Dubai-based sales agency Cercamon has acquired worldwide rights for Indonesian film “Crocodile Tears,” it was revealed at Hong Kong rights market FilMart.
The film is a co-production between Indonesia’s Talamedia (producer Mandy Marahimin), Singapore’s Giraffe Pictures (producers Anthony Chen and Teoh Yi Peng), France’s Acrobates Films (producer Claire Lajoumard) and Poetik Film (producer Christophe Lafont) and Germany’s 2Pilots Filmproduction (producers Harry Flöter and Jörg Siepmann).
The deal was negotiated by Sebastien Chesneau at Cercamon, Chen at Giraffe Pictures and Marahimin at Talamedia.
The film, Tumpal Tampubolon’s feature debut, follows Johan, who lives alone with his mother on a crocodile farm in West Java. Mother and son live in voluntary exile with only a white crocodile as their confidant. Their life of isolation is disrupted when Johan falls for a girl in town, Arumi, setting off a chain of events that threatens the delicate balance of their lives.
The film is a co-production between Indonesia’s Talamedia (producer Mandy Marahimin), Singapore’s Giraffe Pictures (producers Anthony Chen and Teoh Yi Peng), France’s Acrobates Films (producer Claire Lajoumard) and Poetik Film (producer Christophe Lafont) and Germany’s 2Pilots Filmproduction (producers Harry Flöter and Jörg Siepmann).
The deal was negotiated by Sebastien Chesneau at Cercamon, Chen at Giraffe Pictures and Marahimin at Talamedia.
The film, Tumpal Tampubolon’s feature debut, follows Johan, who lives alone with his mother on a crocodile farm in West Java. Mother and son live in voluntary exile with only a white crocodile as their confidant. Their life of isolation is disrupted when Johan falls for a girl in town, Arumi, setting off a chain of events that threatens the delicate balance of their lives.
- 3/12/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“Mongrel,” a Taiwan-set drama film that has done the round of project markets, will appear at the International Film Festival Rotterdam as a work in progress.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
- 1/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Anthony Chen’s well-regarded Mainland China-set “The Breaking Ice” has found favor with multiple European and Asian buyers in the few days since its Sunday premiere as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard.
The film narrates a love triangle story among China’s lost youth generation and is set in the middle of winter in Yanji, a town that is heavily populated by ethnic Koreans. It is headlined by a star-studded Chinese cast of Zhou Dongyu (“Better Days”), Liu Haoran (“Detective Chinatown” franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (“The Wandering Earth”).
“The Breaking Ice” has been newly licensed to Challan for release in South Korea, Trigon-Film for Switzerland, One From the Heart for Greece, Tucker Film for Italy and Edko Films for Hong Kong.
Rights sales are handled by Rediance, Mainland China’s leading indie sales company, which reports that addition territory deals are currently being negotiated.
The film narrates a love triangle story among China’s lost youth generation and is set in the middle of winter in Yanji, a town that is heavily populated by ethnic Koreans. It is headlined by a star-studded Chinese cast of Zhou Dongyu (“Better Days”), Liu Haoran (“Detective Chinatown” franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (“The Wandering Earth”).
“The Breaking Ice” has been newly licensed to Challan for release in South Korea, Trigon-Film for Switzerland, One From the Heart for Greece, Tucker Film for Italy and Edko Films for Hong Kong.
Rights sales are handled by Rediance, Mainland China’s leading indie sales company, which reports that addition territory deals are currently being negotiated.
- 5/26/2023
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Vietnamese Writer-director Le Bao and Singapore and Toronto-based producer Lai Weijie, who collaborated successfully on “Taste” (2021), are reuniting for Busan Asian Project Market title “The Sea is Calm Tonight.”
“Taste,” Le’s feature debut, had considerable festival play and won awards at Berlin, Singapore, Taipei and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
In “The Sea is Calm Tonight,” Vietnamese boat people of 40 years past have a miraculous meeting with Rohingya refugees of the present in their parallel sea journeys to find peace.
“When my mother was pregnant with me, my parents lived on a barge amidst a large river. Whenever a strong gust of wind blew or boats crossed the river, the water surface would accumulate into waves, like sea waves. When I was younger, my parents told me that they wished my name was Lê Biển, which means the sea. The thought of this other life with a different identity lingers in my mind,...
“Taste,” Le’s feature debut, had considerable festival play and won awards at Berlin, Singapore, Taipei and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
In “The Sea is Calm Tonight,” Vietnamese boat people of 40 years past have a miraculous meeting with Rohingya refugees of the present in their parallel sea journeys to find peace.
“When my mother was pregnant with me, my parents lived on a barge amidst a large river. Whenever a strong gust of wind blew or boats crossed the river, the water surface would accumulate into waves, like sea waves. When I was younger, my parents told me that they wished my name was Lê Biển, which means the sea. The thought of this other life with a different identity lingers in my mind,...
- 10/8/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Filipino production house Daluyong Studios, founded by Alemberg Ang, a co-producer on Japan’s Best International Feature Oscars submission Plan 75, is partnering with Tan Si En’s Singapore-based Momo Film Co to co-produce a slate of features and documentaries.
The joint slate includes feature films Don’t Cry, Butterfly, from rising Vietnamese filmmaker Duong Dieu Linh; and Tropical Rain, Death-Scented Kiss, directed by US-Singapore animation filmmaker Charlotte Hong Bee Her; as well as short film and feature Bold Eagle, directed by the Philippines’ Whammy Alcazaren; and documentary feature Tens Across The Borders, from Sze-Wei Chan.
Daluyong previously partnered with Tan Si En and Anthony Chen’s Giraffe Pictures on Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, from Filipino filmmaker Petersen Vargas, which is currently in pre-production. The project, about a teenage runaway who falls in with a group of hustlers, won the Seafic Award at the 2019 Southeast Asia Fiction...
The joint slate includes feature films Don’t Cry, Butterfly, from rising Vietnamese filmmaker Duong Dieu Linh; and Tropical Rain, Death-Scented Kiss, directed by US-Singapore animation filmmaker Charlotte Hong Bee Her; as well as short film and feature Bold Eagle, directed by the Philippines’ Whammy Alcazaren; and documentary feature Tens Across The Borders, from Sze-Wei Chan.
Daluyong previously partnered with Tan Si En and Anthony Chen’s Giraffe Pictures on Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, from Filipino filmmaker Petersen Vargas, which is currently in pre-production. The project, about a teenage runaway who falls in with a group of hustlers, won the Seafic Award at the 2019 Southeast Asia Fiction...
- 9/19/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Anthony Chen’s “Wet Season,” which represents Singapore in the Oscar race for best international feature film.
The movie world premiered in the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is being represented in international markets by Memento Films International.
Penned and directed by Chen, “Wet Season” revolves around a Chinese language teacher whose marriage and school life are falling apart because she’s unable to bear a child. An unlikely friendship with a student helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman.
“Wet Season” marks Chen’s sophomore outing. His feature debut, “Ilo Ilo,” world premiered at Cannes in 2013 and earned him the prestigious Camera d’Or award for best first film. “Ilo Ilo” went on to win more than 40 awards around the world, including the Sutherland Award at BFI London Film Festival, and four Golden Horse Awards...
