Jason Soo

History

Jason Soo is an artist and recipient of the Jacques Derrida Exhibition and Prize (Melbourne, 1999). As filmmaker, his first narrative work (A Short Film on The May 13 Generation) is based on historical events in 1954 Singapore, when 800 students took over Chinese High School in order to support classmates affected by military conscription. His next work (1987: Untracing the Conspiracy) examines the arrest, torture, and interrogation of 22 alleged Marxist conspirators by Singapore’s secret police. The documentary was awarded Best Southeast Asian Feature at Freedom Film Festival (Malaysia, 2015) and an expanded version of the film is currently in production.

Movies

1987: Untracing The Conspiracy
1987: Untracing The Conspiracy
Director
In 1987, the Singapore government, using the Internal Security Act, arrested 22 people in what was called "Operation Spectrum". These people were held indefinitely without trial, physically and mentally tortured, and coerced into admitting that they were guilty of a "Marxist conspiracy" on public television. In this film, ex-detainees share what they experienced during that time.
A Short Film on the May 13 Generation
A Short Film on the May 13 Generation
Director
This short film was commissioned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of May 13, 1954, in which a peaceful assembly of more than one thousand boys and girls in Singapore was brutally broken up by riot police. The students had gathered to seek exemption for classmates affected by a new conscription law. To continue their protest, 800 students proceed to occupy Chinese High School. The film depicts a possible day in the occupation.