Salome is a larger-than-life character who has from time immemorial horrified and fascinated all. Who is SALOME in our contemporary times, who attempts to transform their position of no-power into some kind of power?
Based on English playwright Oscar Wilde’s symbolist play from 1891, SALOME fights to be free from the systems of morality and patriarchal power which have imprisoned them.
Keng Sen Ong collaborates with Berlin-based performance artist Michael(a) Daoud, to navigate the edges of documentary film, and Singapore actor Janice Koh, to occupy social media with a love at all costs. Set in an unexpected installation by Heman Chong with the energising rhythms of composer Kaffe Matthews, they jointly contemplate the SALOME complex from diverse directions.
The film “Becoming Salome” feature the character Bolbola who’s based on a documentary portrait of Michael(a) Daoud, and their life story of how they escaped from Syria and basically walked from Athens into Hungary. They arrived finally in Europe and Berlin.
“By creating the drag personality of Bolbola, Michael(a) is able to counter the harsh realities of being a defeated asylum seeker in the all-powerful European Union. In particular, the film proposes an ending after the head falls.”
The Film team:
Writer & Director Keng Sen Ong
Starring: Michael(a) Daoud as BolBola
Cinematographer & Editor: Camille Lacadee
Art Director: Shahrzad Rahmani
Sound Editor & Designer : Gabor Csongradi
Lighting Designer: Joseph Wegmann
Associate Art Director: Alice Faucher
Costume & Make Up Designer: Michael(a) Daoud
Original Artworks: Michael(a) Daoud
Sculpture of Head: Quirin Baumler & Michael(a) Daoud
Live Music: Kaffe Matthews
Executive Producer: T:>Works
Photo credit: Ceren Saner
Commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022
michael(a) Daoud 