Bukit Brown Spirit Film Festival 2024

The community of All Things Bukit Brown (aka "Brownies) organised a successful and sold out movie screening featuring 4 documentaries for its inaugural Film Festival aptly titled "Bukit Brown Spirit Film Festival on a Sunday afternoon 18 August 2024. The short documentaries included Tan Pin Pin's Moving House, Social Diary of a Spirit Medium by CW Chan, Bukit Brown Voices by Two Chiefs Films (Su Mae Khoo & Brian McDairmant) and Crossing Over by Jin Yanlin and Atiqa Mashhood Dar.

During the intermission, Blend B, a tea specially made by Pek Sin Choon (a Chinese tea specialist based in Chinatown) was served to those present. The whole event was a platform to continue to raise awareness to the community and especially segments of community who may not necessary visit Bukit Brown Cemetery regularly but are willing to support the efforts of conserving Bukit Brown. The event also provided an opportunity to raise awareness of the Bukit Brown Memorial - Voices of Bukit Brown and to fund raise to support its operations. 

Bukit Brown Spirit Film Festival at The Projector 

Unfortunately none of this documentaries are available online, but if you are keen to watch other well made documentaries on Bukit Brown that are easily available on Youtube, do follow my resource link. 

Panel Discussion during the Bukit Brown Film Festival 

Panel Discussion for the Bukit Brown Spirit Film Festival 

After the screening of the 4 films, a Panel Discussion with 3 of the 4 film makers and the Guest of Honour Kelvin Tong was held. The lively discussion and sharing was moderated by Darren Koh. Below are the short bio's of the panel (extracted from the facebook group page of Heritage Singapore - Bukit Brown). 

DARREN KOH

Darren Koh has a day-job as a Vice-Dean and a Head of Programme at one of Singapore's six autonomous universities.  When he is not tied up in work, he often can be found guiding walks in Bukit Brown, introducing people to a Singapore they never knew they never knew!

KELVIN TONG 

Known for his range and ability to traverse both mainstream movies and art-house cinema, Kelvin Tong made his directorial debut in 1999 with the award-winning teen movie Eating Air. Thereafter, his works have enriched Singapore cinema (The Maid, 2006; It’s A Great Great World, 2010; Grandma Positioning System, 2015) as well as found audiences around Asia (Rule #1, 2007; Confinement, 2021). Kelvin’s films have been showcase in festivals such as the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Stockholm International Film Festival, Locarno International Film Festival and the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

CHAN CHOW WAH 

Chan Chow Wah has a Masters in Social Anthropology and has a keen interest in Buddhism. After producing his first self-funded documentary “Light on the Lotus Hill” in 2011, he went on to produce a second film, “The Social Diary of a Spirit Medium” in 2013, featuring Mr. Tan or “Ah Heng” as he is fondly known. Since then he has continued to produce and film several documentaries. He is also a TEDx speaker. 

SU-MAE KHOO

Su-Mae Khoo is a Singaporean filmmaker who has worked in film and television production for more than 30 years. She has a Masters in anthropology from Soas and has always had a keen interest in history and culture, particularly of her beloved Southeast Asia.

She made BUKIT BROWN VOICES independently with her director of photography partner, Brian McDairmant.They are Two Chiefs Films. Together, the Two Chiefs have worked on projects seen on Netflix, National Geographic, History, Smithsonian and Discovery Channel, as well as productions for television and cinema release in Singapore. 

JIN YAN LIN 

Yanlin is a filmmaker and digital content creator with a deep passion for storytelling. Born in China and having moved to Singapore since young, she brings a unique cultural perspective to her work. Yanlin is a Communication graduate from Nanyang Technological University. Her directorial debut, "Crossing Over," is a thought-provoking documentary that explores personal connections with mortality and has been nominated for the 2023 Singapore National Youth Film Awards. Yanlin has a keen interest in arts, culture, supernatural phenomena, and animals. Her work is a reflection of her diverse interests and her ability to weave captivating narratives that resonate with audiences.

My personal thoughts

The whole event was well run and received great response in spreading the word on Bukit Brown to a different segment of audience (in an airconditioned environment). Kudos to Bianca Polak and Catherine Lim, the "Brownies" who made this event a successful one. I do hope more will donate to the cause and also support our efforts to honor our past and give a voices to those who are unable to do so and become active Protectors of Bukit Brown. 

We must not also downplay that Bukit Brown Cemetery has evolved to beyond just space of remembrance or a resting place of out early Singapore Pioneers - it is also a place where nature is making a comeback - a green lung that supports a rich biodiversity of trees, plants and wildlife, a rainfall sponge and space of carbon sequestration. Where do we find a balance this two, is something that is still and will constantly evolve.

The cemetery has also been a space where cultural intangible practices are constantly been observed during Hungry Ghost Festival, Qing Ming and others. 

Happy Faces of the Brownies after the event 

The poster for the Bukit Brown Spirit Film Festival