The Gala Awards for the Singapore International Student Film Festival (SISFF) took place on the evening of 5 May, at Nexus International School, where all the prize winners were announced in a glamorous dress to impress event. Best Overall Film award went to CIS High School student, Sam Mukherjee for her impressive short film, Hiraeth. The best narrative for High School went to Justin Mawardi for his production called Parent. You can watch all the participants’ short films here.

Interest in the competition was high, and a total of 62 entries were submitted. Entrants came from school around the island: Australian International School, Canadian International School, Chatsworth International School, International School Singapore, Nexus International School, Singapore American School, Stamford American International School, United World College SEA, and NPS International School.

CIS students participated in the festival with 10 entries, mostly from Middle School and High School (Hanut Sengar, Delaney Bower, Zara Mehtar, Romi Ron, Raj Deshpande, Gyanendra Sengar and Mechelle Wu), and were nominated in various categories including best overall film, best narrative, best video art and best documentary.

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Sam and Justin, our CIS prize winners in the Best Overall Film and Best Narrative categories, answered some of our questions about the stories behind their films, their source of inspiration and much more...

What is the story of your short film?

Sam: My short film is about a solitary girl who stumbles upon an abandoned beach house. In the process of exploring the house, she discovers a lone suitcase on a bed. In the suitcase she finds some belongings, but the one that stands out to the girl is an old polaroid camera, still containing a few pieces of film. Intrigued, the girl goes around the house taking pictures with the camera. However, she begins to notice the presence of a girl in the pictures, and begins following her around the house. After taking a few pictures, she notices that the girl in the picture has disappeared. In an attempt to find the girl again, she goes around the house madly taking pictures. She happens to find the girl again in one of her pictures, however this time, running out of the house. The photographer follows the girl, but stops when she notices that there is only 1 film left in the camera, and being a child of today’s age decides to take a selfie. The film ends when both the protagonist and the camera disappear, and the last film is seen in the sand, with a selfie of the girl in the pictures instead.

Justin: The story of my short film follows a young boy and his family during a time of tragedy. It recounts the events prior to the boy’s father ending up in a hospital bed. We, as the audience, learn (along with the boy, the main character of the story) how he regrets not spending enough time with his parents. He learns how ungrateful he has been, and realises (as we hope all viewers will), that we must really appreciate those around us.

How did you come up with the idea of this story?

Sam: Ever since I was little, I've loved embarking on adventures with my friends and exploring unique places. We stumbled upon the filming location, the Istana Woodneuk, during one of these adventures, and absolutely fell in love with the tranquility of this place. As for the concept, I wanted to take a simplistic, lighter turn on the theme of exploring an abandoned house, which is more commonly seen in horror movies. I'm usually a chicken when it comes to the whole genre of horror, however the concept of one particular movie "The Shutter", has always struck me as absolutely brilliant. I've added components of this concept in my film; keeping the theme on the lighter side, so that the film turns out more like a story. This is why I've also left the identities of the characters to viewer interpretation.

Justin: Frequent talks with my parents brought the roots of this story to life. After that, a little dramatisation and imagination came from influences such as Thai advertisements. But in essence, it was the lesson from my parents that stuck with me “to never get complacent and always cherish what I have”.

Why do you like filming as the medium to tell your stories?

Sam: I feel that through film, an audience gets to not only view a story from the perspective of the director, but is also able to feel the emotion that comes with each story. Each character in a film has an identity, a face and a personality, making them all the more realistic. In film, even the simplest of storylines, if executed well, make the audience want to experience what the characters feel or are going through, which is more difficult to do through other platforms.

Justin: Filming, simply put, is storytelling. It can be used to tell powerful messages without directly speaking it. It simply allows a whole new world to be explored and delivered to the audience.

How does it feel to be one of the winners of Singapore International Student Film Festival?

Sam: When my film was announced at the Awards Night, I honestly could not believe it. From the hour after hour of sorting footage, to watching the final version of the film, it has been an absolutely amazing experience. I've also had the constant support from my parents and friends, both during the process and after the win, which I could not be more grateful for. Knowing that my effort has been appreciated and recognised is a true honour, and I couldn't be happier.

Justin: Fantastic, it feels like my efforts have not gone unnoticed. Seeing the film itself being played in front of the audience, as well as the genuine reactions received, truly just in itself was a fulfilling reward. The award was a great extra.

What’s next? Pursuing a career in filming or a fantastic hobby to impress friends and family?

Sam: Honestly, I'm not really sure. I'd love to pursue filming as a career, but as of now, filming to me is still a hobby. Although, I guess I'll have come to a decision after a few more short films.

Justin: I haven't figured that one out yet, I'm still on the ropes with an answer.