The movie world premiered in the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is being represented in international markets by Memento Films International.
Penned and directed by Chen, “Wet Season” revolves around a Chinese language teacher whose marriage and school life are falling apart because she’s unable to bear a child. An unlikely friendship with a student helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman.
“Wet Season” marks Chen’s sophomore outing. His feature debut, “Ilo Ilo,” world premiered at Cannes in 2013 and earned him the prestigious Camera d’Or award for best first film. “Ilo Ilo” went on to win more than 40 awards around the world, including the Sutherland Award at BFI London Film Festival, and four Golden Horse Awards...
- 12/21/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Thai producer Soros Sukhum was Thursday honored with the Fiapf Award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region. The prize was presented as part of a heavily revamped Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony, at Gold Coast in Australia’s Queensland.
The Young Cinema Award was won by Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar for “Chronicle of Space” (“Sthalpuran”), with a special mention going to Australia’s Stephen Maxwell Johnson for “High Ground.”
Earlier this year the Apsa Awards event’s future had seemed deeply clouded due to twin hits from financial problems and the coronavirus. Normally, a dozen prizes are awarded to artistic films from across the vast Unesco-defined Asia region.
In June, the Brisbane City Council and its offshoot Brisbane Marketing, notified Apsa organizers that they would not be able to fund the event due to the impact of the coronavirus on the city’s budget.
The...
The Young Cinema Award was won by Indian filmmaker Akshay Indikar for “Chronicle of Space” (“Sthalpuran”), with a special mention going to Australia’s Stephen Maxwell Johnson for “High Ground.”
Earlier this year the Apsa Awards event’s future had seemed deeply clouded due to twin hits from financial problems and the coronavirus. Normally, a dozen prizes are awarded to artistic films from across the vast Unesco-defined Asia region.
In June, the Brisbane City Council and its offshoot Brisbane Marketing, notified Apsa organizers that they would not be able to fund the event due to the impact of the coronavirus on the city’s budget.
The...
- 11/26/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Stephen Johnson’s High Ground earned a special mention from The Young Cinema Award jury at this evening’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards, held on the Gold Coast.
Set in 1930s Arnhem Land, High Ground follows young Aboriginal man Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul), who in a bid to save the last of his family teams up with ex-soldier Travis (Simon Baker) to track down the most dangerous warrior in the Territory – his uncle.
The Apsa jury praised the assured direction of Johnson, noting his film gave “voice to the issue of brutal colonisation.” Jack Thompson, Apsa president and star of the film, accepted the honour on behalf of the director.
High Ground premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and also stars Callan Mulvey, Witiyana Marika, Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr. Madman Entertainment will release the drama, written by Chris Anastassiades and produced by David Jowsey, Johnson, Marika, Maggie Miles and Greer Simpkin,...
Set in 1930s Arnhem Land, High Ground follows young Aboriginal man Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul), who in a bid to save the last of his family teams up with ex-soldier Travis (Simon Baker) to track down the most dangerous warrior in the Territory – his uncle.
The Apsa jury praised the assured direction of Johnson, noting his film gave “voice to the issue of brutal colonisation.” Jack Thompson, Apsa president and star of the film, accepted the honour on behalf of the director.
High Ground premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and also stars Callan Mulvey, Witiyana Marika, Caren Pistorius and Ryan Corr. Madman Entertainment will release the drama, written by Chris Anastassiades and produced by David Jowsey, Johnson, Marika, Maggie Miles and Greer Simpkin,...
- 11/26/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Live action films with female leads emerged as the top favourites at the 6th National Youth Film Awards (Nyfa) ceremony. Organised by *Scape, the annual awards took place over Facebook live on Saturday and announced a total of 26 winners.
“Sunday” depicts a young woman with a full body rash, driven to violence during a forbidden encounter with her sister’s boyfriend. Directed by returning Nyfa participant Kris Ong and produced by Tan Si En, who has worked with industry veterans such as Anthony Chen and Kirsten Tan, the film was conferred Best Screenplay and Best Live Action in the Open Youth Category. Best Cinematography went to Lincoln Yeo, who is a returning Nyfa participant and now second-time winner.32-year-old actress Vicki Yang, who played the lead role in “Sunday”, walked away with the Best Actress award.
“Lady E’s Wedding Revenge Plan” written, produced, and directed by Ngee Ann Polytechnic students was awarded Best Editing,...
“Sunday” depicts a young woman with a full body rash, driven to violence during a forbidden encounter with her sister’s boyfriend. Directed by returning Nyfa participant Kris Ong and produced by Tan Si En, who has worked with industry veterans such as Anthony Chen and Kirsten Tan, the film was conferred Best Screenplay and Best Live Action in the Open Youth Category. Best Cinematography went to Lincoln Yeo, who is a returning Nyfa participant and now second-time winner.32-year-old actress Vicki Yang, who played the lead role in “Sunday”, walked away with the Best Actress award.
“Lady E’s Wedding Revenge Plan” written, produced, and directed by Ngee Ann Polytechnic students was awarded Best Editing,...
- 7/26/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Fyzal Boulifa won best director for UK title ‘Lynn + Lucy’.
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) closed on Tuesday night (10) with the top award going to Us film Give Me Liberty directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky.
Stars such as Carina Lau and Juliette Binoche were on the red carpet for the festival, which showed 43 films including 10 in International Competition and six in the New Chinese Cinema Competition. It ran from December 5-10 in and around the Macau Cultural Centre.
Chinese filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun headed the jury for first and second-time directors in the international competition. He was joined...
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) closed on Tuesday night (10) with the top award going to Us film Give Me Liberty directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky.
Stars such as Carina Lau and Juliette Binoche were on the red carpet for the festival, which showed 43 films including 10 in International Competition and six in the New Chinese Cinema Competition. It ran from December 5-10 in and around the Macau Cultural Centre.
Chinese filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun headed the jury for first and second-time directors in the international competition. He was joined...
- 12/10/2019
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Kirill Mikhanovsky’s “Give Me Liberty” and Gu Xiaogang’s “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains won the best picture prizes in the international and Chinese cinema sections on Tuesday at the International Film Festival and Awards Macau (Iffam).
“This film shouldn’t have existed because there were so many obstacles. Everything was a miracle. Us being here is an utter miracle,” said Mikhanovsky, who took the stage with his producer Alice Austen to describe the frenzy of trying to shoot their film for a quarter of their original budget.
“If someone had asked us a year ago if we’d like to show our film in Macau, we’d have said man, you’re out of your mind,” he laughed, before thanking the festival. “This is such a gathering of minds and intellects and true lovers of cinema, which is very rare. You’ve truly crafted a one-of-a-kind global event.
“This film shouldn’t have existed because there were so many obstacles. Everything was a miracle. Us being here is an utter miracle,” said Mikhanovsky, who took the stage with his producer Alice Austen to describe the frenzy of trying to shoot their film for a quarter of their original budget.
