She makes movie out of dad's bomb hoax
TP graduate produces short film about her family's suffering brought on by her father's act
In 2005, a man was sentenced to 3½ years' jail for carrying out a bomb hoax.
He had placed a box in the car of an MRT train with a note implying that it might go off.
Now, his daughter has turned the story into a short film, Azza, which depicts the family's suffering because of her father's folly.
Wanting to be known only as Miss Shahidah, 20, she recently graduated from Temasek Polytechnic's (TP) diploma in digital film and television.
Azza is one of three short film projects commissioned by the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC).
In its fourth year, SDC collaborated with TP and Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) for the Singapore Stories Film Gala to nurture young film-makers.
Miss Shahidah, the film's producer, said: "When I first told my friends, they were shocked it happened in Singapore and didn't believe me."
She wants to teach people that such an act can also affect family members.
Miss Shahidah and her eight team members tell the story from her older sister's perspective.
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The police searched her home and interviewed her sister who was 11 at the time. Miss Shahidah was only seven then and her younger brother was four.
Her mother got a divorce, took on three jobs and had suicidal tendencies.
But Miss Shahidah said she, her siblings and mother bonded and became more independent.
She added: "Despite sacrificing my privacy for Azza, I was willing to do it because my intention is to educate the public and show them the consequences of such an act.
"It could happen to anyone. All of us didn't expect that from my dad because we were a regular family who enjoyed going to the beach.
"He was a cool and smart guy and even used to write poems to my mum."
She is not in contact with her father any more.
Mr Andrew Ngin, 53, was Miss Shahidah's lecturer and coached the team.
He said: "It was hard for her to have to watch the traumatic scenes being done over and over again, but her level of maturity really shone through during the whole process.
"She had standards she wanted to meet and was capable in handling her role as a producer."
The other films chosen were Gallant by TP students to commemorate 50 years of national service, and Rust Red, a fictional film by NP students on the end of the world from the point of view of three characters.
The films will be screened over a year to all Singaporeans and permanent residents for free at SDC iWERKS Theatre at Upper Jurong Road from July 1.
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