10 experimental short films spanning across six decades from the collections of the Asian Film Archive and Eye Filmmuseum explore the potential of movement, or its lack of, within the filmic medium.

1) Touring Holland By Bicycle (1981) 
Director: Paul de Nooijer, Jerry King Musser
Runtime: 3 mins
Country: Netherlands
Language: No dialogue
Rating: M18

Synopsis
A typical Dutch scene where people cycle fast in the house.

 

2) Juan Gapang (Johnny Crawl) (1986)
Director: Roxlee
Runtime: 7 mins
Country: Philippines
Language: No dialogue
Rating: PG

Synopsis
A man crawls on the streets of Manila at the height of the People Power (EDSA) Revolution.

 

3) Living (1971) 
Director: Frans Zwartjes
Runtime: 14 mins
Country: Netherlands
Language: No dialogue
Rating: NC16

Synopsis
The master of Dutch experimental cinema Frans Zwartjes, films himself as a businessman inspecting their new home with his wife. As they move from room to room, the tension in their relationship is revealed through subtle movements and facial expressions.

 

4) Sight & Desire (Eyes) (1968)
Director: Rajendra Gour
Runtime: 23 mins
Country: Singapore
Language: English
Rating: PG13

Synopsis
An experimental film that investigates the act of perception, exploring the limits and possibilities of vision. Accompanied by an omniscient narrator and the conjuring of striking imagery, the film examines various conceptual underpinnings of what it means to “see” and what our eyes can truly do.

 

5) Rode Molen (Red Mill) (2013)
Director: Esther Urlus
Runtime: 4 mins
Country: Netherlands
Language: No dialogue
Rating: Exempted

Synopsis
An investigation into film printing techniques inspired by the mill paintings of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, in which the colours were created through multiple exposures during the printing process.

 

6) Funny Table (2018)
Director: Ryan Benjamin Lee
Runtime: 1 min
Country: Singapore
Language: No dialogue
Rating: PG

Synopsis
Tables ”act” funny as their movements synchronise with the soundtrack of a kungfu movie.

 

7) Tulips (1966)
Director: Wim T. Schippers, Wim van der Linden
Runtime: 3 mins
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Rating: G

Synopsis
A sad movie about a motionless bunch of tulips and the single petal that falls at the very end.

 

8) A Very Slow Breakfast (2003)
Director: Edwin
Runtime: 5 mins
Country: Indonesia
Language: No dialogue
Rating: PG

Synopsis
In the face of modernity, a comical look at the deterioration of the Indonesian family during breakfast.

 

9) Wall of Sound Flowers (2005)
Director: Francien van Everdingen
Runtime: 5 mins
Country: Netherlands
Language: No dialogue
Rating: Exempted

Synopsis
The main character has no interest in the outside world. She immerses herself in a routine of daily worries at home. A surrealistic scene unfolds in the background: the wallpaper goes on a rampage in a riot of bright colours and strange patterns, tumbling over each other in the thirst for attention.

 

10) Of Pets & Dinner (2019)
Director: Kew Lin
Runtime: 6 mins
Country: UK, Singapore
Language: No dialogue
Rating: PG

Synopsis
A comical triptych featuring the most revered animal of all time – the human being – in its natural habitat. Watch how he interacts with the other animals around him.

 

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Reciprocal 2023 runs from 2 – 25 June 2023. See the full programme here.

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