Dec. 8, 2023

Sunday Place Emphasis on Singapore’s Migrant Workers

Sunday made its world film launch at the Singapore International Film Festival, which is also the debut of Director Sean Ng. By: Dylan Low

Ng formerly directed several short films and his producing experiences comprise of feature documentary titled André and His Olive Tree, which became Taiwan’s highest grossing documentary of 2020. Sunday was made in TorinoFilmLab. 

The film showcases two migrant workers living in Singapore. Lily is a Filipino domestic worker serving a wealthy Lee family, undergoing problems in their marriage. She finds comfort in Minh, a Vietnamese bus boy. With the house at her disposal, Lily seeks the limits to her relationship with Minh, leading to a romance with consequences.  Cast members of the film are Rhen Escano, Ho Thanh Trung, Adrian Pang and Michelle Saram.

“Growing up very close to a domestic helper, and my father working in construction had me exposed from a very young age to the lives migrant workers live. These observations never went away, and as I grew older the realizations of the disparities grew too,” Ng explained. “I decided to tell a love story based on everyday events in the migrant community that’s always swept under the rug. I also wanted to create a film that dignifies migrant workers through juxtapositions with luxury experiences, showing that they deserve that sort of liberty and opportunity too.”

The film’s title is referenced from the day where Singapore’s migrant workers take time off to spend time with one another. Sunday is built on Ng’s interactions with them on Sundays. “There are a ton of stories amongst their community, that many are afraid to share or let be known to the public. They always fear repercussions of failing their employers’ standards. It varies a lot, the depth and degree of these stories to be told, especially for domestic helpers. There are many love stories that people were willing to share, only anonymously,” Ng mentioned.

Ng is the co-founder of the reputable video production house Amok, alongside producer Caleb Quek.

Quek and Ng are now working on aspiring filming projects together with distributor company MM2 Entertainment. “The Philippines is definitely in our plans, as we hope this story will resonate with the audience there,” Quek stated.

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