Two Singapore films at Berlin Film Festival

THE Singapore film industry is off to a flying start in the New Year with two works featured at the upcoming 66th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), running from Feb 11 to 21.

Competing in the main competition section is the first-ever Philippines-Singapore co-production, A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis); while Eric Khoo's Wanton Mee has been included in the 10th Culinary Cinema programme that is also part of the festival.

The former is a 480-minute film - only about an hour shorter than Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy combined - directed by Filipino director Lav Diaz and co-produced by Singaporean partners Potocol and Akanga Film Asia, with support from executive producers Henry Wee and Empyreal; while the latter is a telemovie starring Nastassja Kinski that was first shown on Okto last year.