Tanjong Rhu & Other Shorts - Film Synopses

Notice:

As an educational film screening, this event is open only to NUS students, with priority given to USP students and PGP residents. Please arrive early to ensure a seat, and bring along your matric card for identification! (We regret to say that non-card holders may be turned away).

(Please note that the films are also rated R21)

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Just thought I would include a brief synopses for the films we're showing this Friday!

Tanjong Rhu (2008):
A former military officer seeks closure by making a documentary film about a man he had furtively encountered in Tanjong Rhu many years ago. Tanjong Rhu is a secluded beach on the east coast of Singapore, and a popular cruising ground for gay men. In an entrapment exercise in 1993, 12 men were arrested there and sentenced to imprisonment and caning. This is a fictionalised account of what has happened since then to one of these men.

Threshold (2009):
In a dingy motel room, a sexual threesome has been arranged to take place. Except that the two men lying in wait are officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau, ready to apprehend their suspect, who is going to show up with crystal meth at any moment. Inspector Anton is preoccupied and tense, and increasingly restless. As the wait for the suspect lengthens, it is apparent Anton has something infinitely more personal at stake. In what appears to be a routine crackdown operation, which walls will come tumbling down, and what thresholds will be crossed? In the film’s tropical swelter, how does one ascertain that everything one sees is not a mirage from a fragmenting mind?

Autopsy (2007):
A highly personal documentary project, Autopsy revolves around a conversation between film-maker Loo Zihan and his mother. The film focuses on the latter’s point of view, exploring how she has coped with her son’s homosexuality.

Katong Fugue (2007):
A short film based on a scene in Alfian Sa'at's play Landmarks: Asian Boys Vol. 2, which depicts the fragile relationship between a mother and her gay, closeted son. The film combines image and voiceover to great effect to reveal their uncommunicative relationship.

And as a "sneak preview" of sorts, here's the trailer of Tanjong Rhu :)

Tanjong Rhu and Other Shorts!

Hey all!

This Friday marks the final installment of the USP Film Series, and we intend to go out with a bang! :)

With the support of the Asian Film Archive and Objectifs Films, we’ll be screening four short films for our series finale, all of which deal with issues of gay sexuality in Singapore. These films were made by young, up-and-coming film-makers, Boo Junfeng and Loo Zihan. Our programme will include:

Tanjong Rhu by Boo Junfeng

Threshold by Loo Zihan

Autopsy by Loo Zihan

Katong Fugue by Boo Junfeng

Post film discussion with Boo Junfeng.

** a reminder--some of the films are R21. After viewing them, though, it would be fruitful to discuss exactly why they are so designated.

We’re very pleased to announce that Boo Junfeng will be attending the screening, and post-film discussion forum! Junfeng is a promising young director in Singapore, who has been touted as “the next Royston Tan” by some! His portfolio of works include other short films like Family Portrait (2004) and Keluar Baris (2008) which have won accolades at various film festivals. Junfeng was recently a recipient of the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award, and is currently writing and directing his first feature-length film, Sandcastles, which will be produced by Eric Khoo’s Zhao Wei films.

We’re very excited about the upcoming screening, and really hope to see you there! :) As usual, the screening will be held at Function Room 2, PGP, and will start at 7pm. This Friday being somewhat special, we'll also be serving refreshments prior to the screening at 6.30pm (outside Function Room 2). And yes I know what you're thinking - the chocolate eclairs will make an appearance.

Some Background to Tanjong Rhu…

Headlining our mini short films fest, is Junfeng’s Tanjong Rhu (2008) which is loosely based on an actual gay entrapment exercise conducted by the Singapore police in 1993. Fort Road in Tanjong Rhu, was known as a popular cruising area for homosexual encounters. The entrapment exercise saw decoy police officers posing as homosexuals, and soliciting actual homosexuals in the area. It resulted in the arrests of 12 men, who were publically shamed by having their names and occupations published in The Straits Times.

The arrests provoked responses from the local gay and artistic community. Notably, Josef Ng created performance art pieces meant to protest the incident. One of them famously involved him snipping off his pubic hair as a symbol of silent protest - this event was sensationalized by the New Paper as an “obscene” pub(l)ic act. It led the government to enforce a de facto ban on performance art for the next decade.

Below is an excerpt from a Straits Times article about the 1993 arrests, which we located through the Factiva database. Kindly note that the original article included the names and personal details of the 12 arrested men. Out of respect for the privacy of these individuals, I have removed the portions which revealed their identities.

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“TWELVE men were arrested for alleged sexual offences in the space of a week at a reclaimed piece of land at Tanjong Rhu during an anti-gay operation by the police.

Among those arrested in the operation and charged with allegedly outraging their victims' modesty were a broadcasting producer and a butcher.

In the mid-September operation, plainclothes policemen from the Geylang Police Division Headquarters posed as decoys.

They would identify themselves when contact was made before back-up officers moved in to help round up the alleged offenders.

Only six of the 12 men pleaded guilty in court yesterday.

The rest claimed trial.

Those who pleaded guilty received sentences ranging from two to six months' jail.

All of them were also ordered to be given three strokes of the cane each.

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One of the accused who claimed trial …told the court: "The guy had approached me and smiled, so I walked over to chit-chat with him."

He said that the other man had suggested having sex in the nearby undergrowth.

"Since he was so keen, I thought I would satisfy his need," he said…

Another accused ...who pleaded guilty initially, later said that the complainant had asked him to touch him."