Distance / Kong Jian
A lone middle-aged woman grapples with grief and a new chapter in life after her mother passes away. While trying to sell her family home, her mother's spirit comes back to ensure everything remains the same. Set amidst the constantly reconstructing landscape of Singapore, 'Distance' explores the intricate ties that bind us to people and spaces.
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Grace SweeDirector
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Grace SweeWriter
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Apoorva CharanProducer
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Chia Choo SianKey Cast"Eileen"
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Loh Heng JooKey Cast"Ma"
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Project Title (Original Language):空间
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Drama, Mystical Realism
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Runtime:19 minutes 7 seconds
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Completion Date:September 15, 2018
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Production Budget:4,000 USD
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Country of Origin:Singapore
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Country of Filming:Singapore
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Language:English, Other
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Columbia University
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Singapore International Film Festival 2018Singapore
Singapore
December 3, 2018
World Premiere
Official Selection -
39th Film School Fest MunichMunich
Germany
November 23, 2019
German Premiere
Special Mention -
Film PipelineLos Angeles
United States
December 10, 2020
Winner of Best Short Film -
26th Women Makes Waves International Film Festival
Taiwan
July 4, 2021
Grace Swee is a Singaporean filmmaker, based in New York. Her shorts have screened at various international film festivals. Her most recent short, ‘空间 Distance’, received a Special Mention at the 39th Film School Fest Munich. In 2018, her project was selected for the South-East Asian Film Lab, led by regional mentors to develop as a first feature.
Grace is a film graduate from Columbia University, School of The Arts. She enjoys telling stories of different genres, expounding on family relations, deep character studies, with a touch of magical realism.
In this film, I explored the responsibilities women, place on themselves. They take on caregiver roles and struggle with self-actualization in the midst of societal and familial expectations.
For women, family plays an especially important role in determining how their identities are formed and how they live their lives.
I am interested in telling stories about complex family relationships. In the summer of 2017, I interviewed a few women in Singapore who took upon themselves to be the main caregiver to their ailing parents. They were usually unmarried and/or the eldest in the family. Through speaking with them, I found that the main reasons were filial piety and duty. As much as love is present, there is also a sense of 'bearing the burden', which they obligingly submitted themselves to.
'Distance 空间' was written from that space of love and hate, of wanting intimacy yet feeling trapped. That very fragile thing called – family.