Chong Ya Hui

On an unremarkable weekday afternoon, the film follows eight-year-old Dawn as she spends her birthday planning the perfect surprise, only to be surprised herself.

In the near future, a filmmaker documents the last traces of life on Planet Earth. As his journey unfolds, fragments of the past resurface in conversation, giving way to invisible histories that begin to speak and unseen presences that emerge, rooted in the memory of a long-lost loved one. Through the act of capturing and recording, he attempts to grasp loss and impermanence.

“10-0” delves into the fleeting nature of life and the importance of family, seen through the perspective of Esther, an embalmer who seems to have it all. When a dead woman she embalms comes alive, pleading to relay her last words to her daughter, Esther helps by recording her message. The realisation that she could do something profound in her life renders her busy in her work life, making her unavailable to her family. In the end, she grapples with the consequences of such a choice and embalms one of them.

Mei Qi, a spirited 12-year-old girl from a lower-income neighbourhood in Singapore, earns her place into a prestigious all-girls secondary school. Surrounded by girls of better backgrounds, Mei Qi feels self-conscious as she struggles to relate with her classmates. On this first day of school, Mei Qi realises that the world is bigger than her own backyard.

In a city where success is measured by your proximity to the Central Business District, Straightfaced Nonsense offers a playful act of rebellion. Lines between memory, myth, and mischief blur as childhood is reimaged through absurd imagery. After all, we try our best to fit into a mould never made for us.

A cow appears in the dormitory, leaving the migrant workers confused. Amidst the events, Murthi, their lorry driver, discovers an uncanny connection between the cow and his best friend, Murugan.