Apple SG features fierce chicken rice war at Maxwell Food Centre in documentary

Apple is upping its game to promote the iPhone 13 banking on Singaporean's love of chicken rice and Singapore's hawker's culture. With a film titled “Poached", Apple presents a documentary about hawker pride and conviction. The film was shot by documentarian David Gelb, using Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro. Using his tips and tricks

Gelb’s portfolio includes directing the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and as being the creator of Netflix’s first and longest-running original documentary series, the Emmy nominated Chef's Table. There is also a behind the scenes video of the documentary’s making, which is available for viewing on YouTube. 

Poached is set against the backdrop of Maxwell Food Centre, and spotlights Singapore’s local cuisine by featuring the intriguing history and fierce rivalry between two chicken rice stalls at Maxwell Food Centre – Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice.   The film stars Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice’s owner Loi Mui Yin and founder Foo Kui Lian, as well as Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice’s founder Wong Lian Tai. Additionally weighing in are food journalist Annette Tan, and chef and restauranteur Bjorn Shen.

Apple Singapore also shared that the title Poached is a tribute to the traditional method of cooking Hainanese chicken rice but also hints at the complicated history between the two main characters in the film. Additionally, the Chinese title 有鸡可趁 is a wordplay on the idiom 有机可趁 (to make use of a great opportunity). The second character 机 (opportunity) is phonetically similar to 鸡 (chicken), thus 有鸡可趁 can mean make a name for yourself with “chicken”. 

In a press statement, the brand said that the short film puts a fresh spin to the classic generational conflict of old versus new, eventually culminating in how Singapore’s love for chicken rice and food, along with its people and their passions, triumphs all. Apple will also be utilising the hashtags #ShotoniPhone and #SGhawkerfood for “Poached”.

On the film’s production, Gelb said that shooting in a small hawker kitchen was made possible with the iPhone 13 Pro’s camera features, such as cinematic mode, macro, slo-mo, time-lapse and low light, alongside the phone’s extensive suite of tools. He cited the phone’s macro photography tool, which uses the ultra wide camera with advanced lens and auto-focus system as being good tools for close-ups with sharp focus as close as two centimetres. Gelb shared, “I love using macro to get extremely close to the food that I’m shooting. We were able to see every little grain of rice.”

Gelb added, “When I was first starting out, I wish I could have had a device like this. All that an aspiring filmmaker really needs to worry about is finding a great story to tell and then all the tools to tell that story are right in front of them. I imagine that it will inspire a generation.” Separately, local photographers and filmmakers also showcased Singapore’s vibrant food scene through videos and photography along with tips and tricks focusing on key iPhone 13 Pro features.

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