Public Talk by the Engaging Prof Timothy Barnard - and drinks afterwards

For those who have been taught by Prof Barnard, or even just interacted with him, you will know what a witty and interesting person he is. I personally have always found his lectures wholly absorbing and very informative. Therefore, I would highly recommend that you make time to attend his eagerly anticipated public lecture on pre-war Singapore films. Don't miss it, register now! Email  nhb_nm_lectures@nhb.gov.sg to register.

We are also meeting for drinks at Novus Bar after the lecture. Join us, and call your friends along, for a chillax evening!

Best,
Mei Yi

Information is as follows:

The Lighter Side of History: Pre-War Singapore Film and the Changing Landscape of Technology and Nation
Date: 23 Nov 2009
Venue: The Salon, Level 1, National Museum of Singapore
Time: 7 pm
Admission is free
To register, please email: nhb_nm_lectures@nhb.gov.sg

Lecture Outline:

In 1940 and 1941, the Shaw Brothers produced 8 Malay language films in Singapore at their newly built Jalan Ampas studio. These films not only represented the beginning of a sustained film industry in Singapore - which was reestablished after 1945 - they reflected the ideological and technological landscape of the island on the eve of Japanese Occupation. This lecture will highlight plots, stars, and history behind these eight films while examining how the audience and filmmakers understood their impact and importance on a multi-ethnic society like Singapore. In the process, participants will understand how film and new technologies, as well as a little known period of the nation's cultural history, can transform our society's cultural landscape.

Speaker's Biography:

Timothy P. Barnard is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the National University of Singapore.His main area of research is on the cultural and environmental history of Southeast Asia, with particular attention on the Malay world. He has published a number of articles and book chapters on Malay film in Singapore, and is currently working on a book on Malay film from 1940-1967

Novus Bar & Courtyard