Sao Paulo Interntaional Short Film Festival!!!

“I am very glad to inform you that, among 1400 films received, your film “‘hellO?’” has been selected for International Program of the 17th Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival to take place from August 24th to September 2nd, 2006.”-Zita Carvalhosa
Festival Director

Rough Treatment of feature movie finished.

I just completed the first rough treatment for the feature film I am planning to shoot late this year late last night. Elated to have completed the treatment. Was afraid that it may get stuck in ’still thinking about it stage’. Quite excited to work further on it. It may still get stuck along the way but I feel that the project is now more tangible. Now I can start to chip away at the plot and start my writing the script soon.

Second part of this french review of Singapore Shorts…

“Personally, I consider it regrettable that “Aik Khoon”, sympathetic
nerve film produced by talented Ting Li Lim (which had raflé two
Silver Awards last year for excellent “Retrato de Familia”), did not
obtain anything. Disappointment also for the very good “Hello” of
Gavin Lim, which sets out again bredouille – contrary to the relevant
fort verdict of the jury for the full-length films, the local short
films of this year seem in my opinion to reflect extremely debatable
choices, even if the great quality of the selection had what to make
delicate the decisions. “
-Etienne Dessaut (Singapore, April 30, 2006)

“Personnellement, je regrette qu’ “Aik Khoon”, sympathique film produit par la talentueuse Ting Li Lim (qui avait raflé deux Silver Awards l’an dernier pour l’excellent “Un Retrato de Familia”), n’ait rien obtenu. Déception aussi pour le très bon “Hello” de Gavin Lim, qui repart bredouille – à l’inverse du fort pertinent verdict du jury pour les longs métrages, les courts métrages locaux de cette année semblent selon moi refléter des choix fort discutables, même si la grande qualité de la sélection avait de quoi rendre délicates les décisions. “

-Etienne Dessaut (Singapour, le 30 avril 2006)

Tokyo Short Shorts Film Festival 2006

Just back from the festival and was quite disappointed about the bad reception of the festival to filmmakers- besides those selected to the festival by the organisers. The organiser even tried to persuade me not to mix with the selected filmmakers-like I wouldn’t know-I hate being patronised! One lesson to learn- don’t go to festivals you are not invited to-eventhough your film is in competition. But watched a day’s worth of other Asian shorts and I think the whole asia may be light years away from the Koreans in filmmaking- must try harder.Kempatei!

French article writes about ‘Wei?’

“… “HELLO” de Gavin Lim est aussi une réussite : dans un Singapour des années 70 déjà marqué par la solitude et la mélancolie, une femme fatale nettoyeuse de téléphones éprouve sa théorie des quatre points dans l’amour (1 : Désir ; 2 : Attraction ; 3 : Attachement ; 4 : Rejet) sur un cobaye, avec une bande sonore digne de “2046” et une fin terrifiante.
Mais nous reviendrons sur les détails du palmarès à la fin de cet article.”

“”HELLO” of Gavin Lim is also a success: in Singapore of the
Seventies already marked by loneliness and the melancholy, a cleaning
femme fatale of telephones tests her theory of the four points in the
love (1: Desire; 2: Attraction; 3: Attachment; 4: Rejection) on a
guinea-pig, with a sound track worthy from “2046″ and one terrifying
end. But we will reconsider the details of the prize list at the end
of this article.”