A Yellow Bird
by K. Rajagopal
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►Synopsis
Siva, a Singaporean Indian man is released after years in prison for contraband smuggling.
Unable to find forgiveness from his mother, he begins a quest to locate his ex-wife and daughter.
Just as he finds solace and hope in the company of an illegal Chinese prostitute, he is confronted with an unbearable truth about his family.
How far will he go in order to redeem himself from his guilt?
Specifications
Singapore/France 2016 112mn 1.85:1 5.1 Tamil, Mandarin, English, Hokkien 1st Feature Film
produced by
Fran Borgia, Claire Lajoumard, Jeremy Chua
written by
Jeremy Chua, K. Rajagopal
with
Sivakumar Palakrishnan
Huang Lu
Seema Biswas
Udaya Soundari
Nithiyia Rao
Indra Chandran
Crew
Cinematography Michael Zaw Editor Fran Borgia Sound Justin Loh & Roman Dymny Production design James Page
Director's Filmography
Selected list of Short features, winner 3 times of the Singapore IFF*
1995 I can’t sleep tonight*
1996 The Glare*
1997 Absence*
1999 Brother
2008 Lucky 7
2008 The New World
2010 Timeless
2015 The Flame (Short)
Festivals and Awards
- Cannes – Official Competition in 55th Critic’s Week
- Vladivostok Pacific Meridian IFF, Competition
- Asiatica Encounters IFF, Rome, Competition
- Hamburg IFF, Asia Express
- Crime & Punishment IFF, Panorama
- Indian FF in the Hague, Netherlands, Window on Asian Cinema
- Busan IFF – Asian Premiere – Window on Asian Cinema
- Hong Kong Asian FF – New Talent Award section
- London East Asia FF – Competition
- Morelia, Mexico – Official Selection
- Five Flavors FF Poland – Official Selection
- IFFI Goa – Indian Premiere
- Luang Prabang, Lao – Competition
- Beijing, Panorama
- Osaka Asian FF, Panorama
- Bangkok Asian FF, Official selection
- Singapore IFF, Competition
- Wathann Film festival, Myanmar
- Oz Asia Festival, Panorama
- Jaffna International FF, Sri Lanka
- Tingin FF, Philippines Panorama
Comments by K. Rajagopal
” This film is a meditation on the position of Indians in multi-cultural Singapore,”
“I was going for the underbelly, the marginal, because Singapore has a reputation for being modern and ordered. But there is this other side. It is a reality too.”
” all Singaporeans take an oath at school to defend its multiethnic make-up”.
“We stand by racial harmony, it is a pledge we all take.”
Charles Tesson's quote
” A Yellow Bird discloses the unknown picture of a city through clashes between the Chinese and Indian communities. Just like its hero, a character inhabited by devastating rage, the film conveys its thrilling tension” – Charles Tesson – General Delegate of La Semaine de la Critique