“If someone had asked us a year ago if we’d like to show our film in Macau, we’d have said man, you’re out of your mind,” he laughed, before thanking the festival. “This is such a gathering of minds and intellects and true lovers of cinema, which is very rare. You’ve truly crafted a one-of-a-kind global event.
- 12/10/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Attendees include Peter Chan Ho-sun, Tricia Tuttle and Noah Cowan.
Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit opened the fourth International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) at the Macao Cultural Centre on Wednesday (December 4).
International guests in town for the festival include Peter Chan Ho-sun, head of the international competition jury, and fellow jury members Ellen Eliasoph, Tom Cullen, Dian Sastrowardoyo and Midi Z, as well as New Chinese Cinema competition jury head Cristian Mungiu and his fellow jury members Qiu Yang, Kirsten Tan, Tricia Tuttle and Noah Cowan.
Director Mattie Do and her The Long Walk team including actor Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy...
Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit opened the fourth International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) at the Macao Cultural Centre on Wednesday (December 4).
International guests in town for the festival include Peter Chan Ho-sun, head of the international competition jury, and fellow jury members Ellen Eliasoph, Tom Cullen, Dian Sastrowardoyo and Midi Z, as well as New Chinese Cinema competition jury head Cristian Mungiu and his fellow jury members Qiu Yang, Kirsten Tan, Tricia Tuttle and Noah Cowan.
Director Mattie Do and her The Long Walk team including actor Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy...
- 12/5/2019
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Attendees include Peter Chan Ho-sun, Tricia Tuttle and Noah Cowan.
Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit opened the fourth International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) at the Macao Cultural Centre on Wednesday (December 4).
International guests in town for the festival include Peter Chan Ho-sun, head of the international competition jury, and fellow jury members Ellen Eliasoph, Tom Cullen, Dian Sastrowardoyo and Midi Z, as well as New Chinese Cinema competition jury head Cristian Mungiu and his fellow jury members Qiu Yang, Kirsten Tan, Tricia Tuttle and Noah Cowan.
Director Mattie Do and her The Long Walk team including actor Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy...
Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit opened the fourth International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) at the Macao Cultural Centre on Wednesday (December 4).
International guests in town for the festival include Peter Chan Ho-sun, head of the international competition jury, and fellow jury members Ellen Eliasoph, Tom Cullen, Dian Sastrowardoyo and Midi Z, as well as New Chinese Cinema competition jury head Cristian Mungiu and his fellow jury members Qiu Yang, Kirsten Tan, Tricia Tuttle and Noah Cowan.
Director Mattie Do and her The Long Walk team including actor Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy...
- 12/5/2019
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
The fourth edition of the International Film Festival & Award kicked off in fine style Thursday night. The opening night event allowed plenty of chance for mingling before and after a quadri-lingual ceremony that still managed to wrap up in just 45 minutes.
After a trio of tenors opened proceedings with “Over The Rainbow” it was evident that glamour and celebration were the intended take-aways, not the challenging themes presented by several of the Iffam’s selected films, and certainly not political discourse.
Macau is the well-behaved Special Administrative Region, just a ferry ride away from Hong Kong, the larger and more troublesome S.A.R. which these days stands as the front line of the ongoing clash between liberal democracy and China’s authoritarian version of economic development.
Outside the breathless ceremony, security guards were highly visible and widely dispersed, seemingly posted on every corner within a half mile zone. Inside,...
After a trio of tenors opened proceedings with “Over The Rainbow” it was evident that glamour and celebration were the intended take-aways, not the challenging themes presented by several of the Iffam’s selected films, and certainly not political discourse.
Macau is the well-behaved Special Administrative Region, just a ferry ride away from Hong Kong, the larger and more troublesome S.A.R. which these days stands as the front line of the ongoing clash between liberal democracy and China’s authoritarian version of economic development.
Outside the breathless ceremony, security guards were highly visible and widely dispersed, seemingly posted on every corner within a half mile zone. Inside,...
- 12/5/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Japanese auteur Miike Takeshi delivered an entertaining masterclass to a packed audience as part of the Singapore International Film Festival on Sunday, where he held forth on a range of subjects. Conducting the masterclass was Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”).
A day earlier, Miike received an honorary award from the festival.
In a career spanning some 30 years, Miike has directed more than a 100 movies and TV shows. He attributes his prolific output to his years as an assistant director where he apprenticed with the likes of Shohei Imamura and Toshio Masuda and learnt to maximise the time and limited budget allocated for a film in the most efficient manner. “Even now, when we are having lunch at the location, when the crew and actors are having a luxurious meal, I think I can use this time to make a short TV commercial,” said Miike.
Miike’s latest film “First Love...
A day earlier, Miike received an honorary award from the festival.
In a career spanning some 30 years, Miike has directed more than a 100 movies and TV shows. He attributes his prolific output to his years as an assistant director where he apprenticed with the likes of Shohei Imamura and Toshio Masuda and learnt to maximise the time and limited budget allocated for a film in the most efficient manner. “Even now, when we are having lunch at the location, when the crew and actors are having a luxurious meal, I think I can use this time to make a short TV commercial,” said Miike.
Miike’s latest film “First Love...
- 12/2/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“It is always my goal to create a layer of truth for actors with my make-ups and suits,” said Academy Award winning make-up effects Artist Barney Burman. He was speaking on Saturday at an onstage event within the Singapore International Film Festival.
The presentation at the Project theater was moderated by Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”), who probed Burman on the extent that he had been influenced by legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. The so-called “Meisner Technique” suggests that acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
The make-up wiz, whose credit includes multiple Hollywood studio blockbusters such as the “Star Trek” franchise, “Tropic Thunder” and “Mission Impossible 3,” had studied with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner as a character actor.
“[With make-ups and suits] you get a different look, different persona and different physicality. Actors’ performances do change with those make-ups,” Burman explained. “There was this one time my team did a four-hour long old-age make-up.
The presentation at the Project theater was moderated by Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”), who probed Burman on the extent that he had been influenced by legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner. The so-called “Meisner Technique” suggests that acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.
The make-up wiz, whose credit includes multiple Hollywood studio blockbusters such as the “Star Trek” franchise, “Tropic Thunder” and “Mission Impossible 3,” had studied with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner as a character actor.
“[With make-ups and suits] you get a different look, different persona and different physicality. Actors’ performances do change with those make-ups,” Burman explained. “There was this one time my team did a four-hour long old-age make-up.
- 11/24/2019
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Singapore-born Anthony Chen studied in film schools in Singapore and the UK. His short film “Ah Ma” was awarded the Special Mention for Short Film at Cannes, the first time a Singapore film was awarded at Cannes. His debut feature “Ilo Ilo” won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, while his sophomore feature “Wet Season” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
On the occasion of “Wet Season” screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, we speak about his absence from feature filmmaking, casting the same actors again, Singaporean society and many other topics
The first question is the inevitable one. What took you so long?
It takes me very long to write a film. “Ilo Ilo” took me two years to write, this one took me three years. It takes me very long to prepare a film as well. I spent a whole year casting and then another year prepping the film,...
