Artist Films
Presenting films made by artists, this year includes an emphasis on early documentaries
by Southeast Asian practitioners and a full-length movie independently made during the
Marcos regime in the Philippines.
National Gallery Singapore commissioned the
digital restoration of two artists’ films on 16mm, Virgilio “Pandy” Aviado’s 1978
Footages and Briccio Santos’ Damortis, which are world premiering at
Painting with Light.
Showing 9 of 22 abc films
By Briccio Santos
A haunting meditation on faith, power and the human cost of divinity, Damortis, originally shot on 16mm film, is a landmark of Philippine independent cinema.
Sat, 13 Sep 2025, 2pm
By Virgilio "Pandy" Aviado
This film captures the friendship, collaboration and shared adventurous spirit between two pioneers in Philippine experimental filmmaking.
Film 1 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries
By Banchong Kosalwat
Banchong Kosalwat, a pioneer of Thai experimental film, created this empathetic documentary on racehorses while he was based in the United States.
Film 2 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries
By Gotot Prakosa
In this mesmerising film, Gotot Prakosa captures a performance of human bodies melding with the earth.
Film 3 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries
RECUERDO OF TWO SUNDAYS AND TWO ROADS THAT LEAD TO THE SEA
By Bibsy Carballo, Romeo Vitug and Eric Torres
This wistful documentary focuses on funeral rituals in Navotas, a fishing town in the Philippines which has one of the largest fish ports in Southeast Asia.
Film 4 of 4 in Through Artists’ Eyes: Southeast Asian Documentaries
Explore Other Festival Sections
Opening Film
Magellan is an intimate portrait of the 16th century Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, starring Gael García Bernal in the titular role.
Art History, Co-authored
Art History, Co-authored presents films that explore seminal moments in art and film history.
Exhibition Readings
Exhibition Readings presents film programmes conceived in response to the art in the Gallery’s ongoing exhibitions.
Special Focus
The Special Focus section presents films that speak to the issues of the day. This year’s programme features the work of women filmmakers and artists who advocate for ways of being that are informed by an ethics of care. Bold, innovative, and profoundly relevant, these films ask the enduring question at the heart of artistic endeavour—what does it mean to be human?
Closing
We Are Toast is an expanded cinema performance by Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen that utilises multiple 16mm film projectors to create a live film.