Moving Images - What's Next

On Monday, we had a great turnout for First Take, as part of Moving Images (MI) that was launched in 1997 to promote and support film. Over the years, this programme has really been at the forefront of Singapore cinematic history, and we’re proud of what we’ve done. We’ve had the privilege of screening, and working with so many filmmakers such as Jasmine Ng, Sun Koh, Tan Pin Pin, amongst many others.

I care very much about film. No other medium can seize the nation's imagination and zeitgeist like film. We often forget that it's only a representation. We get immersed. Because it feels so real, it is often incredibly topical and incisive in the way it reveals our dreams, hopes, fears, anxieties. We worry about the big picture of politics and economy, but we are also individuals with friends, families, careers and bills to pay.

I remember watching Royston Tan’s 15 when it first came out. It was exhilarating, it felt dangerous. It was liberating, and it liberated my own sense of the possibilities of my future in Singapore. This, for sure, wasn’t the Tourism Board’s spotless, glass-clad, modern city of the East (and West).

Today, when we watch Mee Pok Man by Eric Khoo, you can still feel there’s something different even 20 years on. The film — you might critique its production, plot, acting — but instinctively there is something at odds with the Singapore story. Eric wanted to say Singapore had another version, one that involved prostitutes, hawkers, and people who didn’t fit in so neatly. Then think about why Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo struck such a chord not only with us, but a larger, more global audience. It's part of the nowness, part of the impossible conversation about the shrinking of the middle class, and the inequities that exist in this current political economy.

The Substation has always been a multi-disciplinary arts centre. Not only that, but we have always seen ourselves as a cultural hub, a place where intellectual conversations and counter-culture can flourish side by side. Singapore is going through change and uncertainty. But this time of change also means that we, as a people, have an opportunity to come together to take part in shaping our future. At The Substation, we hope to take on the big, difficult cultural questions that affect us, as a nation and as individuals.

Moving Images is very much cherished by the film community. I should think it is more of a spirit, and in fact, obsessiveness about the condition and possibilities of film. The Substation’s interest in, and care for film doesn’t end if we don’t brand our programmes as MI. Past February, we will no longer have the knowledge and passion of Vincent Quek, our current film programmer, but we hope our conversations about art and film don’t end there — not with him, or with anyone else who cares. We are still going to support and challenge art through moving images, it just won’t have a ‘brand’ of its own.

MI hasn’t been singled out in our renewal of the artistic direction. All genres and disciplines will no longer be programmed in silo, but in unison and part of a larger picture. As artists, we have real stakes in this country. The things we say as artists actually matter in shaping our cultural conversations. The Substation is going to work really hard to be a productive space for these sorts of artists. And it's going to work even harder to connect these artists to anyone who cares about Singapore.

There is a lot of uncertainty about The Substation. I’m sorry if it seems like we are keeping you in the dark. We have a lot to do not just in terms of artistic direction but also operational streamlining. We're working hard to give you more information as it comes: we won't have the full list of artists and shows, but it will give you a much clearer view. And that’s a great place to begin new and old conversations about what The Substation means.

— Alan Oei, Artistic Director

Vincent, our film programmer, wrote another impassioned account of Moving Images, that deserves your time too: https://www.facebook.com/notes/vincent-quek/moving-images/10153738170565873