ROULETTE CITY - a film by Thomas Lim

Roulette City synopsis

Tak, from Mainland China, goes to Macau with his uncle Wai, hoping to win money to pay for his ill mother's operation. Together they begin to frequent Macau's underground gambling dens - and win big. But as their winnings grow, Wai becomes increasingly distracted by the temptations of the big city, including Tak’s old lover from China - Wynnie. Misled to believe that he had killed Wai in a furied brawl over Wynnie, Tak must find a way to flee Macau with Wynnie. Wynnie lures Tak into a gamble that he cannot refuse: their freedom in exchange for information known to a local policeman, Kin. To gain Kin's trust, Tak befriends Kin’s sister Armanda. Armanda's simple and honest nature catches Tak off-guard and he begins to fall for her. As Tak grows closer to Kin and Armanda, and Kin gets closer to discovering Tak's true intentions, Tak must decide where his true loyalties lie.

ROULETTE CITY poster

ROULETTE CITY stills

MACAO DAILY NEWS (Chinese newspapers) reports on Thomas Lim's talk on 'Low Budget Film Making'

A feature article on Thomas Lim's talk on 'Low Budget Filmmaking' was published on Macau's Chinese newspaper 'Macao Daily News'. (14 Sep 2009, Monday, Page C1)
澳門中文報紙‘澳門日報’在9月14日（星期一）刊登了有關林毅煒在9月13日的‘低成本獨立電影製作’講座的報導。

'Low Budget Film Making' by THOMAS LIM

Thomas Lim was invited to give a talk on ‘Low budget film-making’ on 13 Sept 2009 at the MACAU FANTASIA. This video is a condensed version of the talk.

電影講座系列4

低成本獨立電影製作。

主講：林毅煒先生。

時間：下午三點半至五點。

日期：二零零九年九月十三日。

地點：望德堂區瘋堂斜巷子10號，瘋堂十號創意園（近婆仔屋）。

Macau Chinese newspapers 'Macao Daily News' interviews Thomas Lim

澳門日報的林毅煒專訪。此報導在9月6日刊登。

Macau Chinese newspapers 'Macao Daily News' interviews Thomas Lim. This article was published on 6 Sept 2009.

過客自資打響土炮

——記星洲導演的獨立電影

“澳門的賭場對本地人和內地人有着截然不同的意義。對澳門人來說，賭場給予他們工作，使他們能有舒適而富裕的生活。但對許多到澳門的中國內地人而言，賭場能令他們一夜間發財轉運，是過好日子的難得捷徑。”由土生土長於新加坡、近年移遷澳門工作的導演林毅煒執導的首齣長片《輪盤》，有此象徵意義，寓意賭場裡充滿了衆多的“不可能”。令人驚喜的是，澳門在外來者的眼底下更顯得與別不同，耐人尋味……

多面手的聚焦眼光

為開拍這齣《輪盤》，林毅煒毅然遷居來澳生活，自知是過客，於是開設一家電影製作公司，嘗試在澳門開拓電影工業，製造“不可能”，以實現“夢想”。這位年輕的新加坡導演，十年前於新加坡開始戲劇演出，○二年隻身遠赴英國倫敦修業，後取得戲劇系碩士學位，先後在倫敦、香港、澳門及新加坡參與劇場表演，擔任過導演和編劇。○四年赴北京參加中國功夫培訓，成功展開其電視、電影演員生涯，經常在美國和內地等影視片中扮演不同角色。

林毅煒尤其喜好遊歷，穿越卅個國家和中國內地十多個省份，○六年把旅遊經歷寫進港澳兩地上演的獨角戲《鼠牛日記》中。至去年，他主演的電視劇《破繭而出》於中央八台作全國放映，同年十二月在澳門完成了這齣長片《輪盤》，至今已完成後期製作，正待送往世界各地電影節參展。

