A Lesson Learnt from The Amazon Forest

To let life happen with Zachary, captured along the City’s shophouses

Celebrating our creative community in Singapore

Zachary Yap, Film Director

Discovering the nuance of watching paint dry. Catching up with an old friend made from their film school days. Artania and Zachary spoke about how to let life happen amidst the hustle and bustle in Singapore. Walking through the alleys of shophouses, a question acts as a break that leads to an important lesson learnt from The Amazon Rainforest.

Photo credit: Zachary

For Zachary, before his journey in the rainforest, it was about being an active person. Believing that to get a result is through doing.

Now, his view has changed. As an independent filmmaker, he is constantly improving his craft. It was his journey in the Amazon rainforest. Under the mentorship of Apichatpong Weerasethakul — a filmmaker he looks up to & admires — alongside 49 other emerging directors from around the world, his perspective shifted. Now, Zachary takes an observational standpoint in life. He lets life happen and then sees if it makes sense for him to react. He describes it as a more passive approach, whereas Artania feels a more conversational approach is a more fitting description (Edit: which he agrees, his biggest takeaway from the trip was a conversation and letting life depict art).

Instead of treating the environment as a passive participant in life, we interact with it by having conversations. We listen to the spaces and watch the body language of objects around us. A two-way interaction, a dynamic relationship to give input and to listen to its output.

Glimpse of Zachary’s sight and sound. Credit: Zachary

Zachary finds comfort in asking questions and unconventional experiences. A genuine interest in discovering something new in his journey as a storyteller and a filmmaker.

Zachary’s work station, featuring his lucky leaf.

Photo credit: Zachary

He shared a wisdom that he gets from Apichatpong: to choose to see the emptiness as a space full of opportunity. To be reintroduced to a reality that we are all familiar with and to not be afraid of it.

Emptiness is an opportunity full of space

Colors of Life: Episode 2 - A Lesson Learned from The Amazon Forest

Captured through Artania’s Lens and Zachary’s archival 

Zachary is wearing Buzzing Ubud Night Out Notch Shirt in size ML

Location: Keong Saik Rd

Sandwich: 46 Mittsu