Private Project

Okusan

A War Drama set in 1943 about Mei Na, a pregnant comfort woman who escapes the comfort home in hopes of finding a safe space to give birth but she gets confronted by the father of her unborn child– a Japanese soldier.

  • Syaza Agape
    Director
  • Marcus Lee
    Writer
  • Sera Joy Wee
    Producer
  • Kelly Choo Hui Wen
    Key Cast
    "Mei Na"
  • Jaymeson Olivero
    Key Cast
    "Ito"
  • Shan
    Key Cast
    "Candice Tan"
  • Minami
    Key Cast
    "Satoshi Oya"
  • Japanese Nurse
    Key Cast
    "Agnes Goh"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Okusan
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    War, Historical, Drama
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 17, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Singapore
  • Country of Filming:
    Singapore
  • Language:
    Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.66
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - LASALLE College Of The Arts
Director Biography - Syaza Agape

Syaza Agape sparked her interest in film while studying for O Levels, when she realized her inclination towards writing. She looked forward to composition writing as she could externalise thoughts to pen and paper. As each seemingly insignificant event happens to her, she remembers them, hoping to translate her personal experiences to screen.
Her love for writing soon evolved into one of directing as she thrives in speaking to actors and finding out their thought processes and why they think what they think. Editing holds a soft spot in Syaza’s heart as she enjoys cutting films by emotion and into their best state. Her hope lies in the fact that her films would reach a sort of universal empathy within audiences alike.

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Director Statement

When one thinks of war films, battle and bloodshed always come to mind. My primary goal was to break away from that notion and instead, honour the prisoners of war and craft a film centring around the female perspective during wartime. I wanted to explore the female gaze, the power it holds, to avert the male gaze as well as incite agency. Women can, and women will.

The use of language as a form of communication (or lack thereof) was also fascinating for me. I am far from bilingual, and at times it hinders my connection with others. I wanted to explore that same struggle within the film– two people who speak different languages but still manage to form that same human connection. The word “please” is tender, which speaks a universal cry for help.

Okusan was conceptualised with these in mind. My protagonist Mei Na goes through struggles which are inherently human and specifically female– the choice of whether to give birth to a child born out of Japanese Occupation rape, or perform a self-induced abortion. This premise resonates with me as being placed in a predicament in the past, I learned that the choices that are not the easiest to make, are usually the ones worth bringing to light.

My hopes are that females and even males alike resonate with Okusan, on a baseline human level. I also intend for the issue of World War II Comfort Women to be brought to light, as it is a rich part of Singapore history that should be uncovered and explored.