The new independent cinema
Programmed by Singapore Film Society
The new independent cinema
Programmed by Singapore Film Society
A FEELING OF MUSIC PLAYING （乐在其中）
Directed By OKJ | 28 Minutes
Experience the indescribable feelings that musicians enjoy. Immerse yourself in the
unpredictable nature of jamming, where musicians play together by feel. For musicians and
non-musicians alike, this short documentary serves as a bridge for them to experience the
wonders of music and play. Each session will be accompanied by a special guest speaker to
be revealed on the day of the screening. We invite you to join us with curiosities inspired by
A Feeling of Music Playing.
Sat, 31 Oct, 1:30 PM: Join us for in-person introduction speech and Q&A with director OKJ!
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
Classified by IMDA on 30 January 2023 as Exemptible | English with some Malay with English and Chine
Cast: Jeffrey Eng Chek Hong, Mohamed Faizal, Govin Tan, Choo Weikang Gildon, Tong Wei Jie
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
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ALICE IN THE CITIES
Directed By Wim Wenders | 112 Minutes
Technically, ALICE IN THE CITIES is Wenders’ fourth film, but he himself often refers to it as “his first,” because it was during this film that he discovered the genre of the road movie. (It would later become the first part of his Road Movie Trilogy, together with WRONG MOVE and KINGS OF THE ROAD.) It was also his first film to be shot partly in the US and the first to feature his alter ego, Phillip Winter (Rüdiger Vogler). ALICE is often compared with Charlie Chaplin’s THE KID. In 1974 it won the German Critics Prize. The German journalist Phillip Winter wants to write a story about America, but is unable to accomplish anything but a series of Polaroids before disappointedly beginning his journey back home. At the same time, he reluctantly agrees to take little Alice (Yella Rottländer) with him, because her mother (Lisa Kreuzer)— whom he meets in New York on the day before his departure—has urgent business to take care of there. In Amsterdam, the mother then fails to appear as they had agreed, and so Winter and Alice set out to try to find Alice’s grandmother in the Ruhr region. During their search together, their initial mutual dislike gradually transforms into heartfelt affection.
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
PG | German with English subtitles
Cast: Rüdiger Vogler, Yella Rottländer, Lisa Kreuzer
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
A WICKED TALE
Directed By Tzang Merwyn Tong | 45 Minutes
SFS is delighted to bring this experimental, psycho-erotic re-imagination of LITTLE RED
RIDING HOOD, directed by Tzang Merwyn Tong, to our very own independent cinema, SFS
Somerset. Chairman Kenneth Tan, who has long admired Tzang’s work, will moderate the
post-screening Q&As with Tzang, in person, at all sessions. A WICKED TALE follows a young
woman with a bizarre fascination for the forbidden, who meets a mysterious stranger in the
woods and is drawn into his game of seduction and manipulation. Told through a series of
uncanny and surreal montages, the familiar fairytale becomes a strange tale of innocence
lost.
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
NC16 (Sexual References and Disturbing Content) | English with no subtitles
Cast: Evelyn Maria Ng, Johan Ydstrand, Wolf Danker
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
IKATAN DARAH
Directed By Sidharta Tata | 120 Minutes
Mega (Livi Ciananta), a former Pencak Silat athlete who now works as a waitress, must
rescue her brother, Bilal (Derby Romero), who is being hunted by the most ruthless
gangsters due to a debt and an accidental murder he committed. The chase traps the
siblings in a village where all exits have been blocked by thugs working for gangster boss
Primbon (Teuku Rifnu). Now, Mega and Bilal must work together to escape the gangsters,
even if it means risking their lives. Director Sidharta Tata gained widespread recognition
after directing the short film NATALAN, which earned him a nomination for Best Short Film
at the 2015 Indonesian Film Festival. In 2023, he directed his first feature film, WAKTU
MAGHRIB, which became a box office hit in Indonesia, attracting 2.4 million theatrical
admissions. Following this success, Tata has continued to make internationally acclaimed
feature films such as ALI TOPAN and LALU MALAM PENCABUT NYAWA / RESPATI.
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
M18 (Violence and Some Gore) | Indonesian with English subtitles
Cast: Derby Romero, Livy Ciananta, Ismi Melinda, Rifnu Wikana
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
ITAM: A SUN BEAR STORy
Directed By Raymond Tan | 80 Minutes
Three years in the making, this remarkable documentary was filmed entirely in Sabah, Malaysia.
It follows the rehabilitation and release of a rescued sun bear named Itam. Developed in close
collaboration with the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, the production was granted rare
access to archival records, veterinary logs, field operations, and the complete rewilding process.
This access allows the film to move beyond surface observation into deeply-researched, character-driven storytelling. Combining immersive cinematic language with investigative scientific inquiry,
ITAM: A SUN BEAR STORY positions Southeast Asian conservation stories within global discourse.
