A Labour of Love, Rajendra Gour, 1976
During this morning's session, The Archive: Between the State and the Independent Filmmaker, orphanistas were treated to films that concerned both the independent filmmaker and political filmmaking in Singapore. Zhang Zhen from NYU acted as moderator and introduced Tan Bee Thiam from the Asian Film Archive. Thiam spoke about the independence of filmmaker Rajendra Gour. During the 1960s, the government attempted to curb independent filmmaking and tighten its grip on media censorship. Gour was creating award-winning films and showcasing at international film festivals, but many of his prints were destroyed in Singapore. The Asian Film Archive and the National Archives of Singapore combined recent efforts to preserve Gour's films. Gour volunteered his own time to aid in the preservation.
Rajendra Gour took the stage next to introduce his own film Labour of Love. The title spoke for itself, for this was a warm and heartfelt film inspired by the dedication and hard work of the 1976 Singapore housewife. Gour's wife and children starred as the characters in this very personal, yet political film.
Tan Bee Thiam, Lucy Smee, and Rajendra Gour at Orphans 6
The audience was next introduced to the independent political films of Martyn See by Lucy Smee of the Asian Film Archive. There was considerable difficulty in preserving See's banned videos. See was ordered to destroy all copies of his films, and this can be construed as the government's concession to the power of film as a political tool. See's films have been granted circulation and an audience via Google Video and YouTube. See says that his message "can still be understood on low resolution." The audience witnessed Speakers Cornered, a film documenting the 2006 public protest against the IMF-WB meetings in Singapore. The demonstration reaches ridiculous and often hilarious heights of police harassment. Protesters found themselves surrounded and ensnared by police and locked in a stalemate, unable to move. The presence of the video cameras seem to dissuade arrests, or any threat of physical violence. See is able to expose the silly restraints that are placed upon Singapore citizens who attempt peaceful protest.
View Speakers Cornered below: