Perspectives Film Festival 2020 goes virtual

Singapore’s first and longest student-run film festival, Perspectives Film Festival: Breakthroughs in Cinema, is back with its 13th edition.

Together with The Projector, the festival will be held online from Oct 23 to Nov 1, marking its first ever digital edition. 

This year’s lineup features films released from 2019 onwards by emerging filmmakers, each with their unique takes that align with the theme, Truth.

Stemming from the idea of multiple perspectives, this year’s theme delves into various interpretations of truth told by filmmakers from around the world. The films touch on timely topics surrounding issues in politics, societal structures, personal and national histories, and the media.

Pranamika Subhalaxmi, programming head of Perspectives Film Festival 2020 (PFF’20), said: “Against the backdrop of the present climate, we want to inspire conversations about the nature of truth.

“With films like Feels Good Man and Farewell Amor, we explore how people construct their own truths, the ability of cinema to illuminate invisible parts of society and how truth can be manipulated.”

Feels Good Man is a documentary about how artist Matt Furie’s anthropomorphic Pepe the Frog was distorted into a viral symbol for the controversial American alt-right movement.

Available from Oct 23, just before the United States Presidential Election, Feels Good Man shines a cautionary light on the internet’s insidious relationship with politics.

Don’t miss out on the fractious reunion of a family torn apart by war and time with the film Farewell Amor. Exploring how an immigrant family reknits itself in an alien land through multiple perspectives, the film sheds light on the evolution of love and how it spans continents. 

Other films in the programme lineup includes A Thousand Cuts, Talking About Trees, Incitement, A Dark-dark Man, Videophobia, and The Metamorphosis Of Birds.

Nanthinee Shreem, Co-Festival Director of PFF’20, said: “A virtual edition of the festival is a new experience for everyone on the team.

“Regardless, we hope to bring the most authentic and unique film festival experience for audiences through the events and films that we have lined up.”

This year’s programme provides audiences with diverse views of truth from the comfort of their homes, bringing perspectives from North America, North Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. The films are breakthroughs in their own right and specially curated to impact, provoke and inspire conversations among fellow film lovers.

Each standard ticket for a film costs $8 and may be purchased from Oct 10, 12pm to Nov 1, 7pm.

Upon purchase, films will be available for viewing strictly between Oct 23, 7pm and Nov 1, 11.59pm. Once the ‘Play’ button is clicked, the viewer has up to 48 hours to complete the film. 

Viewers are advised to complete watching the entirety of their purchased films before Nov 1, 11.59pm, as no refunds will be made for incomplete viewings.

Viewers can also purchase bundles of three or five different films from the line up at $18 and $28 respectively.

Tickets can be purchased here.