lose their workers to a border patrol sweep. And now there are the Minutemen, an armed citizen patrol group taking border security into their own hands. As up-to-date as the nightly news, but far more in-depth, “Crossing Arizona” reveals the surprising political stances people take when immigration and border policy fails everyone. This film was nominated for the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.
Breaking Labour (Malaysia)
Pending MDA rating
Duration: 20 minutes
The documentary traces the migrant workers who suffered in detention camps in Malaysia. It tells the stories of those who are still struggling in Malaysia seeking for justice. The documentary reveals the dreams of potential migrant workers and their hope of a better life. This documentary chronicles the quest for survival in and out of detention camps of migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. Presented by Tenaganita, a non-governmental organization in Malaysia that works towards the welfare of migrant workers.
Don’t Fence Me In: Major Mary and the Karen Refugees from Burma
(Burma)
Pending MDA rating
Duration: 30 minutes
The documentary chronicles the life of 70-year-old freedom fighter Major Mary On and her people's struggle for self-determination. Major Mary's charismatic storytelling is accompanied by rare, clandestine footage smuggled out of the refugee camps along the border between Burma and Thailand. The film reveals the Karen refugees' spirit and determination to survive as political and historical forces conspire against them. Check out http://www.fencefilm.com/ for more information.
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About the Migration Film Festival
Featuring films by local and regional film makers, the purpose of the film festival is to raise awareness of the issues faced by migrant workers during their employment stints in their countries of destination. Organised in conjunction with International Migrants’ Day celebrated on 18th December worldwide.
By: Migrant Voices
Co-organised with: Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) and Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (H.O.M.E)
Venue Sponsor: Pitch Black
We also would like to thank individual sponsors who’ve contributed to the festival.
For press enquiries, please email prashant@migrantvoices.org