On the occasion of “Wet Season” screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, we speak about his absence from feature filmmaking, casting the same actors again, Singaporean society and many other topics
The first question is the inevitable one. What took you so long?
It takes me very long to write a film. “Ilo Ilo” took me two years to write, this one took me three years. It takes me very long to prepare a film as well. I spent a whole year casting and then another year prepping the film,...
- 11/10/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The New Chinese Cinema section returns for the second year.
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao has unveiled its 2019 programme, including the return of the New Chinese Cinema section with a jury headed by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu.
Mungiu will oversee a five-person jury watching six films from Chinese-speaking territories. His jury consists of BFI London Film Festival artistic director Tricia Tuttle; former Sffilm (San Francisco Film) executive director Noah Cowan; and filmmakers Kirsten Tan from Singapore and Qiu Yang from China.
Scroll down for the line-up
The films in the section include Anthony Chen’s Wet Season, which...
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao has unveiled its 2019 programme, including the return of the New Chinese Cinema section with a jury headed by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu.
Mungiu will oversee a five-person jury watching six films from Chinese-speaking territories. His jury consists of BFI London Film Festival artistic director Tricia Tuttle; former Sffilm (San Francisco Film) executive director Noah Cowan; and filmmakers Kirsten Tan from Singapore and Qiu Yang from China.
Scroll down for the line-up
The films in the section include Anthony Chen’s Wet Season, which...
- 11/6/2019
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Universal’s Global Talent Development and Inclusion have unveiled the participants for the 2019 Directors Initiative. The initiative has also expanded their partnerships to include the American Black Film Festival and the New York Latino Film Festival. In addition, NBCUniversal Filmmasters will join veteran partners AFI Directing Workshop for Women as well as the Sundance Institute’s FilmTwo Fellowship.
This year, the Initiative has doubled in size with 17 directors from diverse backgrounds selected to participate. This year, the Initiative has the strongest international reach with directors from China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Iran and Singapore.
Sundance Institute FilmTwo filmmakers participating in this year’s Initiative include Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (The Mustang), Rhys Ernst (Adam), Atsuko Hirayanagi (Oh Lucy!) and Kirsten Tan (Pop Aye). From the AFI Directing Workshop for Women are directors Amber Sealey (How Does it Start), Jessica Kaye (Inheritance), Carly Usdin (Suicide Kale), Parisa Barani (Ablution (Wuzu)), Marielle Woods...
This year, the Initiative has doubled in size with 17 directors from diverse backgrounds selected to participate. This year, the Initiative has the strongest international reach with directors from China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Iran and Singapore.
Sundance Institute FilmTwo filmmakers participating in this year’s Initiative include Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (The Mustang), Rhys Ernst (Adam), Atsuko Hirayanagi (Oh Lucy!) and Kirsten Tan (Pop Aye). From the AFI Directing Workshop for Women are directors Amber Sealey (How Does it Start), Jessica Kaye (Inheritance), Carly Usdin (Suicide Kale), Parisa Barani (Ablution (Wuzu)), Marielle Woods...
- 10/7/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion group has selected filmmakers for its 2019 Directors Initiative, which introduces directors to the studio filmmaking process as well as executives across the company.
The Sundance Institute FilmTwo filmmakers participating in the Directors Initiative include Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (“The Mustang”), Rhys Ernst (“Adam”), Atsuko Hirayanagi (“Oh Lucy!”), and Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”). From the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, directors participating include Amber Sealey (“How Does it Start”), Jessica Kaye (“Inheritance”), Carly Usdin (“Suicide Kale”), Parisa Barani (“Ablution (Wuzu)”), Marielle Woods (“Do No Harm”), Shilpi Roy (“Hipsterhood”), Siyou Tan (“Hello Ahma”) and Talia Zucker (“Child”).
Additionally, Lukas von Berg (“L’aria Del Moscerino”) is joining from NBCUniversal’s Global Distribution & International Filmmasters program, while Numa Perrier (“Jezebel”) is participating from American Black Film Festival, and Gabriela Calvache (“The Longest Night”) is joining from New York Latino Film Festival. Dinh Thai (“Monday”) is joining from last...
The Sundance Institute FilmTwo filmmakers participating in the Directors Initiative include Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (“The Mustang”), Rhys Ernst (“Adam”), Atsuko Hirayanagi (“Oh Lucy!”), and Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”). From the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, directors participating include Amber Sealey (“How Does it Start”), Jessica Kaye (“Inheritance”), Carly Usdin (“Suicide Kale”), Parisa Barani (“Ablution (Wuzu)”), Marielle Woods (“Do No Harm”), Shilpi Roy (“Hipsterhood”), Siyou Tan (“Hello Ahma”) and Talia Zucker (“Child”).
Additionally, Lukas von Berg (“L’aria Del Moscerino”) is joining from NBCUniversal’s Global Distribution & International Filmmasters program, while Numa Perrier (“Jezebel”) is participating from American Black Film Festival, and Gabriela Calvache (“The Longest Night”) is joining from New York Latino Film Festival. Dinh Thai (“Monday”) is joining from last...
- 10/7/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Asian video streaming platform Hooq has inked a three-year, first-look and co-production deal with award-winning Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen.
Chen made his feature debut with 2013’s “Ilo Ilo,” which won the Camera D’Or at Cannes, and went on to win a plethora of prizes around the world. The same year, he was chosen as one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch.
Chen’s sophomore feature, “Wet Season” will have its world premiere in competition at Toronto’s Platform segment on Sept. 8. Produced by Giraffe Pictures in association with Hooq, Rediance and New Century Influence Films, the film follows a Chinese-language teacher whose marriage and school life are falling apart as she struggles to conceive a child, but an unlikely friendship with a student helps reaffirm her identity. The cast includes “Ilo Ilo” alumni Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler.
The deal with Hooq will include film, television and...
Chen made his feature debut with 2013’s “Ilo Ilo,” which won the Camera D’Or at Cannes, and went on to win a plethora of prizes around the world. The same year, he was chosen as one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch.
Chen’s sophomore feature, “Wet Season” will have its world premiere in competition at Toronto’s Platform segment on Sept. 8. Produced by Giraffe Pictures in association with Hooq, Rediance and New Century Influence Films, the film follows a Chinese-language teacher whose marriage and school life are falling apart as she struggles to conceive a child, but an unlikely friendship with a student helps reaffirm her identity. The cast includes “Ilo Ilo” alumni Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler.
The deal with Hooq will include film, television and...
- 9/7/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Execs from Neon, Fox Searchlight, Haut et Court and Film4 set to attend Warsaw initiative.
Top executives from Neon, Fox Searchlight, Haut et Court and Film4 are among the professionals confirmed to mentor six emerging international filmmakers at the second annual New Europe Warsaw Sessions, taking place in the Polish capital from June 23-27.
Ayo Kepher-Maat, director of acquisitions at Us distributor Neon; Peter Spencer, creative executive at Fox Searchlight; Carole Scotta, founder of French producer and distributor Haut et Court; and Julia Oh, commissioning executive at the UK’s Film4, will particpate in masterclasses, networking and creative exchange with the new talents.
