First Take is a popular monthly screening of new local short films, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. A platform for new filmmakers and anyone who is interested in filmmaking to meet, exchange ideas and show their work. Everyone can participate!

ARTIFICIAL MELODRAMA / GIOVANNI FANTONI TODENA / 18 MIN / 2012 / PG13 A young actress has just arrived in Singapore and already wants to leave it. The taxi driver who is bringing her away will show her how beautiful Singapore can be. Giovanni Fantoni Modena was born in Milan in 1984. He took his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with a thesis on the anthropologist Rene’ Girard. His first short film, Olympus, was screened in the official selection of the Slamdance Film Festival 2010 and in the Milan Film Festival 2009. He has just graduated from NYU Tisch Asia.

CRANE / MELISSA TAN / 5 MIN / 2012 / PG An encounter is an unexpected experience. In this short, a boy is curious about a girl, who seems unappreciative of his efforts. However, we leave the audience as a third person to judge. Melissa Tan is an independent filmmaker who enjoys doing it at her own time. She has made shorts for competitions, such as Ah Ma, which was submitted for ciNE65 in 2011.

STANDSTILL / GAYATHIRI CHANDRAMOHAN / 10 MIN / 2012 / PG Standstill addresses a young man coming to grips with his harsh childhood. Wei Ming, is in denial and depression after the death of his parents. He compensates for his loss and loneliness with projections of their memories. Unfortunately, reality always has the tendency to rear its ugly head. Gayathiri Chandramohan picked up a camera in 2010 and it became all she had ever wanted to do: To tell stories in rich, vivid ways beyond the viewer’s imagination. She feels that she still has much to learn and miles to go before she can make the mark but she is confident that she will eventually get there.

WONDERWALL / NOR AZMAN BIN MOHAMMED ROHMAN / 3 MIN / 2012 / PG

Experiencing a writer’s block, a music composer goes on a mind trip.

The concept of a narrative has been an integral part of Nor Azman Bin Mohammed Rohman’s imagination since he was young. Since then, every personal creative pursuit of his is driven by an inner tendency to imbue some form of a story. He describes himself as an eternal student of the moving image, hoping that his audience will experience and ponder on his stories.

DOUBLE HAPPINESS / WU LIN FENG / 18 MIN / 2012 / NC16

Chuchu, a Chinese girl who was adopted by when she was 3, comes to Singapore to look for her biological mother. After getting fired by her racist boss, she goes to a funeral and discovers that her biological mother is a funeral crier. At the same time, she receives news that her foster mother has passed away in China.

Wu Linfeng was born in Hunan, China, Chairman Mao’s hometown. As the only child in her atypical single parent Chinese family, she had an opportunity to study in the United States. After winning a student category film festival in Germany, Linfeng realised that her unique Chinese background was the force exerting her desire to make film. While in the Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE in Singapore, she learnt about filmmaking and realized her stories. Linfeng completed her internship in an Advertising Agency in Beijing, China, as an editor, assistant director, and assistant Producer. She aspires to become to be an art-house filmmaker.