Humanity is currently facing tough challenges of a global and personal scale - a devastating pandemic that brought life around the world to a grinding halt, ongoing political conflicts and wars, the effects of climate change, growing mental health issues all around the world as well as the encroachment of artificial intelligence. The annual Cartoons Underground event, SE Asia’s top Indie Animation Festival held in Singapore, aims to offer fun and hope to its audience as they navigate these growing concerns.
“There isn’t an elephant in any room anywhere that can’t be improved by being coloured pink and given a speech bubble,” says festival co-founder Vicky Chen. Chen began the community-driven Cartoons Underground in 2012 together with Patrick Smith, Director of MTV Daria.
“We are living through turbulent, challenging times as individuals and as a society. It’s a time of change and while change is inevitable it’s ultimately how we respond and adapt to it that defines us. And I hope that watching these films will help our audience to make sense of these challenges,” adds Festival Director, Jerrold Chong.
Singapore Comic Convention (SGCC)will open its doors at Sands Expo & Convention Centre this weekend, 10 & 11 December 2022, from 10 AM to 8 PM! The hottest, vibiest pop-culture party of the year is spread over two levels this year at Level 1 and Basement 1.
This may be the first time you will be attending SGCC. Or, maybe you are short of time and do not managed to work out your convention strategy yet.
Don't worry. Red Dot Divaoffers five suggestions of what you can and do at the convention!
After two years of producing a virtual format during the Covid-19 pandemic, Cartoons Underground is back with a one-day in-person event for its 11th edition! The festival will be held on 22 October 2022 at at Projector X: Picturehouse cinema.
Cartoons Underground is Southeast Asia's largest animation festival. This year, it attracted 1,681 entries submitted from 96 different countries, which is the highest number of submissions received during the festival's 11-year run. 16 animation works have been specially selected to be screened during the event, followed by a Director Q&A, and a celebratory music-pumpin' afterparty.
Did you notice the many cats in the Cartoons Underground is banner? The drawing is by this year's festival artist Sarah Lim, a Yale-NUS graduate with a degree in Life Sciences and a minor in Arts and Humanities. Sarah scored an internship with Finding Pictures after attending animation courses for 2 years. She was then involved with prop and character design for their latest TV series, Puberteens, and is now eager to tell more stories through animation and art.
It is Cartoons Underground's 10th Birthday this year! To celebrate this joyous occasion, South-East Asia's biggest independent animation festival has expanded to a 7-day event from 20 to 27 November 2021. It will run as a hybrid event, with both in-person and virtual segments.
Cartoons Underground, the brainchild of Singaporean festival director Vicky Chen and celebrated American animator Patrick Smith, launched a decade ago with just a 2-hour animated movie screening session. Through the years, as interest for animation grew, the event included workshops and panels, as well as the annual Golden Durian Awards for excellence in animation. It was boosted to a 5-day virtual event last year, despite of restrictions due to the pandemic.
This year's National Day has shown the kind of magic our homegrown indie animation studios can do, so the festival provides a great opportunity to give them more exposure. Not only that, Cartoons Underground offers opportunities to connect animation art students - most who come from NTU and LASALLE - to the industry's professionals.
“We always believed Singapore had this huge potential to be a hub for independent animation for the entire region,” she says. “When we launched Singapore was trying to tempt the big international studios. But it’s the independent studios that have stayed and ten years on we’re seeing more and more people buying into our vision,” says Vicky Chen.
Cartoons Underground 2021 will still centre on the screening of new animated short films. The screening helps to showcase and introduce an eclectic range of animation films to local and global audiences. These films are in contrast to the easily marketable styles by Disney or Dreamworks, or even some anime, that many are already familiar with.
Included in the festival programme are two international competitions. One of the notable entries for the international competition is The Visit by Morrie Tan (LASALLE College of the Arts BA(Hons) Animation Art), an intimate stop-motion story about a girl and her thoughts whenever she visits her father in prison. Red Dot Diva first watched The Visit as part of the seven animated short film anthology Spectrum, which was co-produced by Singapore-based Robot Playground Media and Malaysia’s The R&D Studio. The Visit draws you in with quiet emotion, and the film has already received awards and is currently in the film festival circuit.
Tan Wei Keong, Programme Director of Cartoons Underground, also recommends checking out other entries, like Canada-based director Liza Desyatkova'sDon't Think About Her. “It magnifies the agony of having a crush on someone and I love it that the director pushed the film over the edge to a laugh-out-loud effect,” Tan says.
