The film is a quiet conversation with memory, past, culture and a life left behind, that employs food and a traditional cuisine as a bridge to achieve the same. The documentary introduces the viewer to the lived reality of Kyo Pang, the owner of a kopitiam or a traditional Indonesian coffee shop in New York, and how her relationship with food has come to shape and influence her lived reality. Using Pang's narrative, the film also manages to raise significant points about immigration, a person's relationship, and perhaps even a longing, for their roots, and the desire to not only preserve, but also share them with those around. By way of its calm engagement, which deliberately steers clear of loud noises or gimmicky tools, the film further invokes the Baba-Nyonya culture of Pang's childhood, allowing a glimpse into it, while also straddling the culinary history of her past. As ideas of family and tradition are tied together to weave the narrative, Kopitiam comes across as a sincere endeavour to tell an authentic story about a highly personal and intimate experience. It is precisely these very qualities which endow it with a universal tone.

Kopitiam | Short Film Nominee

The world of the film is marked by its society's dual obsession - with beauty and with making an extra buck. It is a dystopic reality of a culture that is fixated on maintaining their youth eternally, no matter the cost. Consequently, when this leads to an incredibly lucrative opportunity for big corporations, or a spa facility in this case, all kinds of murkiness enters the picture. Even though the cost of youth is localised denervation, a process involving slow paralysis of the nerve endings in the body, people are unable to stay away from the very substance that leads to it. In fact, it is this specific process that they seek in order to reduce and prevent the appearance of wrinkles. 

The substance which is used to achieve the desired results is called Botulinum toxin A, which is not simply a source of Botox, but also one of the deadliest substances known to humankind in the absence of quantity control. In a world where simply releasing a teaspoon of it in the air could kill thousands of people, the viewer is taken into a narrative marked by animation reminiscent of the realm of a video-game. Further, it is the story of a town where a botulism outbreak has led to high levels of toxicity in the air. 

 Through all of these elements, the film aims to comment on several things - the exploitation of capitalist forces, the mindless obsession with making money leading to adulteration and putting innumerable lives at stake, unhealthy beauty standards and their consequences on the quality of existence. The film sets the premise, even though it does not follow it all the way through. There are several things it wants to say which, however, could have been communicated better with a final product of a longer length, something that allowed it to adopt a more detailed, insightful approach for each of them. On the whole, the film comes across as a sincere endeavour, but it would be welcoming to see a longer version of the same narrative, with more time spent on different aspects.

Denervation | Short Film Nominee

The documentary film is an account of the Soul Summit that has been taking place in Brooklyn since 2002. Though the frequency of its occurrence has dwindled since its inception close to two decades ago, the statement it aims to make is loud and clear - to be a safe haven for Black and queer expression. As dance, music and spirituality get intertwined in this space where all identities are not only welcomed, but also celebrated, the narrative further takes us into first hand experiences of the Summit attendees. Additionally, it manages to be an insightful glimpse into a realm that is marked by its independence of voice and the assertion of a coloured landscape in a gentrified neighbourhood. There is also the endeavour to engage with culture appropriation, the demand for a rightful space often denied to people of colour and minorities and the ease that is intrinsic to such an event or physical area, where people are truly allowed to be who they are, away from a world of oppression of several forms. At the heart of the film, thus, also lies an implicit plea to nurture and preserve these identities, especially in a world where conversations around race, sexuality and identity are increasingly making their presence felt. However it is presented employing a tone which is not despondent or aggressive, but instead one that involves art, celebration, hope and above all, sincerity and honesty.

Soul Summit: Doin' It in the Park | Short Film Nominee

The film puts forth an interesting premise, one about the common thread of language and culture, and its especial relevance in a world that battles the coronavirus pandemic. The narrative locates itself at the cultural and linguistic nexus of three East Asian countries, South Korea, China and Japan. In an attempt to engage with the same thematic concern deeply, it aims to map their own individual histories as well as the overlaps that exist between them. From the similarities in script to those words which are gaining more and more predominance in a post-Covid-19 world, the film conjures a sincere endeavour to share its intentions with the viewer by looking at the commonalities between the languages of these countries. It also ropes in an expert voice on the issue, employing the limited resources of a locked down world, to explore its topic further. While the film may have not achieved an adequate closure for the expectation it set at its opening for the viewer, leaving the door open for several questions, it exhibits a dedication and attempted meticulousness to deal with the various components of its subject matter.

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