Singaporean filmmaker Tan Pin Pin’s critically acclaimed new documentary opens in cinemas on Sept 28

Still of workers examining exhumed time capsule from 1990 prepared when Singapore celebrated 25 years of independence. Photo: In Time to Come
Still of workers examining exhumed time capsule from 1990 prepared when Singapore celebrated 25 years of independence. Photo: In Time to Come

Local filmmaker Tan Pin Pin — known for her works like Pineapple Town (part of 7 Letters) and To Singapore, with Love (the award-winning documentary about Singaporean exiles that was banned from screening here) — returns to the big screen with her latest documentary, In Time To Come.

The 62-minute feature opens in Singapore on Sept 28 at Filmgarde Bugis+.

Film still of the aftermath of opening ceremony of expressway, before traffic enters

Completely different in tone and treatment to the controversial To Singapore, with Love, her new film is said to be a meditation on time and life in the Little Red Dot, revolving around the themes of memory, national identity and the act of documentation.

The documentary is set in 2015 — when everyone in Singapore was bombarded by everything SG50 — and the story itself is centered on the opening of a time capsule from 1990, as well as the sealing of a new capsule to be opened in the future. The old one contains items like bottled river water and a copy of the Yellow Pages, while the new one includes a life jacket and a lion’s head mask.

Film still of school flag raising ceremony

Shot over four years, the film was actually conceptualized in 2012 and has already been screened at and nominated for Best International Documentary prestigious documentary festivals around the world. Watch the trailer below:

If you’re keen on meeting Tan Pin Pin at a Q&A session during opening weekend, pop by on Sept 28 at 7:30pm, Sept 29 and Sept 30 at 3:30pm and 7:30pm, and Oct 1 at 3pm and 7:20pm.



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