There will also be a screening of films from students at Singapore’s NTU and LASALLE. In addition, the anniversary celebration will provide a nostalgic throwback of some of the very best films shown at Cartoons Underground over the last decade, including those by Singapore creators Sarah Cheok's The Growth and Davier Yoon and Joshua Tan's witty A Brief History Of Time. Incidentally, the latter is one of Tan Wei Keong's favourites.
“It's a joy to rewatch it a million times,” he says. “I always discover something new in the process. It's a gem in the local animation scene, so it's the perfect short to open the retrospective program.”
The expanded programme also includes three online panels about careers in animation. They are:
Developing the animation industry: The role of education (23 Nov, 8pm) looks at how Singapore’s animation industry can bring on the next generation of talent.
Beyond Animation: What’s next for creative graduates? (21 Nov, 2pm) brings together animation graduates who’ve built successful careers.
Future of monetizing in animation (25 Nov, 8pm) looks at the ways the new digital economy lets animator make money from connecting
directly or indirectly with audiences.
On this weekend and next weekend, Cartoons Underground 2021's partner *SCAPE is hosting a four-day development lab on-site and providing Zoom webinars on topics including Non Fungible Tokens on Animation. On the last day of the festival (27 November, 1 PM SGT), *SCAPE Gallery will be hosting a limited in-person screening of animated movie TATSUMI. The film about Japanese manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi, was directed by local auteur Eric Khoo.
“Ten years really flies by when you’re having fun,” says Festival Director Vicky Chen. “Cartoons Underground really has been a labour of love. But seeing the reaction of audiences, following young animators as they embark on their careers, and watching indie animation really take root in Singapore is awesome payback for everything the CU team puts in.”
Tickets for Cartoons Underground 2021 is already on sale! To view the animation films and panels online, buy your ticket from this link - https://cartoonsunderground.com/ticketing-2021
Missed celebrating with your fellow Star Wars geeks on May the 4th last year because of the pandemic? Here's your chance to make up for all that pent-up energy and get ready to nab tickets for STAR WAS DAYat ArtScience Museum on 1 and 2 May (Sat and Sun).
Admission for the event is free or charge. However, as social distancing measures are still in force, limited tickets will be available. Fans would have to pre-book their slots to visit the museum. The booking link will be available on 26 April morning.
This year's May the 4th celebration is organised by #MAYTHE4THSG & Friends and supported by Pico Pro. The team has planned out a fun-filled schedule for the weekend, with family-friend activities like film screenings, photo opportunities, toy displays and more!
Check out the summary of the programme lineup below. The program schedule is essentially the same for both days except for the film screenings:
So what if COVID-19 a.k.a. the Big Bad of 2020 is still lurking in the corners of Red Dot Island, and has prevented festivals and events from taking place? Cartoons Underground 2020, the island's very own animation festival, has in fact expanded from a 1-day evening festival to an exciting 5-day online event from 9 to 13 December 2020.
Of course, the festival, which is also South-East Asia's largest, will not be happening in their usual physical venue. Instead, attendees will step into an interactive and vibrant 360° virtual world created by CG lead Enrique Caballero.
Love is in the air
Within this immersive neon-lit cyberpunk 'hood, festival goers will be able to hunt for easter eggs, view films and behind the scene footages, and attend Q&A sessions with directors. Red Dot Diva had a sneak peek of the 360° world, which had tributes to Lady & The Tramp as well as the chef couple from the movie, Ratatouille. According to Enrique Caballero, he felt that during this difficult year, we all needed more love. Since the locals love shopping online, there will also be an art market where you can buy unique items for your own collection or as presents.
While the pandemic continues to rage on in several parts of the world, live action TV and movie productions have either halted or have been delayed. But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Seemingly pandemic-proof, the animation industry is set to boom in the next 5 years due to market demand, and for the practical reason that most of the work can be performed remotely.
Red Dot Diva welcomes the rise of animation movies. They are not just for kids and children. There are the cookie-cutter Disneys, Pixars, Dreamworks and well-loved Studio Ghibli films, and then there are so many others that fall in between or out of those familiar lines that are as beautiful and moving.
This mega, immersive, 24-hour virtual global fan event by Warner Bros. is set to kick-off on August 22 (that is, Sunday August 23, starting at 1 AM Singapore time). It will cost nothing for the fans to step into the multiverse of DC's Super Heroes and Super-Villains from past, present and futures shows. There will be no queues, no badges required, and best of all, no heartattack-inducing hotelapocalypse!