林毅煒說，《輪盤》是其在澳門定居一年後首次執導開拍的長片電影。故事講述一名內地男子阿德為籌錢給母親醫病，而和舅舅到澳門賭錢的遭遇。電影裡，兩名女主角Wynnie和Armanda表達了內地和澳門兩地人和賭場的關係。Wynnie是內地人，因聞說不少內地人到澳門賭錢都有很好的收穫，故攜同一生積蓄來澳門博一博，旨在讓弟弟的生活過得好些。豈料抵澳後不但將錢輸清，還欠了一身債。Armanda是澳門人，為賺快錢選擇不上大學而到賭場工作，但深感這份工作無前途，常為是否辭去賭場工作返回大學而煩惱。阿德也因這兩名女主角而捲入一場賭局之中……

探討人生多元選擇

《輪盤》不單純是關於賭的故事，而是以賭場的人與事作為主線。其賣點為純澳門製作，主要起用本地演員參演不同角色，攝製組於小三巴街以至大三巴牌坊甚至路環等景點實地取景，令全片洋溢濃濃的本土氣息。林毅煒說，該片於去年十一月底至十二月中旬開拍，時間很短，皆因籌備了一段較長的時間。儘管多年來到過不同國家及地區工作，感受了不同地方的生活特色，他始終喜歡澳門那恬淡的生活環境及文化氛圍，之所以來澳拍片並住下來，就是這個原因。

結束《輪盤》攝製工作後，林毅煒更加覺得澳門是一處理想的“片場”，是新加坡或其他先進城市環境所難替代，也為電影製作人提供了理想的創作空間，只欠展示平台而已。因他是外來者，《輪盤》開拍未獲特區政府任何資助，可幸有一群好友鼎力相助，加上個人自資，可以應付製作費用。

林毅煒說，但凡優秀的電影，劇本很重要，演員表現更不容忽視。全片起用十多名本地演員，其自身也參演一角，飾演內地人阿德，為求突出不同的地域文化。該片令他最有感觸的是，於前幾年經濟好景時，很多澳門年輕人毅然放棄學業而進賭場工作，比起“更上一層樓”的靑年收入要高，澳門以外實難找到這樣的地方，與別不同。深層次而言，《輪盤》非鋪陳賭的故事，而是借賭檯說明人生有諸多選擇。

林毅煒有意讓《輪盤》參加世界各地電影節，其次會爭取在新加坡戲院放映，讓新加坡人了解澳門的人與事，尤其回歸近十年的變化。透過參加國際電影展，有助此類低成本電影獲更多影迷認同，減少偏見。在新加坡，當地政府甚支持電影組織資助年輕人開拍電影，不論低成本電影與否都予以支持，澳門方面頗堪借鏡。又因本地環境所限，他暫未有計劃及條件安排《輪盤》上院線，但會爭取明年於文化中心電影節中首映，與公衆分享拍片樂趣。

本地演員感觸良多

“無可否認，我不是澳門人，好難眞正挖掘本土素材，拍出一齣富有馬交風情的電影。”林毅煒有感而發地說。有見及此，他已在澳門開設海島人製作公司，同時也是特為開拍《輪盤》而設，期望不久將來能為澳門電影人提供協助，在澳門配合開拍電影，起用更多澳門演員，繼而把影片送往外國參展，向世人證明澳門有不少具才華的電影人，澳門的電影市場才會有希望。

飾演女主角Armanda的澳門演員呂倩姬說，有緣獲甄選擔任《輪盤》女主角，驚喜交集，畢竟首次參演電影，經驗有限，幸得台前幕後人員多番照顧，才順利完成影片攝製工作。為演好角色，她暫時辭去工作全情投入拍片，用了頗長時間與導演溝通，熟背劇本，並調整心態，獲林毅煒等負責人的稱許。她深知不是名人，坦言會爭取每次難得的演出機會。

呂倩姬現已轉職任廣吿公司公關，自覺參演電影後待人接物能力有所提升，適應能力更強，意識到Team Work的重要性。她未來很希望澳門的電影人多踏出一步，共同開拓本土電影市場，之後可以走出澳門，一展抱負。

文、圖：子凡

Macau Portuguese newspapers ‘Hoje Macau’ interviews Thomas Lim.

