Experiencing Interruptions?

Revolution Launderette

In Tokyo, a young man Tomo, dogged by misfortune, sets out to beat his existence to its next punchline, together with Hiroko who obsesses over a stranger’s old scrapbook. They agree to head into all the encounters that come their way, on a plan to decipher the parts of the whole and outwit this joke before it plays out. Their trip through signs, sounds and situations dives them into another side of the city - a maze of subcultures and surreal lingerings in the air. Setting off events far beyond his imagination, Tomo winds up finding his answers at the bottom of something entirely bizarre. A gonzo tale of being in the world, the individual will and the deciphering of signs.

  • Mark Chua
    Director
  • Li Shuen Lam
    Director
  • Sunny Jia
    Co-Producer
  • Keisuke Baba
    Key Cast
    "Tomo"
  • Kiko Yorozu
    Key Cast
    "Hiroko"
  • Kazuya Murakami
    Key Cast
    "K"
  • Satoshi Ikeda
    Key Cast
    "The Courier"
  • Wutami Matsuoka
    Key Cast
    "Ms. Matsuoka"
  • Giovanbattista Tusa
    Key Cast
    "The Man on TV"
  • Lim Kah Wai
    Key Cast
    "Lim Kah Wai"
  • OK Sakaguchi
    Cinematography
  • Mark Chua
    Editing
  • Tatsuo Maki
    Production Design
  • Mark Chua
    Music Composer
  • Lam Li Shuen
    Music Composer
  • David Clemens
    Sound Design
  • Mark Chua
    2D Animation
  • Lam Li Shuen
    2D Animation
  • Mark Chua
    Writer
  • Li Shuen Lam
    Writer
  • Mark Chua
    Producer
  • Li Shuen Lam
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Revolution Launderette / 信念のメリーゴーランド
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Art House, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Music
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 26, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Singapore
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    English, Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 16mm, Super 8mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 30th Singapore International Film Festival
    Singapore
    Singapore
    November 26, 2019
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 4th Festival ECRÃ
    Rio de Janeiro
    Brazil
    August 20, 2020
    International Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 6th Mammoth Lakes Film Festival
    Mammoth Lakes, California
    United States
    September 19, 2020
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 10th Binisaya Film Festival
    Cebu
    Philippines
    October 10, 2020
    Philippines Premiere
    Opening Film - Official Selection
  • 11th Eastern Oregon Film Festival
    La Grande, Oregon
    United States
    October 23, 2020
    Oregon Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 8th Asian Film Festival Barcelona
    Barcelona
    Spain
    October 29, 2020
    European Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 3rd Sharjah Film Platform
    Sharjah
    United Arab Emirates
    November 15, 2020
    Middle East Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 6th San Diego Underground Film Festival
    San Diego, California
    United States
    December 5, 2020
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Filmin
    Distributor
    Country: Spain
    Rights: Video on Demand
  • CathayPlay
    Distributor
    Country: Singapore
    Rights: Video on Demand
Director Biography - Mark Chua, Li Shuen Lam

Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen are Singaporean filmmakers and musicians whose work explores the possibilities of resistance in the presentation and production of narrativity.

Their experimental sophomore feature film Revolution Launderette premiered at the 30th Singapore International Film Festival 2019 and screened at Festival ECRÃ (Brazil) and the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival (USA) in 2020. Their films have screened at international film festivals in the USA, Australia, the Philippines and Spain.

As part of their multidisciplinary work, Mark and Li Shuen have also presented mixed-media performances in sound and the moving image in Iceland, Japan and Singapore.

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Director Statement

Traveling between Singapore and Japan over the years and creating with the artists and musicians in the two countries, we encountered often a tension between the individual will and the surrounding pressures that shape it.

Making Revolution Launderette, we wanted to reflect on this by humoring reality, tracing an existentialist tale through places we’ve been and the voices of the people in those spaces. As a meditation on the convictions we will for and against, in hope and futility, in living.

The cast of the film mostly comprises indie and avant-garde artists and musicians in Tokyo, Osaka and Ibaraki. Shooting the film directly on the streets and in live happenings, we adopted a spontaneous approach to the cinematography and performances. To capture as truly as possible, alongside the gonzo narrative, the tensions of agency and situation that inspired us to begin with.

This film is a realizing of our collective movement, with camaraderie and expression, in re-imaging and re-imagining reality!