Singapore's "Ah Girl" wins Youth Jury Award in Rotterdam

Story Via Cinema Online

Singaporean filmmaker Priscilla Ang Geck Geck’s debut feature “Ah Girl” has recently won the Youth Jury Award at the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

“Ah Girl” is selected for Rotterdam International Film Festival’s World Premiere.

The news was announced by the director herself on 8 February, writing, “I spent 10 years making Ah Girl. I tried almost every producer in Singapore and I was close to giving up.”

“Making this film has taught me so much: how to be stronger, how to deal with rejection, and how important it is to stay grateful to the people who choose to believe in you,” she added.

The Festival jury reportedly described the film as one that shines light on the shared nature of human experiences, including childhood, across cultures.

“The film is crafted with a refined eye and tells the stories of our main character brilliantly. A star performance bythe main actresses immediately transports the viewer and the film envelops you like a warm hug from there. Through this film, we call upon the world to take our youngest friends more seriously. But, perhaps even more importantly, we point to the universality of human life and that the other side of the world is sometimes really not that different from what they know,” they stated.

The movie, based on the director’s own childhood, tells the story of a seven-year-old who has to spend more time minding her 5-year-old sister and navigating the petty battle between her separated parents, who are self-absorbed with their dating lives and ricocheting the sisters between homes.