To read the article, please click on the image to enlarge.

Macau Portuguese newspapers ‘Hoje Macau’ interviewed Thomas Lim on 26 Aug 2009.

This article was published on 28 Aug 2009.

澳門葡語報紙‘Hoje Macau’ 在8月26日採訪了林毅煒。此報導在09年8月28日刊登。

ROULETTE CITY is officially listed on IMDb.com

It gives me great joy to announce that our Macau film ‘Roulette City’ is officially listed on IMDb.com.
The page is: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1488065/

我們的澳門電影《輪盤》已正式登上了IMDb.com網站。這是世界最大的電影資料收集處網站。
《輪盤》的IMDb網址： http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1488065/

Macau Portuguese newspapers ‘Ponto Final’ interviews Thomas Lim.

Macau Portuguese newspapers ‘Ponto Final’ interviewed Thomas Lim on ‘Roulette City’ on 19 Jul 09.

This article was published on 21 Jul 09.

澳門葡語報紙’Ponto Final’採訪了林毅煒有關電影《輪盤》的拍攝花絮。此報導在09年7月21日刊登。

Click on image to enlarge, and to read the contents within.

FRONT PAGE

CENTRE PAGE (PAGE EIGHT)

CENTRE PAGE (PAGE NINE)

TDM interview broadcast on 22 July.

澳門廣視的林毅煒專訪將於7月22日 (星期三)早上7:15-9:00播出。中午一點重播。
Macau TV station TDM’s interview with Thomas Lim will be broadcast on 22 Jul, 7:15-9am.
Repeat telecast at 1pm on the same day.
This interview was conducted on 10 Jul 09.
(PLEASE REFER TO VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE)

'The Macau Post Daily' newspapers article

Macau English newspapers 'The Macau Post Daily' interviewed Thomas Lim on ‘Roulette City’ on 3 Jul 2009. This article was published on 6 Jul 2009.

澳門英語報紙’澳門郵報’採訪了導演林毅煒有關電影《輪盤》的拍攝花絮。此報導在09年7月06日刊登。

Click on image to enlarge, and to read the contents within.

Time Out (Hong Kong) magazine interviews Thomas Lim

Time Out Hong Kong magazine interviewed director Thomas Lim on ‘Roulette City’ on 27 June 2009. Watch this space for more on this interview.

Macau Cable TV interviews Thomas Lim

Macau Cable TV interviewed Thomas Lim on 14 May 2009.

This interview was broadcast in Sept 2009.

At the top of this page is a re-edited video of the interview, which was originally 30 minutes long.

Below is a rough transcript of the entire interview.

MCTV: We are very pleased to have Mr. Thomas Lim from Singapore as our special guest today. Thomas is a long time friend of Macau and has been involved in our local theatre productions for several years. He has relocated to Macau last year to produce his own independent films, and it is safe to say that if you have been keeping up with news of the theatre and film industry in Macau, you would have already heard of his name before. Thomas, why don’t you introduce yourself to our TV audience?

TL: My name is Thomas Lim, and I was born and raised in Singapore. I started acting for theatre in 1999, and subsequently received formal theatre training in London in 2002. In 2004, I began acting for television and film when I moved to Beijing. And in 2008, I relocated again to Macau to make my own films, writing, producing, and directing them.

MCTV: We also understand that you are very well travelled, and have backpacked across over 30 countries. There must be so much that you have experienced. Can you share some of your travel experiences with us.

