Pocket Memories: Student Short Film

Crew

Director: Sarmiento, Cyril Dominic Bambico
Producer: Irinna Sharmin Binte Mohamed Shafendii
Art Director & Assistant Director: Brenda Soh Chin Wen
Director of Photography: Chin Yong Shen Nicholas
Editor: Mohamad Syakirul Amien Bin Mohamad Noor

Who are we?

We are a group of film students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, currently in our final year. We are working on our Final Year Project which is a short film titled Pocket Memories.

Logline

After being mysteriously transported into a game bar with virtually no escape, a woman is forced by a bartender to play a game of billiards where death is the outcome of losing.

Synopsis

With no recollection of how she ended up in a game bar, Oko, a successful but self-centred debt collector, is transported into a place where she meets the Bartender.

When she asks for the exit, he informs her that there isn’t one; she is stuck for life unless she can win in a special game. Although refusing to participate at first, Oko changes her mind when the Bartender demonstrates supernatural powers and threatens her life.

The game is a single-player billiards. Her task is to score the balls into pockets until she earns enough points that grant her freedom. However, there is a catch; each ball contains a person that she had wronged in her life. The only way to secure the points is to have them forgive her.

Oko must quickly learn compassion and remorse if she wants to survive.

Director's Statement

Many times, when we are obsessed with our perceived pursuit of success, we do whatever it takes to reach it. Whilst it shows our admirable spirit of progression, we lose appreciation for the things we already have.

I’ve heard of stories where people would bring others down for their own selfish intentions. Is that our world right now? A world where people would stand over the mountains of bodies to be successful?

In this film, Oko is that person. She already has success but she wants more. But, suddenly, she is put into a situation where to survive, she has to be kind and sympathetic. It is something new for her but something I believe we all need.

I hope this film makes people realise what they already have and that money and career progression isn’t the definition of happiness and success. Happiness is arbitrary. You define your own happiness but not at the cost of others.

Why do we need your support?

As this is our Final Year Project, we would like to develop this film to the best of our abilities before graduating from NAFA. To see our ambitious views come to fruition, we sincerely accept any form of support from anyone who comes across this campaign.