His interest in cross-cultural identity and social issues shaped engineer-turned-filmmaker
Raymond Tan’s previous award-winning features, WAYANG BOY and THE WAYANG KIDS, which
respectively won Best Foreign Comedy Feature and Best Feature awards in the USA and Chile.
“This film is personal because it asks how we measure worth. In a world that often values scale
and speed, Itam asks us to slow down and see the dignity of one life. If we can care this much for
one bear, the compassion may not be that small after all.” – Director Raymond Tan
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
PG | English, Mandarin & Malay with English subtitles
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
EARTHQUAKE
Directed By Mark Robson | 129 Minutes
When a major earthquake hits Los Angeles, the various residents of the city cope with the chaos and destruction. Successful architect Stewart Graff argues with his demanding wife,
Remy Royce-Graff, as the disaster hits. Later, when he checks in on his flirtatious friend Denise
Marshall, they begin an affair. As the personal dramas continue, the city is threatened by aftershocks and possibly even greater quakes.
EARTHQUAKE set and defined new standards for blockbuster disaster epics in the 1970s, and is noteworthy also for being the first feature film to have been presented “in the startling new multi-dimension of Sensurround”. At the time, the realistic effects that could be felt as well as heard, throughout the cinema auditorium, brought a whole new meaning to ‘immersive viewing’. Originally released in Singapore at Rex Theatre.
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
PG | English with no subtitles
Cast: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
THE HOPELESS 10 どうしようもない10人
Directed By Hiroyasu Kitagawa | 77 Minutes
In a fractured future Japan, where the country has been divided among foreign powers, a
mysterious fortune known as the Double Million Dollars disappears from the hands of Yahei,
a feared underworld leader. When a stolen fortune is taken again by a female assassin,
Ageha, Yahei unleashes a motley crew of killers, swordsmen, monks and gunslingers to
recover it.
As betrayals multiply, alliances collapse, and every assassin turns against the others, the hunt leads them to the final gathering, where ten desperate people are forced to face each other. Blending post-apocalyptic action, dark comedy, and a driving Shamisen score, THE HOPELESS 10 is a wild tale of greed, survival, and the question of whether even the most hopeless people deserve to live.
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
NC16 (Some Coarse Language and Violence) | Japanese with English subtitles
Cast: Shigefumi Fukuzawa, Momoka Tanimura,
Masanori Ikemura, Miwa Takasaka
Theme song sung by : Rina Aiuchi
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
MOJOKU HILANG!
Directed By Min Lim | 135 Minutes
At Moo Magic Dairy, Mojo the cow is more than just a mascot—she's a viral sensa on. But
when her the sparks a clash between the ruthless dairy conglomerate and the last village
of independent farmers, one ambi ous young execu ve finds himself torn between
corporate loyalty and rediscovering his roots.
Adi, once a village boy, traded his family's dairy farm for a shot at success in the big city. Now
tasked with going undercover to recover Mojo and persuade the farmers of Kampung
Semerah Padi to sell, he's pulled back into the world he abandoned. There, he reconnects
with the land, the people—-and with Ayu, а spirited young farmer fighting to save her
family's heritage.
As secrets of Adi's past unravel, he must choose between the empire he helped build and
the community that has come to believe in him. A heartfelt story of family, sacrifice, and
belonging, this film explores how the sweetest dreams are rooted in the soil we call home.
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
PG | Malay, Indonesian, English with English, Chinese & Malay subtitles
Cast: Adipa Dolken, Mimi Lana, Wan Hanafi Su
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
THE OLD MAN AND HIS CAR 老破车
Directed by Michael Kam | 82 Minutes
A recently widowed old man finds himself confronted with the bittersweet task of parting with his cherished old car as he prepares to migrate to another country. He reluctantly embarks on a journey that forces him to confront his past, his profound sense of loss, and his enduring love.
“Beyond being a narrative about letting go, the film delves into the themes of ageing and caregiving ….. I strive to infuse moments of levity throughout the narrative, and hopefully deliver a cinematic experience that resonates with audiences on multiple emotional levels.” – Director Michael Kam
All tickets are subjected to availability and are for free seating.
We recommend arriving early to secure preferred seats.
NC16 (Some Coarse Language) | English, Chinese, Hokkien & Malay with English subtitles
Cast: Lim Kay Tong, Richard Low,
Steven Woon, Sunny Pang
Age limits apply for films rated
NC16, M18, or R21
featured news articles
New film venue SFS Somerset to launch on Jan 1 at Cineleisure with The Old Man And His Car
New film venue SFS Somerset to launch on Jan 1 at Cineleisure with The Old Man And His Car
New film venue SFS Somerset to launch on Jan 1 at Cineleisure with The Old Man And His Car
The Straits Times
Strong appetite for film festivals and indie films in Singapore despite cinema closures
New film venue SFS Somerset to launch on Jan 1 at Cineleisure with The Old Man And His Car
New film venue SFS Somerset to launch on Jan 1 at Cineleisure with The Old Man And His Car
Channel News Asia
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