Youths from Singapore at Cannes to learn and pursue their dreams
Youths from Singapore at Cannes to learn and pursue their dreams
Cannes International Film Festival is the world’s most influential film events during which some of the best films in the world premiere. Some of the most influential professionals in the International Film Industry conduct business during the event and it is also where some of the most glamorous celebrities and movie magnates gather. Many aspiring young filmmakers come from all over the world in attempt to take their first crucial step into the film business. Youths from Singapore were also at Cannes this year to learn their profession and experience the glamour of Cannes.
Young French filmmaker enters Cinefondation with a Singapore film shot in Japan
Cannes may be an International Film Festival that is not foreign to Nathanael Carton but the French native is attending the festival for the first time and as the director of a Singapore entry.
Studying film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia in Singapore, Nathanael Carton was selected for CineFondation at Cannes for his film Suu and Uchikawa. The film made its world premiere at Cannes.
CineFondation is one of the Official Selections at Cannes International Film Festival whose primary focus is to introduce and award films and animations from film schools. It is a platform to encourage and showcase the works of young filmmakers in Film Schools. This year, Nathenael’s short film was selected from 1500 entries submitted by 360 film schools all over the world. Suu and Uchikawa was in competition with 16 other films and this suitably illustrating the difficulty of entering this category and the quality of his film.
Suu and Uchikawa, a film based in Tokyo, is about the union between an elderly Japanese man and a young Burmese woman facing questions from the immigration authorities of Japan about the legal status of the Burmese woman in Japan. Based mostly on interviews, the short film is a fusion of documentary and narrative styles.
Shot entirely in a three-storey building in Tokyo over seven days, Nathanael spent three days decorating the set. The total budget of the film was USD$7,000 shot with a crew comprising film students and enthusiasts.
Childhood in Japan
The reason why Nathanael chose to base his film in Japan is closely linked to his childhood. His father was a pastry chef and was often travelling all over the world for work. Nathanael was born in Japan and had spent 10 years of his childhood in Japan during which he learnt the language and the way the Japanese lived. After attaining his first degree in Law, he decided to pursue his passion in filmmaking, choosing to study the art of filmmaking at Tisch School of the Arts Asia in Singapore.
Nathanael shares that “Though I am familiar with the Japanese and French styles of film, the main stream is still American Hollywood movies. Hence, I decided to pursue an education at Tisch Asia, to learn the American style of films and the American way of filmmaking. With these skills as my foundation, I intend to fuse other cultural elements into my works.”
The main reason he chose the Singapore campus was to be close to Japan. Situated in the heart of Asia, it has allowed his to broaden his horizons and exposure to other cultures in the region.
“When I first came to Singapore, I was unaccustomed to the heat and the humidity. But as a filmmaker, it is crucial explore and expose oneself to the culture and the new environment but the heat can be forbidding… Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and it was quite a bit of time before I got a sense of Singapore and the Singaporean identity.”
A Different Perspective to Films
In the midst of his second year at film school, Suu and Uchikawa’s entry into Cannes is unquestionably the most exciting event of his career as a student so far. He has been given a grant from the Media Development Authorities to attend Cannes. His film premiered to an audience of 300.
After the screening, Nathanael had the opportunity to meet the critiques and the press from whom Nathanael gained valuable feedback. From this, Nathanael learnt to look at his works from a different perspective.
“This film is about how two people from different cultures live together and how they are faced with immigrant laws. Many of the viewers think about the possible political implications the film hints at but to me, it is a simple love story about how two human beings love, embrace and help one another.”
Attending events and meeting professionals from the Industry
Nathanel also revealed that getting into Cannes has allowed his film the opportunity to be invited to other film festivals in France, Holland and Brazil.
“My other intention is for film professionals to understand and see my abilities in making a feature length film. In Cannes, deals are often closed at parties and gatherings. I fully intend to attend these gatherings and parties to make contacts with film professionals, especially from France and Japan, to pave way for my entry into these markets in the future.”
Making contacts at night and attending premieres and screenings during the day, Nathanael plans to be based in Singapore. Nathanael adds that he is touched by the amount of respect the French accord filmmakers.
After the end of the Italian film Habemus Papam, the audience gave a standing ovation to the cast and crew of the film. It was moving and he feels it is one of the highest compliments that can be paid to a filmmaker. Nathanael hopes that as a filmmaker, he will one day be able to experience it.