Top executives from Neon, Fox Searchlight, Haut et Court and Film4 are among the professionals confirmed to mentor six emerging international filmmakers at the second annual New Europe Warsaw Sessions, taking place in the Polish capital from June 23-27.
Ayo Kepher-Maat, director of acquisitions at Us distributor Neon; Peter Spencer, creative executive at Fox Searchlight; Carole Scotta, founder of French producer and distributor Haut et Court; and Julia Oh, commissioning executive at the UK’s Film4, will particpate in masterclasses, networking and creative exchange with the new talents.
- 6/18/2019
- by Louise Tutt
- ScreenDaily
Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, who won Cannes’ Camera d’Or with his feature debut “Ilo Ilo” in 2013, and was chosen by Variety as one of its 10 Directors to Watch in the same year, is putting the finishing touches to his sophomore feature, “Wet Season,” which he is looking to premiere at an A-list festival. In the intervening six years, he has also been hard at work producing other filmmakers’ work.
Chen describes “Wet Season” as the story of a 40-year-old woman “who is having a bit of crisis in life and is on a journey to rediscover herself, redefine herself and restart [her life].” The woman’s friendship with a young man “helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman,” according to Memento Films Intl., which is handling international sales.
After directing several award-winning shorts, including “Grandma,” which won a special mention at Cannes in 2007, Chen was thrust into the global spotlight...
Chen describes “Wet Season” as the story of a 40-year-old woman “who is having a bit of crisis in life and is on a journey to rediscover herself, redefine herself and restart [her life].” The woman’s friendship with a young man “helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman,” according to Memento Films Intl., which is handling international sales.
After directing several award-winning shorts, including “Grandma,” which won a special mention at Cannes in 2007, Chen was thrust into the global spotlight...
- 5/16/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Increasingly, they are winning prizes at international festivals. “A Land Imagined” won the Golden Leopard in Locarno last year, while 18 months earlier “Pop Aye” and its helmer/screenwriter Kirsten Tan won the screenwriting prize in the world cinema section at Sundance. In 2013, Anthony Chen won the Camera d’Or for best first feature at Cannes with bittersweet drama “Ilo Ilo.”
These and a swelling number of Singaporean productions reflect several years of government attempts to support the film industry. Emphasis has variously been put on Singapore as an Asian funding hub, a co-productions nexus and as a shooting location.
Film funds were set up that ended up in tears and loss — and jail time for one former partner. Since then grants have replaced co-investment. And dubious outreach to China — which shares some linguistic overlap, but is a vastly different market — has been quietly sidelined.
What has paid off, however, is persistence.
These and a swelling number of Singaporean productions reflect several years of government attempts to support the film industry. Emphasis has variously been put on Singapore as an Asian funding hub, a co-productions nexus and as a shooting location.
Film funds were set up that ended up in tears and loss — and jail time for one former partner. Since then grants have replaced co-investment. And dubious outreach to China — which shares some linguistic overlap, but is a vastly different market — has been quietly sidelined.
What has paid off, however, is persistence.
- 5/16/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Over the past decade, Singaporean films have routinely been selected for A-list international film festivals and have won accolades worldwide. While the world trained its eyes on the city-state in 2018 thanks to “Crazy Rich Asians,” the global Singaporean success story of the year was Yeo Siew Hua’s “A Land Imagined,” winning three awards at Locarno, including the Golden Leopard. The film is currently on release in Singapore and France, and a wider rollout is imminent, with sales agent Visit Films closing distribution deals on eight more territories.
Yeo and his feted contemporaries are not resting on their laurels. They are forging ahead with new projects.
“ ‘Stranger Eyes’ is about ways of seeing in this era of total surveillance and what it means to live as an image to be seen by others,” Yeo told Variety about his next project, which is also set in Singapore.
Anthony Chen won the...
Yeo and his feted contemporaries are not resting on their laurels. They are forging ahead with new projects.
“ ‘Stranger Eyes’ is about ways of seeing in this era of total surveillance and what it means to live as an image to be seen by others,” Yeo told Variety about his next project, which is also set in Singapore.
Anthony Chen won the...
- 3/19/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Kirsten Tan has hit it from the beginning, with her debut feature being the first Singaporean movie selected to screen at the Sundance Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of the 2017 edition.
Pop Aye screened at Helsinki Cine Aasia Film Festival 2018
Architect Thana has run into his childhood friend, an elephant called Pop Aye, just at the right moment. The world seems to be passing him by as a landmark shopping mall he designed in the 90’s is being torn down, the young people currently in charge of the company he works for seem not to value him very much and his wife, Bo, seems to be distant, and less and less understanding. Thana decides to take the elephant back to the rural village where they both grew up and into his uncle Peak’s (Narong Pongpab) care. His journey away...
Pop Aye screened at Helsinki Cine Aasia Film Festival 2018
Architect Thana has run into his childhood friend, an elephant called Pop Aye, just at the right moment. The world seems to be passing him by as a landmark shopping mall he designed in the 90’s is being torn down, the young people currently in charge of the company he works for seem not to value him very much and his wife, Bo, seems to be distant, and less and less understanding. Thana decides to take the elephant back to the rural village where they both grew up and into his uncle Peak’s (Narong Pongpab) care. His journey away...
- 3/5/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) 2019 is around the corner (23rd January – 3rd February). Get ready for a high-quality line-up of carefully selected fiction and documentary feature films, short films and media art.
As always, the Asian film selection is rich and inviting. We have picked for you all the films from the Asian Continent.
Iffr comprises four Competition Sections and also an incredible number of Awards to encourage and help filmmakers:
Tiger Competition – An international jury chooses a winner from eight nominated films. Last year the prize was won by Chinese movie “The Widowed Witch” by Cai Chengjie.
Ammodo Tiger Short Competition – The power of short: films compete in the short film selection to three equivalent prizes.
Bright Future Competition – Filmmakers presenting the world or international premiere of their first feature length film in the main programme of Iffr’s section Bright Future, are eligible for the Bright Future Award.
As always, the Asian film selection is rich and inviting. We have picked for you all the films from the Asian Continent.
Iffr comprises four Competition Sections and also an incredible number of Awards to encourage and help filmmakers:
Tiger Competition – An international jury chooses a winner from eight nominated films. Last year the prize was won by Chinese movie “The Widowed Witch” by Cai Chengjie.
Ammodo Tiger Short Competition – The power of short: films compete in the short film selection to three equivalent prizes.
Bright Future Competition – Filmmakers presenting the world or international premiere of their first feature length film in the main programme of Iffr’s section Bright Future, are eligible for the Bright Future Award.
- 1/10/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Singapore Film Commission to offer $183,000 per film project.
Singapore Film Commission (Sfc) is planning to introduce a new grant for co-production within Southeast Asia, which will offer $183,000 per film project.
Qualifying projects must involve a Singapore producer and a director from a Southeast Asian country, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Grants will be capped at 50% of production budgets and producers do not need to spend more than 50% of the grant in Singapore.
