Wednesday, 28 January
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Directed by Royston Tan
Singapore, 2007, 115 minutes
Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese with English Subtitles

LITTLE PAPAYA and BIG PAPAYA dream of escaping the dreariness of their everyday lives and becoming stars of the glittering, flamboyant and uniquely Singaporean musical showcase known as Getai.

Starting out the sisters struggle to make a mark, but determined to succeed they appeal to the magical Goddess of Getai who grants their wish but warns them of the price. Their success binds them to obey the rules of Getai and one rule forbids them from ever loving any man.

Blessed by the Goddess, the Papaya Sisters rise to stardom, all the while battling heartbreaking personal tragedies. Meanwhile their success infuriates their bitter, unscrupulous rivals the DURIAN SISTERS who use every underhanded means at their disposal to undermine their career. When the Durian Sister’s dastardly tactics fail, they throw down the gauntlet and force the Papaya Sisters to accept a challenge, an all singing all dancing face off with the loser leaving the Getai scene for good.

Singapore’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 2008 Academy Awards and a local, record breaking box office sensation, 881 is a magical, heart wrenching, singing and dancing extravaganza from director Royston Tan, the winner of over fifty international and local awards and hotly touted as one of Asia’s most promising breakout talents. – Arc Light Films

Wednesday, 21 January
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium

Directed by Mike De Leon, Shoji Kokami, Slamet Rahardjo, Cherd Songsri
Indonesia, Japan, Philippines and Thailand, 1992, 112 minutes
Indonesian, Japanese, Filipino and Thai with English Subtitles

A remarkable omnibus film produced by the Japan Foundation, Southern Winds features four films from four different countries. Directors Slamet Djarot (Indonesia), Mike de Leon (Philippines), Cherd Songsri (Thailand) and Shoji Kokami (Japan) offer visions of railroads and cities, video screens and garbage, high-rises and banyan trees, hot tea and salarymen. Bringing them together, they present portraits of their homelands as well of that of contemporary Asia. In Mirage, a young Indonesian woman is disillusioned by urban life; Aliwan Paradise is a black comedy about establishing a Ministry of Entertainment in Manila; a Bangkok business executive visits his birthplace in Tree of Life; and in Tokyo Game a Japanese retiree becomes obsessed with a video game. Co-sponsored by the Center for Japanese Studies!