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TIONG BAHRU follows the lives of three characters of very different ages over the course of a day as they reveal to their families and friends their hopes and desires. Lyrical and musical in its style, the film is a sensitive portrait of 3 people caught at a crossroads in their lives and the extraordinary place in which they live. TIONG BAHRU is the latest and most ambitious film in CIVIC LIFE, the acclaimed series of short films by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, through which over the last 8 years the artists have explored the themes of belonging, place, change and relationships. The films are developed through an extensive process of dialogues with communities and are made with casts of volunteers drawn from the areas in which they are filmed. Featuring 150 volunteers, many of whom had never acted before, TIONG BAHRU was shot on 35mm in the market and hawker centre of the art deco heritage estate of Tiong Bahru in Singapore in June 2010. ?TIONG BAHRU is the touchstone of (Molloy and Lawlor?s) work?restrained and lavish, formally audacious and sentimental? (Sight & Sound)

Born in Dublin, Ireland Christine Molloy (b 1965) and Joe Lawlor (b 1963) studied theatre in the UK in the late 80s. From 1992 to 1999 they devised, directed and performed in six internationally acclaimed touring theatre shows before shifting their attention towards moving image based work. Between 2000 and 2003 they directed a number of episodic, interactive works for the internet, and large-scale community video projects for galleries. Since 2003 Molloy and Lawlor have produced, written and directed 10 acclaimed short films, under the title CIVIC LIFE. All shot on 35mm, the CIVIC LIFE films have screened extensively around the world including screenings at the Telluride Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival and IndieLisboa. HELEN, their acclaimed debut feature film, premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2008 before screening at over 50 film festivals worldwide. TIONG BAHRU is the latest film in the CIVIC LIFE series.