The Singapore Art Museum is proud to present a special series of films in conjunction with Video: An Art, A History 1965-2010: A Selection from the Centre Pompidou and Singapore Art Museum Collections.

With the emergence of portable film and video cameras and smaller film formats such as 16mm and Super 8, video art emerged as a distinct medium in the 1960s as conceptual and performance artists expanded their explorations into experimental film. In the 1990s, the advent of consumer-friendly digital video formats led to a fresh resurgence in independent filmmaking. These developments led to an important parallel story to the history of video art and independent film: a great many ordinary people started to use these new video and projection technologies to film droll, trivial or unlikely aspects of their lives, creating home movies to share with their family and friends and even making serious forays into amateur cinema.

The films in this series are notable for their unique takes on the themes of home movies, amateur film, and found footage. In these 11 films, questions of identity and self-representation, family and kindred, and the individual in society emerge again and again. Private histories unfold amidst inconceivable historical backdrops, old feuds are excavated and new relationships documented. These are all captured by the intrepid individual wielding his or her camera to create compelling and often emotional personal cinema that is impossible to look away from.