TL: I would like to think that traveling has been the best teacher in my life. Honestly, I was always quiet and shy as a kid. And although it is true that being a theatre actor helped me become a more open person, I think even more so, travelling and living abroad for extended time helped me develop a sense of identity in this world that I live in. And that gave me more ease in living in my own skin, and gives me the confidence to chase my dreams. I think from the day when we were born, we have been constantly searching for our identity. We first learn about ourselves as sons/daughters to our parents, and brothers/sisters to our siblings. Then, we go to school and we discover more about our place in a bigger environment (the school), developing skills to socialize with our schoolmates and teachers. Then the natural next step was to find our place in the society as we step into the working world. Few others take yet another step into the world outside of their own countries, to discover their identities in relation to foreign cultures. I see different sides of me surfacing in the different places that I have travelled to or lived in, which is natural as I had to deal with the different unfamiliar situations that I encounter abroad. And these experiences allowed me to learn more about myself. I would say that it is everyone’s responsibility to rediscover themselves each day, as we are changing everyday, as is our environment too. And if we are able to do that, we are already successful as human beings regardless of social or wealth status. That’s something that I have grown to firmly believe, and I have learnt that from my travels.

MCTV: It is rare to hear of Singaporeans venturing out of their own country on their own. In fact, it is more common to hear of Macau people, or people from Hong Kong or China immigrating to Singapore. What made you decide to move to China? Was is because there were more opportunities in China?

TL: I first went to Beijing to learn Chinese Kung Fu. I was in London for more than a year before that to study and work as a theatre actor and my goal back then was to become an internationally acclaimed physical theatre actor. It was also in London where I realized that being a Singaporean, I was too 'general'. By that, I mean that because I don’t have a distinct culture, nor a distinct language, I often felt that I didn’t have what I call a ‘special something’ as an actor to the international eye. I decided to leave London and return to Asia, and because I am a Chinese descendent and have always loved Chinese Kung Fu, I decided to go to Beijing to learn that, hoping to use that as my ‘special skill’ to complement my acting. But midway through my Kung Fu sessions one day, I injured my back badly. I was in pain for more than a year, and became very depressed as I thought my dream of becoming a good physical theatre actor was in jeopardy. So, I started to think of other ways to chase my performing dreams, and that’s when I decided to try acting for films and TV. It was also because during that time, which I believe would still be the case now, there were a lot of American and European productions going to Beijing to shoot. So, one thing led to another and I started to act in both American and local Chinese productions.

MCTV: It must have been tough trying to carve out a career in another country. Can you also share with us your thoughts and experiences of living in Beijing and London?

TL: Again, I think it is all about self-discovery. Beijing was a rough place to live in. You really had to look out for yourself out there as it was so competitive. That environment was completely different than Singapore or London, and honestly, Beijing was a bigger culture shock for me than London was. But I welcome challenges and I would think that Beijing introduced me to some of my highest and lowest points of my acting career. And that directly translates into some of the happiest and most depressed moments of my life. Because acting was the only thing that I wanted to do back then.

MCTV: I can imagine that an actor’s career would be a tough one. Were there times when you felt like giving up, and if there were, how did you overcome these emotions and what did you learn from them?

TL: Of course. I think being an actor is much harder than anyone who’s not in the business can ever imagine. The easiest part of an actor’s job I would say, is the acting. Unless you are a star, otherwise the acting usually makes up only 10% of a normal actor’s whole career. If they are lucky, maybe 50%. The rest of the time is spent networking, going to dinners and parties, trying to get people to like you, trying to convince them to cast you etc. This whole process soon became hard for me because it forces me to remain in a passive position all the time. Actors are very sensitive people, as are directors and producers. And an overly proactive actor could be easily be misunderstood as being desperate, and people could get turned off if they sense that in you. Unfortunately too, being passive doesn’t work for me for too long as it is not natural to me. I cannot be passive. I like to create stuff. If I just sit around waiting, I feel the human spirit dying in me. And I don’t like that. But, I try to see the positive in things, and looking back, I have indeed gained many friends in this industry, and they have taught me heaps of things that I never knew I had the chance to learn. One of the most important things that I have learnt is how people perceive me as an actor, a person, or as a friend. And I also learnt how to read people’s characters better after all that tough times.

MCTV: So, why did you choose to base yourself in Macau now? I would think that places like Singapore, Hong Kong or China would have a bigger market for filmmaking. Why Macau?