The Sfc, which is part of Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda), will launch the initiative in the second quarter of...
Singapore Film Commission (Sfc) is planning to introduce a new grant for co-production within Southeast Asia, which will offer $183,000 per film project.
Qualifying projects must involve a Singapore producer and a director from a Southeast Asian country, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Grants will be capped at 50% of production budgets and producers do not need to spend more than 50% of the grant in Singapore.
The Sfc, which is part of Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (Imda), will launch the initiative in the second quarter of...
- 12/6/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
The Singapore Film Commission continued the ongoing celebration of its 20th anniversary by screening a specially commissioned documentary “Singapore Cinema: Between Takes.” Directed by Koh Chong Wu, the film played on Saturday as part of the Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff).
The illuminating feature traces the history of Singapore cinema from the 1950s through the 1970s, the decline of the industry in the 1980s, and its revival in the 1990s. The present day may be enjoying a renaissance.
The screening was followed by a lively debate on new perspectives on Singapore cinema, moderated by journalist Genevieve Sarah Loh, with panelists that included local superstar, the director-producer Jack Neo Singapore Film Commission director Joachim Ng, Singapore filmmaking doyen Eric Khoo and directors Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”) and Sanif Olek (“Sayang Disayang”).
“You can see from early days that it’s been a huge struggle and we were trying to learn,” said Ng.
The illuminating feature traces the history of Singapore cinema from the 1950s through the 1970s, the decline of the industry in the 1980s, and its revival in the 1990s. The present day may be enjoying a renaissance.
The screening was followed by a lively debate on new perspectives on Singapore cinema, moderated by journalist Genevieve Sarah Loh, with panelists that included local superstar, the director-producer Jack Neo Singapore Film Commission director Joachim Ng, Singapore filmmaking doyen Eric Khoo and directors Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”) and Sanif Olek (“Sayang Disayang”).
“You can see from early days that it’s been a huge struggle and we were trying to learn,” said Ng.
- 12/2/2018
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
U.S.-based Visit Films has picked up international sales rights to Yeo Siew Hua’s “A Land Imagined.” The Singaporean-Dutch-French picture has its premiere this week in main competition at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland.
A new generation of Singaporean film makers is enjoying ever greater prominence on the international festival circuit. Anthony Chen, Boo Junfeng, K Rajagopal and Kirsten Tan have delivered a string of contemporary films that range from social realist to the mildly whimsical.
Yeo’s “Imagined” appears to sit somewhere between detective drama and an intelligent probing of squeaky clean Singapore’s darker corners. The narrative involves a sleepless Singapore police investigator on the trail of a lonely construction worker from China who has gone missing at a land reclamation site.
Along the way, Yeo probes the city-state’s constant process of reconstruction and expansion through land formation, the question of who se grand plan this is,...
A new generation of Singaporean film makers is enjoying ever greater prominence on the international festival circuit. Anthony Chen, Boo Junfeng, K Rajagopal and Kirsten Tan have delivered a string of contemporary films that range from social realist to the mildly whimsical.
Yeo’s “Imagined” appears to sit somewhere between detective drama and an intelligent probing of squeaky clean Singapore’s darker corners. The narrative involves a sleepless Singapore police investigator on the trail of a lonely construction worker from China who has gone missing at a land reclamation site.
Along the way, Yeo probes the city-state’s constant process of reconstruction and expansion through land formation, the question of who se grand plan this is,...
- 8/2/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Young and beautiful, EstAsia Festival is back with its 3rd edition in Reggio Emilia, one of the more bountiful regions of of Italy, from the 11th to the 18th of June 2018.
Curated by Cineclub Peyote, Fondazione Palazzo Magnani e Comune di Reggio Emilia, EstAsia’s aim is to brings to the big screen a selection of the best Asian Movies seen over the year in Festivals but unseen in Italian cinemas. The participant countries include India, Vietnam and Singapore but this edition has allowed more space to explore works from China and Japan.
EstAsia has finally revealed the full programme of its 2018 edition. The selection is very promising and comprises a good mix of both independent and commercial features, plus some European premieres, and this year – for the first time – a jury will award a winner. The Festival will have also some international guests introducing their works to the audience.
Curated by Cineclub Peyote, Fondazione Palazzo Magnani e Comune di Reggio Emilia, EstAsia’s aim is to brings to the big screen a selection of the best Asian Movies seen over the year in Festivals but unseen in Italian cinemas. The participant countries include India, Vietnam and Singapore but this edition has allowed more space to explore works from China and Japan.
EstAsia has finally revealed the full programme of its 2018 edition. The selection is very promising and comprises a good mix of both independent and commercial features, plus some European premieres, and this year – for the first time – a jury will award a winner. The Festival will have also some international guests introducing their works to the audience.
- 6/3/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
It may not have the same international cachet as rival Asian countries such as South Korea or Japan, but Singapore’s film scene is growing in stature.
Credit for this can go in part to the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), celebrating its 20th year in operation. Founded in 1998 with an aim to nurture Singaporean filmmaking talent, it has offered support, grants and promotion to more than 600 projects over the years, including feature films, shorts, scripts and events. The Sfc’s relevance and endurance stand as a testament to the staying power of the country’s film scene.
“Ultimately, we recognize that the heart of all good films and media content lies in its storytelling,” says Joachim Ng, director of the Sfc. “The stories told through films or any other medium must resonate with its audiences.”
The past decade has been a particularly impressive one for Singaporean movies, with several Sfc-supported...
Credit for this can go in part to the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), celebrating its 20th year in operation. Founded in 1998 with an aim to nurture Singaporean filmmaking talent, it has offered support, grants and promotion to more than 600 projects over the years, including feature films, shorts, scripts and events. The Sfc’s relevance and endurance stand as a testament to the staying power of the country’s film scene.
“Ultimately, we recognize that the heart of all good films and media content lies in its storytelling,” says Joachim Ng, director of the Sfc. “The stories told through films or any other medium must resonate with its audiences.”
The past decade has been a particularly impressive one for Singaporean movies, with several Sfc-supported...
- 5/14/2018
- by Pavan Shamdasani
- Variety Film + TV
Berlinale Talents
Fest Chief, Dieter Kosslick at Dine & Shine Dinner, copyright Peter Himsel, Berlinale 2017Pity for all you upcoming filmmakers who might be eligible to further your careers through the Berlinale Talents because now the 2018 application period is closed, but come next July 2018, you should plan to apply!Talents, copyright Peter Himsel, Berlinale 2017
Berlinale Talents is aimed at film and television professionals in the first 10 years of their careers. To find out if you are eligible to apply for Berlinale Talents or one of their project labs: Doc Station, Talent Project Market, Script Station and Short Film Station; and to get a quick overview of the application process, check out the information Here.
