Two of the city’s most talked-about Singaporean-made films are making another round on the film festival circuit. After representing Singapore at the recent Cannes Film Festival, both Boo Junfeng’s Apprentice and K Rajagopal’s debut feature film, A Yellow Bird, will be screening at the 21st Busan International Film Festival on Oct 6-15 under the Asian cinema category, alongside 54 other films.
Both films made quite an impact in Singapore because they both touch on some very serious topics. A Yellow Bird sees a Singaporean ex-con who struggles readjusting to life outside of jail. The film also depicts Singapore’s “jungle brothels“, the Little India Riots of 2013 and the poor living conditions of many of the characters in the film.
Boo Junfeng’s film on the other hand focuses on young corrections officer, Aiman, who’s on his way to becoming the next chief executioner at a maximum security prison under the mentorship of the man who executed his father years before. Both of them engage in some serious psychological drama and have intense debates about the ethics of the death penalty, a practice the Singapore government has often had to defend.
Check out the trailers below.