TL: Like I said, being passive kills me. And an actor is often forced into a passive position. But, I needed to be creative. I have established a small group of close friends in Macau even before moving here because I have been doing short theatre gigs here since 2004. These friends are probably some of the greatest friends that I have in this world, because of their genuine and honest nature. They’ve always made me feel very welcomed during my short visits in the past. And perhaps most importantly, I think Macau gives me a small platform for creating new work. This is a city that is drawing more and more attention from the outside world, especially other Asian countries. Plus, it is also a very beautiful city with a lot of character and history. So, I decided to settle here to make my own films.

MCTV: Since your arrival, you have made a feature film called ‘Roulette City’. Can you tell us about the story of the film?

TL: This is a film about a Mainland Chinese person who came to Macau to gamble at the casinos in hope of winning money to pay for his sick mother’s medical bills. His first try won him a lot of money but eventually he lost something of greater importance – that is, a relationship which he had formed with a local Macau girl who worked as a casino dealer. This girl struggled between keeping her dealer job as a quick way of earning money and quitting the job and going back to the university for a better future.

MCTV: Was it difficult to find suitable actors for the film?

TL: It was hard. There is talent, but there isn’t an industry in Macau to give people who want to be actors a chance to become a professional. And I don’t just mean excellent acting skills. I mean bringing a professional actor’s attitude to the set everyday. That will come only if actors become experienced enough. But there is definitely talent here in Macau. And the two Macau actors who played lead roles in this film are extremely talented. I was very lucky to have cast them.

MCTV: I also understand that other than producing, writing and directing this film, you also played the leading role in it. How did you manage to perform so many duties at the same time?

TL: If given a choice, I wouldn’t act in my own films, unless I became very experienced as a director, or had a huge crew and amazing assistant directors. I had to act in this film as I couldn’t find a suitable male actor to do the job. The actors that I spoke to and auditioned were either not good enough, or didn’t have the time. I shot this film on a small budget. So, I couldn’t afford to pay people much. And I needed this male actor to be on set for at least 3 weeks. I actually had an actor who was interested in the role but I had to re-cast a day before the shoot, because the rehearsals did not go the way I wanted them to. So, it was hard, but I think all first time directors have similar ‘horror stories’ to share. I am not alone.

MCTV: Finally, when and where can we watch this film?

TL: I will be sending the film out to festivals first of all. Then, it should be screened as part of the Macau Film Festival next year, which could be a good time for Macau audiences to see it. Or, I could arrange for an earlier screening at the Macau Cultural Centre before the year ends. I’m not sure yet. I am still dealing with the final stages of post-production now, and didn't have time to think much about the next phase of the film yet. But I would like the film to do it’s rounds at the festivals abroad before making it’s Macau premiere.

MCTV: Thank you Thomas for taking time to attend this interview, and I hope your experiences could serve as inspiration for local youths who want to make films. We wish you the best in your film and theatre career, and look forward to seeing ‘Roulette City’ very soon.

TL: Thank you very much for having me. I appreciate it.

'Macau Daily Times' newspapers interviews Thomas Lim.

‘Macau Daily Times’ English newspapers interviewed Thomas Lim on 8 May.

This article was published on 9 May 2009.

ROULETTE CITY post production

"The editing process can be incredibly nail biting!" says editor James Anderson.

Vegas, then Macau?

I spent the past 2 hours looking at the 'Hoje Macau' (see below) Portuguese newspaper article about 'Roulette City', trying to figure out what they might be writing about, as if I would suddenly understand the language if I looked long enough.
Well actually, I should know what they're writing since they probably wrote what I told them in the interview.
But then, I saw the word 'Las Vegas' in a sentence after the words 'Cambodia, Laos and Thailand'. I presume they were referring to a film called 'Last Seen At Angkor' which I co-produced in 2005, that was filmed in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The film now has distribution in LOS ANGELES, and I guess they said 'Las Vegas' by mistake.
So, for the unsuspecting reader, that would mean that I made something that was distributed in Vegas, and am now making something in Macau. Wow!
To think that I always say that my future films in Macau would carry the 'gambling' theme... I should really watch what I'm wishing for. Haha.
Thomas 11 Feb, 04:34hrs.