Everything will happen at www.dcfandome.com, with exciting announcements on WB's game, film and TV properties, plus a chance to watch the cast, creators and those from behind the scenes who have worked in various comics, movies and TV series share about their experiences.
Some of the titles that will be featured at DC FanDome are:
One thing that stands out about the new Supreme Leader Kylo-Ren is his luscious, helmet-proof, raven-hued hair. It is the kind of hair that makes many Star Wars fans, including Red Dot Diva, to wonder - what kind of shampoo does Kylo-Ren use?
When asked about his preferred haircare product, he said, "whatever's left from the film set". Someone then suggested it was Bumble & Bumble shampoo & conditioner. So, hmmm, the Dark Side must smell really nice. *sniff sniff*
The Q&A ran longer than expected, with Adam Driver extending his allocated time slot twice, as he patiently fielded as many questions as he could from the fans. Most questions have already been asked before in various "Logan Lucky", "Paterson" and Star Wars promos leading up the release of "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi", but there were a few humorous gems from Adam, who was in a very good mood that night.
Local Star Wars fans would have already been aware or signed up for the first Star Wars Run held on May 6th organized by sports event management company, Esprimo.
In addition to the themed run, the company has also collaborated with the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to make this year's May The 4th celebration into a three-day festival at Gardens by the Bay's Supertree Grove.
The galactic shindig kicks off on Thursday May 4th with appearances of Chewbacca and Kylo-Ren, a SaberTrees Light-up of the supertrees as well as the specially choreographed Garden Rhapsody Star Wars Edition light show set to the movie franchise's iconic soundtrack.
A replica of the two-legged All-Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST) will also be standing guard at the Supertree Grove. This should be a great photo opportunity for any Star Wars fans, especially if you are dressed for the occasion!
Things cannot get any geekier than this for Red Dot Diva.
A few days ago, she was invited to watch a special screening of new animated series, "Star Wars Rebels" at The Sandcrawler - the regional headquarters of Lucasfilm's campus on the Red Dot Island.
The Sandcrawler has the familiar shape of those giant vehicular fortresses manned by Jawas for transportation and shelter in the desertlands of Tatooine. Earlier this year, George Lucas himself was here in the building, together with Kathleen Kennedy and Red Dot Island'sPrime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for its unveiling. (Check out the article of their visit here.)
It was Red Dot Diva's first time visiting The Sandcrawler and she was very excited to be able to step into the hallowed grounds of Lucasfilm, and walked where George Lucas walked. After all, "Star Wars" was the first scifi movie that captured her childhood imagination, and it was also her very first major fandom. That love for "Star Wars" has never died, enduring even those last 3 disappointing movies that older die-hard fans want to mostly forget ever existed.
A bright, sunny Preview Day is definitely a Diva-tastic way to start off the largest pop-culture event in the US!
And to have enough proteins and energy to get goin', one must have a good hearty breakfast - complete with caffeine input. A good place for that is the Broken Yolk, at the corner of J Street and 6th Avenue.
Red Dot Diva and her roomies walked to the breakfast cafe from their Hilton Bayfront Hotel early in the morn and was surprised to discover that the place was pretty empty.
Standing just outside the cafe, one of Diva's favourite geek dude, Artimus was already waiting for them. The group did not need to wait long at all for their table.
Fans of the WB and DC Comics take note. There are lots of the WB/ DC stuff for you to enjoy during the convention - starting from Preview Night!
As in the last few years, the WB will again be hosting Preview Night at Comic-Con 2014. This news brings Red Dot Diva much Happiness XP.
The WB's TV shows usually includes many which are of particular interest to her, and she loves having advance sneak peaks at these brand new productions. Plus, there's just something special about sitting with eager anticipation in the darkened Ballroom 20 and live-tweeting her reactions to the TV series as they roll-out one by one on the giant screens.
It is time to pick a side, and join in the battle against drugs by contributing to a special charity screening of "X-Men: Days of Future Past"!
The screening is organized by the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA), in conjunction with Cathay Cineplexes. SANA is a local-based non-profit organization set up with an aim to spread the word against narcotics and to assist with the rehabilitation of drug addicts.
From what Red Dot Diva learned, the theatre is a small on, so available seats will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
Calling Red Dot Island geeks -- how hardcore of a "Game of Thrones" fans are you??
