Tamil at Vancouver Festival

Vancouver, B.C. – The 3rd Annual Vancouver Singapore Film Festival will showcase Tamil content in its closing night screening on September 18 at the Vancouver International Film Centre (Vancity Theatre).

Singapore’s eight per cent minority Indian population is considered to be one of the three major ethnic groups after the Chinese and Malays, but is often under-represented in the Singapore film industry. This year’s closing night “Closing Trio” screening includes three films that present different slices of Indian life in Singapore: Scot Free, Durai & Saro and Certain Chapters.

While director Chia Pei Zhen’s Scot Free focuses on the escapades of two French tourists in Singapore, it is shot against the city’s predominantly South Asian enclave of Little India and features Indian background actors. Prema Menon’s Durai & Saro revolves around the hardships of two migrant workers in Singapore – a construction worker from India and a Filipina maid. The film takes a critical look at migrant worker conditions and the unfair treatment by employers that migrant workers face in the otherwise progressive city-state.

Menon will be attending the festival and will speak more about the film in a Q&A session. Abbas Akbar’s action film Certain Chapters focuses on Indian gangsters in the usually sanitary Singapore. Some of the cast, including Akbar – both director and lead actor in the film – were previously involved in gangs and were determined in the portrayal of their characters to deter youths from succumbing to the undesirable lifestyle.

This year’s festival aims to cross boundaries by presenting thought-provoking films that will challenge audiences and generate rich discussions. Filmmakers are of diverse backgrounds and origins, and a large selection of shorts will be screened to highlight the emerging talents from this vibrant and cosmopolitan city-state.

The multi-genre, multi-language two day festival will open September 17 with a remarkable selection of films that celebrate Singapore’s multicultural society at the Vancouver International Film Centre on 1181 Seymour Street, downtown Vancouver.

“Experience Singapore through Film, Culture & Celebration”
The Vancouver Singapore Film Festival (VSFF) is a non-profit initiative devoted to showcasing Singapore films in Vancouver. Targeting a diverse range of audiences, it aims to introduce Singapore to Vancouver’s multicultural communities through the creative work of Singaporean filmmakers, while providing insight into Singapore’s heritage, modernization and multiculturalism.

More information about the Vancouver Singapore Film Festival is available at:
www.vsff.org