In these six films, music leaves the background and takes centre stage. From nomadic musicians in a West Africa rife with conflict, to a blind traveling musician in the beautifully bleak Mongolian landscape, and finally to Singapore, tracing the origins of a uniquely Singaporean musical movement. Check out the screening of TPE-Tics, followed not just by a filmmaker Q&A, but also a special performance from its tortured musician subject.
1. Rain the Color of Blue With a Little Red In It
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27 Nov, Fri / 9:30PM / The Projector
Real life guitarist Mdou Moctar and non-actors from the city of Agadez, Niger star in this delightful film that cheekily takes its inspiration from Prince’s Purple Rain. Casting a familiar tale – the pursuit of musicianship against all odds, the film follows Mdou who, armed with guitar and motorbike, navigates through parental objections, rival musicians and infatuation as he prepares for a music competition.
As for the title? The word “purple” interestingly doesn’t exist in the Tamasheq language, and the director Christopher Kirkley addresses this by endowing the film with a theatrical excess of purple: a sight to behold.
2. They Will Have to Kill Us First
28 Nov, Sat / 9:30PM / The Projector
Director Joanna Schwartz interviews various musicians in They Will Have to Kill Us First, filmed in the aftermath of the 2012 Northern Mali conflict, but two groups stand out. One comprises Disco and Khaira, both women who are determined to stage the first concert in Timbuktu since the rebels have left. The other is a newly formed band Songhoy Blues, which wins a music competition and travels overseas for their first tour in the UK.
As one group performs within Mali while the other performs outside, their contrasting feelings about their homeland bring to life the adage that music does indeed cross all boundaries.
3. The Songs We Sang
29 Nov, Sun / 4:30PM / Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay*
*Filmmaker in Attendance
The Songs We Sang provides an in-depth look into the Xinyao movement, a unique music phenomenon in Singapore which emerged in the ’80s. This documentary captures the climate of youthful optimism and the collective consciousness of a young generation who emerged with uniquely local Chinese language songs about family, friendships and everyday life in Singapore.
Featured are early pioneers Liang Wern Fook, Billy Koh, and Eric Moo, as well as modern pop stars JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun, whose careers were rooted in this movement.
4. Cut Out the Eyes
29 Nov, Sun / 4:30PM / The Arts House
Shot in inner Mongolia, the film follows Er Housheng, a blind traveling musician of the Er Ren Tai folk opera tradition as he wanders the land, performing and recounting the harsh troubles he has encountered over the years. A mesmerizing figure, Er captivates his audiences, in particular his female fans, with his poetry of life, lust and loss, reflecting the bleak beauty of the Mongolian landscape.
Director Xu Tong’s film tells a compelling and entertaining story both about Er and the connections between artists, and how their art is shaped by lived experiences.
5. TPE-Tics
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2 Dec, Wed / 9:30PM / The Projector*
*Filmmaker and Cast in Attendance
“Why do I stand on the stage like this? Because I am a mental disorder of the 20th century,” declares eccentric musician Huang Dawang, also a music aficionado and a member of record company Kandala Records; a spectacle of Taiwan’s sound music scene who denies himself as an artist, and who refuses to define what art is. More than merely music, the film examines human experiences and nuanced values that are rather precious yet rarely accessible.
Huang will be present to perform ‘Blackwolf Nagashi in Extremely South’ after the screening.
6. The Naked DJ
2 Dec, Wed / 9:30PM / National Museum of Singapore*
*Filmmaker in Attendance
In this raw documentary, director Kan Lume takes Singapore musician, writer and DJ Chris Ho (also known as X’Ho) on his maiden trip to China, to reflect on his Chinese roots and life so far. Chris gets candid and scathing about his pet peeves: the land he calls home and the way it is run. As the scenery changes however, Chris shows another side of himself, as a charming old soul whose wild days will forever be etched both inside and out following the journey.