HBO Asia is looking to anoint 200 fans of the hugely popular, Emmy and Golden-Globe-winning series so that they can invite them for a first-ever special screening of the Season 4 debut episode, "Two Swords" - totally uncut and ahead of its April 6th premiere date in the USA!
The details of the screening are:
Date: Friday, 4 April
Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: GV Grand, Great World City
Here's how you can join the contest to attend the screening:
For the last few years, the latest and most comtemporary incarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book character Sherlock Holmes has taken pop-culture audiences around the world by storm.
The BBC TV series created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and simply entitled "Sherlock", stars Brit fan favourites Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
Red Dot Diva has to be confess: she is not a big fan of the series. Being a hardcore ACD book nerd, she has her own personal reasons for not enjoying the new "Sherlock" as much as she thinks she should. But, there is one thing she cannot fault about the series - the solid acting of Cumberbatch and Freeman (and many of the other supporting/ guest actors).... And the silver foxiness of Inspector Lestrade/ Rupert Graves .... *bites quivering lower lip*
Screen Singapore is returning next week at the Sands Expo, Marina Bay Sands (3rd - 6th December) in Singapore, together with the Asia Television Forum (ATF) - a content marketplace for industry players to network and interact with each other.
During the event, there will be a series of forums and panels for industry professionals to participate in. The topics discussed during the conference will range from financing to marketing to content programming, with a total of about 69 speakers from various countries. A list of these speakers can be found here.
Local Red Dot Islanders who will be sharing their insights include Jack Neo and Anthony Chen - fresh from the Golden Horse wins that he got for his movie "Ilo Ilo". "Ilo Ilo" has won 20 international awards to-date, including Best Feature Film at the Golden Horse Awards and Camera d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival.
So far, Red Dot Diva has been informed of two films premieres during ATF/ Screen Singapore 2013.
New York Comic Con (NYCC)just seems to get bigger and glitzier each year. Red Dot Diva first attended NYCC in 2011, and the number of more TV or movie-related panels and guests have increased in the last two years.
Still, NYCC is a far more comics-centric convention compared to San Diego Comic-Con. The number of creators attending as guests in NYCC is any comic fan's wildest dreams. And the space set aside for Artist Alley is mind-blowingly huge, with rows and rows of comic artists eager to connect with people who are or will be interested in their work. Also, since NYCC has a far less hectic crowd than Comic-Con, the chances of one meeting and having more time with their favourite comic creators or artists are fairly high.
*checks satellite scans on screen and activates secure lock-down* Sssh.
You did NOT read this.
Last night at a movie theatre, Marvel rounded up the Red Dot Island's geeks and fans (of which Red Dot Diva sneaked in as part of the herd), confisticated all their electronic devices (even those that recorded nary a thing aka the Kindle!) and force-fed them popcorn and Coke while they underwent a V.E.S. (i.e. Very Exclusive Screening).
Word is, that the V.E.S. was so exclusive in Asia, that the film reel was hand-carried by a trusted personnel to Red Dot Island. Red Dot Diva is still reeling over what happened... what she has SEEN and HEARD. The sensory after-effects are strong but she says that any true geek deserves to know these vital information. And she puts her life in danger transmitting the following data. *something.. a shadow? .... just moved on one of Diva's security cam* ( gulp)
She has to hurry. So... commit these down to memory. Quick.
Rumour has it that there was an X-Files 20th Year Reunion on the afternoon of Day 1 of Comic-Con at a venue called Ballroom 20.
Red Dot Diva cannot reveal details about the so-called event at this moment.
There was also talk that a couple hundred people or so camped out at the entrance of the San Diego Convention Center the night before for this particular reunion.
Several photos of these people turned up on Twitter. Some were shown snoozing in sleeping bags, and others were chatting the night away while sitting on mats or foldable chairs on the pavement.
Craving for more than just the kiddy-family, fun-filled kind of superhero movie?
Then, get ready to bloody-butt-kick it down while swearing when the sequel of "Kick-Ass" returns to the local movie screen this month!
Based on the comic-books by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr, "Kick-Ass 2" continues from the first movie when more people are inspired to don on costumes and become masked vigilantes.
Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) turns to the group called Justice Forever, led by an ex-mobster named Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carey), when Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) tries hard to return to "normal life" as a high-school teenager. Then Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) transforms himself to become a revenging super-villian The Mother F**ker and amasses a loyal super-army to scr*w up with all their good intentions.
