The Participants 2007:
Exposing Cinematic Germs
By Lim Lung Chieh (Singapore)

My name is Lim Lung Chieh and I am from Singapore. I am currently studying for a Diploma in Film, Sound & Video in Ngee Ann Polytechnic's School of Film and Media Studies.

Since I was a child, I felt a deep passion for film. Though I enjoy studying the technicalities of cinema, I always loved analysing films more as it gives me the freedom to express my thoughts on cinema and discover new things about it through writing, which is great since I've always had something to say about films.
 
The prime reasons for me wanting to be a film critic would be two things: as a child, clicking away through the interactive film encyclopaedia, "Cinemania 96", and in my teens, reading volumes of "Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbooks". Reading film reviews throughout my youth has taught me that film does not exist just on a superficial level, but also in terms of metaphors and historical backgrounds, as well as a craft in the hands of filmmakers. These reviews have enriched me significantly, just as I hope mine will both educate and entertain my readers.

Currently in Singapore, there are only entertainment critics, not film critics. They may be labelled critics, but their reviews do not contain the analysis, evaluation and appreciation of real reviews. Many magazines and newspapers seek only to recommend populist entertainment. I believe it is the job of a film critic to expose to the public the real cinematic gems out there and not to recommend the trash we are thrown at weekly in our multiplexes. This is how "sgNewWave", the film journalism website I write for, came about. Begun by a group of fellow film students, "sgNewWave" hopes to encourage the birth of a legion of film critics and journalists to create a new culture of film appreciation of all genres and nationalities.

Most Singaporean films have been criticised as pandering too much to either the mainstream or art-house public. Our local film industry is struggling enough as it is, so why not encourage the growth of Singaporean films rather than blindly categorising them into these two groups? It is hard enough for anyone to get a film made here because of the societies and foundations which primarily seek to finance films which fit into these two categories. It's not that our films are bad as we have produced quite a few interesting films. But as Kieslowski once said, a good film is one which unites audiences be it emotionally or intellectually, not divide them. It is unusual for me to say something like this, but I do anticipate the time when Singapore makes a rousing, crowd-pleasing blockbuster that everyone can enjoy. Our current trend of Singaporean cinema seems to be that of the obsession with middle-class guilt and pessimism towards our society. Though relevant considering we are a consumerist society governed by many laws, I have to say that this obsession is getting pretty tired as a primary subject for Singaporean films.

Lim Lung Chieh

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