The afternoon atmosphere at Tiong Bahru hawker centre on 25 June was much the same as usual.

Aunties and uncles cooking up a storm, roving cleaners clearing tables, bussed-in hungry office workers and other diners all contributed to the din and clamour.

In a corner of the hawker centre, however, one could see a bit of an anomaly unfolding – a film crew shooting on an old-school Panavision Panaflex camera.  Amazingly, they caused only a minor disruption to a couple of corner stalls, who nonetheless will have received some publicity. Patrons young and old looked up from their plates of lor mee or chwee kueh in curiosity.

The target of their attention was the filming of Civic Life: Tiong Bahru, the latest instalment in a series of short films by Irish filmmakers Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy (pictured left). The Civic Life films realistically portray the lives of ordinary people and the relationships between them, all within their distinctive communities. Before shooting, the filmmakers first speak with citizens in order to learn more about the essence of the neighbourhood and the people living or working there. It is some of these same citizens who will later act in the film. Thus not only are the films about community, but the filmmaking approach is in itself very community-based and grassroots. Over 150 volunteers assisted in the making of the film here.

For the Civic Life shoot in Singapore, the neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru was chosen for its Art Deco architecture and unique heritage. In the short film, the lives and stories of some of those initially interviewed are told against the backdrop of the Tiong Bahru wet market, hawker centre and rooftop carpark.

Like in past Civic Life films, all of the actors are non-professionals who live or work within the neighbourhood. One of them, 24-year-old Leo Mak (main picture), revealed between takes that he had acted only once before, many years ago, in a modest school production. Nevertheless, he appeared calm and confident in front of the camera. Leo, sometimes helped by his pregnant wife, works six days a week at his father's drinks stall. Leo wants to become a graphic artist, but cannot afford to go to college. In the film, he and his wife have ideas to convert the drinks stall into a tapas bar, but Leo is understandably hesitant to share his plans with his conservative father.

This dilemma is told alongside two other stories that portray the human tensions of modern life. Adding to the realism is the choice of language. The dialogue is made up of Mandarin and Teochew rather than English, and tweaks to the script and its translations were being made even on shooting day.

After three solid days of shooting, Joe and Christine have since returned to the United Kingdom to finish the film. The result, Civic Life: Tiong Bahru will be screened every Tuesday in October at the National Museum of Singapore. It will also be shown in November at the 16th annual Encounters International Film Festival in Bristol, UK.

To learn more about the film, and to watch two other shorts in the Civic Life series, visit their official site for more information. And if you happen find yourself in Tiong Bahru, do stop by Soon Li drinks stall at the hawker centre, #02-45, for some kopi or sugarcane. After all, it's our communities that have the most civility.

* All pictures courtesy of British Council Singapore / Samantha Tio

Find out more about the Civic Life: Tiong Bahru project on the official website and the British Council.