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Zen Mind Experiment Films

Synopsis:

An omnibus of four films by four directors, born out of an experiment to make films using Zen principles of minimalism, non-attachment and being in the here and now. Zen-Mind Film #1: “The Verge” tells a story about two women who met on rooftop both with intention to jump. Zen-Mind Film #2: “Useless” depicts a boy struggling to get out of bed. In Zen-Mind Film #3: “The Cell”, a famous video streamer who wants to be alone meets a fan in a park, leading to an unlikely conversation about the importance of truth. Zen-Mind Film #4: “The Rehearsal” is an experimental thriller. In this film, an actor gets trapped in his own ego, unable to get out of his own head.

These four films are made under Zen-Mind rules – in a 4 hour shoot 4 hour edit time frame – using only whatever the filmmaker has at the moment. Additional seeking of funds are not allowed, forcing the filmmaker to work with the as-is and such-ness of elements in the now. Filmmakers are allowed to prepare beforehand but shoot date is pre-determined and cannot be changed. By adopting a minimalist less-is-more approach, filmmakers become more open to work with intuition and modes of serendipity, practicing non-attachment to fixated ideas, learning to use the thus-ness and such-ness of their conditions in the here and now to tell stories.

This omnibus is like a puzzle box - featuring a line-up of sometimes-warm-sometimes-strange filmic occurrences of the conscious mind. Four films of different genres, Drama, Experimental Thriller and Journal-style storytelling, featuring four separate stories exploring themes from courage and death (The Verge), self-worth (Useless), unlikely friendships, the value of truth (The Cell) and the questioning of the reality and the ego (The Rehearsal).

What is the Zen-Mind Filmmaking Experiment?

Zen-Mind Filmmaking is an experiment, film movement and methodology founded by artist-teacher-filmmaker Tzang Merwyn Tong who wanted to explore if films can be made within parameters of minimalism, non-attachment and being in the here and now. Together with a group of filmmakers, two cycles of research were done, with four films made using parameters from a written Zen-Mind manifesto.

Much like the Dogme95 movement in the 90s, Zen-Mind Filmmaking explores the potential of what filmmaking can be when it is freed of excessive conditions and entanglements. But unlike Dogme95, Zen-Mind Filmmaking films from Cycle 1 & 2 of the experiments do not seek to shock, provoke or subvert; rather, it can be observed that Zen-Mind films sought a more inward approach to filmmaking, often exploring existential themes of the self and its relationship with an outside world. Using the method, filmmakers are more open to work with intuition and modes of serendipity leading to sense of unexpected outcomes where the filmmaker at times a co-creator (rather than creator) with the environment to make the film.

This omnibus features four films of different genres, drama, experimental thriller and journal-style storytelling; four separate stories exploring themes from courage and death (The Verge), self-worth (Useless), unlikely friendships, the value of truth (The Cell) and the questioning of the reality and the ego (The Rehearsal).

  • Tzang Merwyn Tong
    Executive Producer
    Faeryville
  • Darshan Kunasagran
    Director
    Director for Zen-Mind Film #01 - The Verge
  • Syafique Fadzelli
    Director
    Director for Zen-Mind Film #02 - Useless
  • Zach RS Ho
    Director
    Director for Zen-Mind Film #03 - The Cell
  • Matthaeus Choo
    Director
    Director for Zen-Mind Film #04 - The Rehearsal
  • Runtime:
    26 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 1, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Singapore
  • Country of Filming:
    Singapore
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Darshan Kunasagran, Syafique Fadzelli, Zach RS Ho, Matthaeus Choo

Directors

Darshan Kunasagran has been in the creative industry for over 8 years. Starting as an assistant editor, Darshan has since experienced almost all roles of production. He is currently a director and editor producing content for a production company in Singapore. Darshan is the first participant of the Zen-Mind Filmmaking experiments. He wanted to explore how the creative possibilities of the Zen-Mind method, and the freedom to ‘just-do and not overthink’.

Syafiq Fadzelli is a fresh graduate with some experience in media projects, sometimes working as director, sometimes as DP and camera operator; such as the short film “Colourblind” (2019). Syafiq is interested about bringing stories to life without over-preparation, big sets and crew. The Zen-Mind Filmmaking experiment presents such an opportunity for his inner world to be understood by others, without over-explanation.

Zach RS Ho is a filmmaker, editor and colourist. His love for storytelling started when he was a student, which led him to be part of an independent film-making group, DB Films, whose films have bagged numerous nominations and awards, such as “Really Lucky” (2019), which won the Best Story and Best Sound Award in Canon Filmfive Festival in Singapore, and “Red” (2017) which won Best Colour Grading Award at National Youth Film Awards in 2017. Zach wanted to be part of the Zen-Mind Filmmaking experiments to explore how much he can do with less.

Matthaeus Choo is not a filmmaker. He is a journalist and film critic who writes for Sinema.SG. He heard about the Zen-Mind Filmmaking experiments by Tzang Merwyn Tong and asked to participate, curious to find out what can come out of these experiments from a ‘beginner’s mind’. With no prior filmmaking experience, Matthaeus wrote and produced his first film “The Rehearsal” with some supervision from Tzang, using the Zen-Mind parameters.

Executive Producer

Tzang Merwyn Tong is a Singapore-based scriptwriter, educator, researcher and filmmaker known for his award winning independent films often set in alternate realities featuring odd ball characters. He is the writer-director of Singapore’s first dystopian coming-of-age film “Faeryville” (2015), which premiered to critical acclaim in Los Angeles, Paris and Timisoara (Romania). “Faeryville” is now streaming on Netflix South East Asia. His other works include the cult film “e’Tzaintes” (2003) which was the Opening Film of the Berlin-Asia Pacific Film Festival, “V1k1 – A Techno Fairytale (2011), winner of Gold Remi Award in Houston, and “A Wicked Tale” (2005), which was a surprise hit in film festivals in Rotterdam, Berlin, Montreal, Lund and Tel Aviv.

He is the founder of Zen-Mind Filmmaking – a movement and methodology in response to how filmmaking – as an art form has become increasingly sacrificial, conditional and unsustainable, leading to fatigue and burn out. The methodology was developed as an experiment to explore if films can be made with modes of minimalism, non-attachment and being in the-here-and -now. Its objective is to liberate filmmaking from entanglements so that filmmaking can be a practice of personal expression, without the conditions of external control.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Title: Zen-Mind Filmmaking Experiment (Cycle 1 & 2)

Omnibus of four films: The Verge (dir. Darshan Kunasagran), Useless (dir. Syafiq Fadzelli), The Cell (dir. Zach RS Ho), The Rehearsal (dir. Matthaeus Choo) made under Zen-Mind rules of the Zen-Mind Filmmaking Experiment.

Key word: omnibus-film, experiment, drama

Country of Origin: Singapore
Directors: Darshan Kunasagran, Zach RS Ho, Syafiq Fadzelli, Matthaeus Choo
Executive Producer: Tzang Merwyn Tong

Writers: Tzang Merwyn Tong, Darshan Kunasagran, Zach RS Ho, Syafiq Fadzelli, Matthaeus Choo
Cast: Nutan Rai, Visalachi, Syafiq Fadzelli, Syed Azzym, Cashmere Hui, Chan Yong Lin, Matthaeus Choo.