Experiencing Interruptions?

The Note

To connect with her new class, an inexperienced teacher asks each student to anonymously share a personal secret. Chaos ensues when a note reads: I have HIV.

  • Jen Nee Lim
    Director
    Elsa
  • Jen Nee Lim
    Writer
    Elsa
  • Leon Cheo
    Producer
    Two is Enough, SIN-SFO
  • Cheryl Chitty Tan
    Key Cast
    "Ms. Kang"
  • Kymberly Naushad
    Key Cast
    "Top Student"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 7, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    18,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Singapore
  • Country of Filming:
    Singapore
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • 23rd Through Women's Eyes International Film Festival
    Florida
    United States
    March 10, 2022
    World
  • 32nd Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival 2022
    Toronto
    Canada
    May 27, 2022
    Canada Premiere
  • 2nd International Children Care Film Festival 2022
    Paris
    France
    June 30, 2022
    Europe
  • 27th Aichi International Women’s Film Festival 2022
    Nagoya, Aichi
    Japan
    September 10, 2022
    Asian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 15th Kansai Queer Film Festival 2022
    Kyoto, Kansai
    Japan
    September 24, 2022
Director Biography - Jen Nee Lim

Jen Nee LIM has more than 15 years’ experience as Producer/Writer, with stints in film acquisition, marketing and distribution. She first wrote and produced feature film Truth Be Told (Best Original Film, Asian Film Festival of Rome) in 2007. Most recently, she produced the International Emmy-nominated web series People Like Us (2016, 2019). However Jen is finally pursuing directing, honing her vision with more short films, starting with documentary short Elsa (2019), which won the Special Mention Award at the 4th SeaShorts Film Festival 2020. Her creative vision and interest lie in stories about women and children in Asia. The Note (2021) is her first narrative short.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Note is a simple story about a well-intentioned teacher who gets everyone in trouble. She is the proverbial Pandora in Pandora’s box who unleashes mayhem on humanity. But did she? Digging deeper into this myth and our patriarchal history, it becomes apparent who commonly soldiers the blame and shame. My intention was never a whodunit story, but to ask how do we live in a society that constantly judges? Replace HIV with something else and the resulting stigma and discrimination would probably exist still. My approach is subtle and yet, not quite so. With free camera movements, are we there observing or judging? The suffragette colour palette of purple, green and white/yellow is a nod to women’s empowerment. How the characters are named or unnamed is my irreverent way of representing societal power imbalance. Lastly, I pay homage to Stanley Kubrick with one of his most famous scene that helps speak volumes about humanity.