Singapore Minstrel

Singapore Minstrel offers a preciously personal look at Roy Payamal, an enigmatic figure within the field of busking who has been practicing his art since the ‘80s with a ceaseless conviction amidst a generally apathetic society.

The documentary gradually expands its gaze to the wider community of buskers in Singapore, providing us with candid looks into their personalities, while providing a simple discourse on artistic expression and the purpose of busking.

In its fluid and varied use of filmic elements – from interviews, Roy’s personal handphone video recordings of his wanderings, recreations of past events with intricate DIY bedroom set pieces, to footage of buskers and the people that cross their paths – Singapore Minstrel harbours an inclusive sensibility that illuminates a very real form of bohemia that exists on our streets.