Posts

Showing posts from July, 2016

[Photo] Don't remember seeing Tokyu Plaza Ginza the last time I was here

Don't remember seeing Tokyu Plaza Ginza the last time I was here (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] I was finding Dory

I was finding Dory (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] Yurakucho Center Building as night falls

Yurakucho Center Building as night falls (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] Kachidoki Bridge a few hours after midnight

Kachidoki Bridge a few hours after midnight (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] A pleasant afternoon, a nice view. The right place to play Pokémon Go

A pleasant afternoon, a nice view. The right place to play Pokémon Go (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] Flyers and pamphlets advertising Chinese Opera performances in Malaysia. No Facebook.

Flyers and pamphlets advertising Chinese Opera performances in Malaysia. No Facebook. (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

Shohei Imamura's Karayuki-san, the Making of a Prostitute (1975)

Image
Five years ago, I wrote about the Karayuki-san . The Japanese women who were sold or smuggled into Southeast Asia (mostly pre-independence Malaysia and Singapore) to work as prostitute from the late 19th century to early 20th century. For reasons I cannot comprehend or explain, it became something that had haunted my mind for the past half decade. Maybe because this was a part of Japanese/ Malaysian history (countries obviously close to my heart) that was gradually being forgotten, so I became increasingly curious, and determined to commit their stories into film. There are publications about them, but films? The only ones I am aware of are still Kumai Kei's Oscar-nominated SANDAKAN NO. 8 (1974) and Shohei Imamura's KARAYUKI-SAN, THE MAKING OF A PROSTITUTE (1975). The former is a fictionalized retelling of their plight, the latter is a documentary. I finally found time to watch the documentary last night. In the documentary, the director Shohei Imamura was interviewing an

[Photo] An exhibition of songs in different Malaysian Chinese dialects

An exhibition of songs in different Malaysian Chinese dialects (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] Happy belated birthday #MinaFujii @fujii_mina_0715 ! Our short film LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL (co-starring #YukiKubota @yuki_kubota.0615 ) is premiering at Bucheon Fantastic Film Fest next week! #bifan #久保田悠来 #藤井美菜

Happy belated birthday #MinaFujii @fujii_mina_0715 ! Our short film LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL (co-starring #YukiKubota @yuki_kubota.0615 ) is premiering at Bucheon Fantastic Film Fest next week! #bifan #久保田悠来 #藤井美菜 (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

Remembering Abbas Kiarostami and rediscovering his films

Image
Ever since the passing of the Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami, I've found myself remembering the brief personal memories I have of him. They were all very fleeting. Cannes Film Festival 2010 Merely that Ming Jin and I, along with Fooi Mun, our The Tiger Factory lead actress saw him at the MK2 party and had to hurriedly (and politely) stop him to take these photos before he was about to leave.

[Photo] Film shoot happening outside a traditional Chinese pharmacy.

Film shoot happening outside a traditional Chinese pharmacy. (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] Two ladies hanging out at the park after midnight

Two ladies hanging out at the park after midnight (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)

[Photo] I stumbled upon some a top secret midnight mooncake picnic

I stumbled upon some a top secret midnight mooncake picnic (Check out more photos from my Instagram account .)