One in five contenders for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Berlinale Talents alum. An impressive 17 films by Berlinale Talents alumni have been nominated as their countries’ contenders for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Fest Chief, Dieter Kosslick at Dine & Shine Dinner, copyright Peter Himsel, Berlinale 2017Pity for all you upcoming filmmakers who might be eligible to further your careers through the Berlinale Talents because now the 2018 application period is closed, but come next July 2018, you should plan to apply!Talents, copyright Peter Himsel, Berlinale 2017
Berlinale Talents is aimed at film and television professionals in the first 10 years of their careers. To find out if you are eligible to apply for Berlinale Talents or one of their project labs: Doc Station, Talent Project Market, Script Station and Short Film Station; and to get a quick overview of the application process, check out the information Here.
One in five contenders for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Berlinale Talents alum. An impressive 17 films by Berlinale Talents alumni have been nominated as their countries’ contenders for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
- 11/17/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
A winner of both the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and the Big Screen Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, ‘Pop Aye’ was a hit with critics and festival audiences alike, and now has been selected by Singapore as the country’s Official Submission to the 90th Academy Awards. Kino Lorber has now released Kirsten Tan’s Award-Winning Pop Aye on DVD with special features including behind-the-scenes footage and trailer.
Pop Aye was released theatrically by Kino Lorber earlier in 2017, with a two-week run at New York’s Film Forum and engagements in key national markets including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle. International sales are by Cercamon, a sales company based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates headed by Sébastien Chesneau who is French.
This first feature of Kirsten Tan comes from Singapore but it takes place in Thailand.
Pop Aye was released theatrically by Kino Lorber earlier in 2017, with a two-week run at New York’s Film Forum and engagements in key national markets including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle. International sales are by Cercamon, a sales company based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates headed by Sébastien Chesneau who is French.
This first feature of Kirsten Tan comes from Singapore but it takes place in Thailand.
- 11/10/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Pop Aye screens Thursday, Nov. 9 at 9:00pm and Friday, Nov. 10 at 7:05pm as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival Both screenings are at The Plaza Frontenac Cinema (210 Plaza Frontenac St. Louis , Mo 63131). Ticket information for the Nov. 9 screening can be found Here. Ticket information for the Nov. 10 screening can be found Here
In “Pop Aye,” a successful Bangkok architect in the midst of a midlife crisis is reunited with an elephant he knew growing up. The two embark on a road trip to the man’s childhood home in the idyllic Thai countryside. Along the way, they meet a colorful cast of characters that includes a pair of nonplussed local police officers, a forlorn transgender sex worker, and a mysteriously wise drifter. As the encounters mount and the bond between man and elephant deepens, filmmaker Kirsten Tan weaves a strikingly universal tale in a...
In “Pop Aye,” a successful Bangkok architect in the midst of a midlife crisis is reunited with an elephant he knew growing up. The two embark on a road trip to the man’s childhood home in the idyllic Thai countryside. Along the way, they meet a colorful cast of characters that includes a pair of nonplussed local police officers, a forlorn transgender sex worker, and a mysteriously wise drifter. As the encounters mount and the bond between man and elephant deepens, filmmaker Kirsten Tan weaves a strikingly universal tale in a...
- 11/8/2017
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Pop Aye, a comedic drama from Singapore filmmaker Kirsten Tan, has won the top prize of best international feature film at the 13th Zurich International Film Festival.
The feature is an unconventional road trip that follows a disheartened architect who leaves the city and travels across the country, accompanied by an elephant (called Popeye) he adopts along the way.
Pop Aye premiered in the World Drama section at Sundance and was selected by Singapore to represent the country in the foreign language category of the 2018 Oscars.
Rahul Jain's Machines,...
The feature is an unconventional road trip that follows a disheartened architect who leaves the city and travels across the country, accompanied by an elephant (called Popeye) he adopts along the way.
Pop Aye premiered in the World Drama section at Sundance and was selected by Singapore to represent the country in the foreign language category of the 2018 Oscars.
Rahul Jain's Machines,...
- 10/9/2017
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour)
Ana Lily Amirpour’s second feature shoots for Harmony Korine meets Mad Max and would have nearly almost hit the mark were it not for the gratingly aloof attitude and the swaths of directorial license being taken. The Bad Batch — an ambitious, expansive dystopian sci-fi western which features partying, drugs, and cannibals — might come as music to the ears of diehard fans of...
The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour)
Ana Lily Amirpour’s second feature shoots for Harmony Korine meets Mad Max and would have nearly almost hit the mark were it not for the gratingly aloof attitude and the swaths of directorial license being taken. The Bad Batch — an ambitious, expansive dystopian sci-fi western which features partying, drugs, and cannibals — might come as music to the ears of diehard fans of...
- 9/29/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Singapore has picked Kirsten Tan’s debut feature Pop Aye to represent the country at the 2018 Oscars in the best foreign-language film category.
A tender but mysterious drama, Pop Aye debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for screenwriting.
Set entirely in Thailand, the film stars Thaneth Warakulnukroh as a down-and-out architect who is reunited with his childhood elephant and embarks on a road trip across the Thai countryside in search of their old home.
"Loneliness, alienation, the ache of nostalgia and the everyday absurdity of life infuse every encounter in...
A tender but mysterious drama, Pop Aye debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for screenwriting.
Set entirely in Thailand, the film stars Thaneth Warakulnukroh as a down-and-out architect who is reunited with his childhood elephant and embarks on a road trip across the Thai countryside in search of their old home.
"Loneliness, alienation, the ache of nostalgia and the everyday absurdity of life infuse every encounter in...
- 9/25/2017
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jean-Luc Godard once wrote that all one needs to make a film are a girl and a gun. Kirsten Tan’s “Pop Aye” suggests that a guy and an elephant will serve just as well.
A kind of love story, the film introduces its interspecies friends via a modified meet-cute: Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) drives past the pachyderm in question one night and is instantly taken by its majestic presence, not least because he recognizes the creature from his childhood. Its current owner assures the aging architect that this elephant has had many names over the years, but he’s currently known as Chang Beer — a moniker that Thana quickly reverts back to Popeye upon buying him.
Read More: ‘Pop Aye’ Trailer: A Man Finds Himself with the Help of an Elephant in Sundance Drama — Watch
Elephants, with their imposing size and gentle nature, are among the most cinematic of all animals.
A kind of love story, the film introduces its interspecies friends via a modified meet-cute: Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) drives past the pachyderm in question one night and is instantly taken by its majestic presence, not least because he recognizes the creature from his childhood. Its current owner assures the aging architect that this elephant has had many names over the years, but he’s currently known as Chang Beer — a moniker that Thana quickly reverts back to Popeye upon buying him.
Read More: ‘Pop Aye’ Trailer: A Man Finds Himself with the Help of an Elephant in Sundance Drama — Watch
Elephants, with their imposing size and gentle nature, are among the most cinematic of all animals.
- 6/29/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Some men buy a Ferrari when they’re in the throes of a midlife crisis. Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), the successful architect who’s at the center of writer-director Kirsten Tan’s wistful feature debut Pop Aye, buys an elephant. And although at first this appears to be an act of portentous quirkiness, it turns out that the elephant, Pop Aye—played by an elephant named Bong, one of three actors listed in the film’s credits—is the same one Thana grew up with on his uncle’s farm in the Thai countryside, and the duo’s long walk back to Thana’s hometown is not just a homecoming; it’s an act of penance.
Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at...
Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at...
- 6/29/2017
- by Katie Rife
- avclub.com
While much attention has currently (and rightfully) been drawn toward Bong Joon Ho’s Okja within the realm of human-and-beast cinema, Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye is a worthy companion. Intimately canvassed and drawn with raw etchings of humanity and human error, Tan’s film is both a road movie and a buddy film, a familial drama and a study of the ever-evolving, industrialized landscapes where not everyone fits in. Through her insistent gaze on the human (and non-human) figures at its center, Tan never forgets why this story is being told. This focus makes Pop Aye a film that is heartwarming in its human-to-animal gaze, and yet crushing in its understanding of a human’s flaws.
Pop Aye Follows Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), an architect who lives a somewhat dissatisfied life with his wife. There seems to be little love between them — at least not as much love as was...
Pop Aye Follows Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), an architect who lives a somewhat dissatisfied life with his wife. There seems to be little love between them — at least not as much love as was...
- 6/28/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
After premiering in the World Dramatic section at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “Pop Aye” is ready for its theatrical release this summer.
Kino Lorber, which holds the North American rights to the film, has revealed the official trailer for the elephant dramedy, which marks the debut feature for Singaporean writer-director Kirsten Tan, who had previously written and helmed seven short films, including 2014’s “Granny” and 2007’s “Fonzi.”
Read More: The 20 Highest Grossing Indies of 2017 (A Running List)
Set in Thailand, “Pop Aye” follows a once-successful architect in the midst of a midlife crisis. After running into an elephant he knew growing up, he buys the animal and the two embark on a road trip across Thailand, back to the small village where they grew up. Along the way, they meet some interesting characters, including a lonely transgender sex worker and a very wise drifter. The film was developed at Berlinale Talents Program,...
Kino Lorber, which holds the North American rights to the film, has revealed the official trailer for the elephant dramedy, which marks the debut feature for Singaporean writer-director Kirsten Tan, who had previously written and helmed seven short films, including 2014’s “Granny” and 2007’s “Fonzi.”
Read More: The 20 Highest Grossing Indies of 2017 (A Running List)
Set in Thailand, “Pop Aye” follows a once-successful architect in the midst of a midlife crisis. After running into an elephant he knew growing up, he buys the animal and the two embark on a road trip across Thailand, back to the small village where they grew up. Along the way, they meet some interesting characters, including a lonely transgender sex worker and a very wise drifter. The film was developed at Berlinale Talents Program,...
- 5/24/2017
- by Yoselin Acevedo
- Indiewire
The line-up includes films by Coppola, Kaurismäki and Haneke.
Michael Haneke’s Happy End, Aki Kaurismäki’s The Other Side of Hope, and Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled are among the 12 films in contention for the AUD60,000 Sydney Film Prize, the top honour of the Sydney Film Festival.
The films will screen at the 64th Sydney Film Festival in June, direct from their world premieres at Cannes, and will compete against new films by Australian directors Warwick Thornton (socio-political documentary We Don’t Need a Map), and Benedict Andrews (Una), Berlin prizewinning filmmakers Ildiko Enyedi (On Body and Soul) and Alain Gomes (Félicité), and Oscar nominee Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro).
Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley announced the full program at a launch on Wednesday. Moodley identified a number of emerging themes across this year’s lineup, such as stories of dislocation set against the worsening refugee crisis, and several...
Michael Haneke’s Happy End, Aki Kaurismäki’s The Other Side of Hope, and Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled are among the 12 films in contention for the AUD60,000 Sydney Film Prize, the top honour of the Sydney Film Festival.
The films will screen at the 64th Sydney Film Festival in June, direct from their world premieres at Cannes, and will compete against new films by Australian directors Warwick Thornton (socio-political documentary We Don’t Need a Map), and Benedict Andrews (Una), Berlin prizewinning filmmakers Ildiko Enyedi (On Body and Soul) and Alain Gomes (Félicité), and Oscar nominee Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro).
Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley announced the full program at a launch on Wednesday. Moodley identified a number of emerging themes across this year’s lineup, such as stories of dislocation set against the worsening refugee crisis, and several...
- 5/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Selected projects include works from producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong.
Leading Thai producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and award-winning filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong have been selected to present projects at this year’s Thai Pitch in Cannes.
Organised by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, the event will take place May 22-23 at the Thai Pavilion in the International Village. Producer and film festival programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon is coordinating the event.
Soros Sukhum is producing artist and filmmaker Taiki Sakpisit’s first feature film The Edge Of Daybreak, about a former army general who is forced to confront the past through a series of intensive sessions of electroshock therapy.
Sukhum’s recent producing credits include Anocha Suwichakornpong’s By The Time It Gets Dark, Davy Chou’s Diamond Island and Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye[pictured], the latter two projects as a co-producer.
Prachya Pinkaew, best known as director of worldwide action hit Ong...
Leading Thai producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and award-winning filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong have been selected to present projects at this year’s Thai Pitch in Cannes.
Organised by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, the event will take place May 22-23 at the Thai Pavilion in the International Village. Producer and film festival programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon is coordinating the event.
Soros Sukhum is producing artist and filmmaker Taiki Sakpisit’s first feature film The Edge Of Daybreak, about a former army general who is forced to confront the past through a series of intensive sessions of electroshock therapy.
Sukhum’s recent producing credits include Anocha Suwichakornpong’s By The Time It Gets Dark, Davy Chou’s Diamond Island and Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye[pictured], the latter two projects as a co-producer.
Prachya Pinkaew, best known as director of worldwide action hit Ong...
- 5/1/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
What a surprising city Rotterdam is and the Festival and Cinemart are full of surprises too.
Being in The Netherlands is like a homecoming for me. My first major job in the film industry was with 20th Century Fox International and City Fox Films in Amsterdam in 1975 which is when I first attended the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, three years after its founding by Huub Bals. It was much smaller then. Iffr’s logo is a tiger, loosely based on the M.G.M. lion as an alternative. From the beginning, the festival has profiled itself as a promoter of alternative, innovative and non-commercial films, with an emphasis on the Far East and developing countries. It has become one of the most important events in the film world, an integral part of the winter circuit of Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin Film Festivals.
“Fox and HIs Friends”
Except for my...
Being in The Netherlands is like a homecoming for me. My first major job in the film industry was with 20th Century Fox International and City Fox Films in Amsterdam in 1975 which is when I first attended the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, three years after its founding by Huub Bals. It was much smaller then. Iffr’s logo is a tiger, loosely based on the M.G.M. lion as an alternative. From the beginning, the festival has profiled itself as a promoter of alternative, innovative and non-commercial films, with an emphasis on the Far East and developing countries. It has become one of the most important events in the film world, an integral part of the winter circuit of Sundance, Rotterdam and Berlin Film Festivals.
“Fox and HIs Friends”
Except for my...
- 3/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
As the film-business-crowds move through meetings designed to meet all sorts of movie-related objectives in this vast mix of people, and the movie-going public lines up for films in the Competition, Out-of-Competition, Panorama, Forum and Retrospectives; and families attend the Generation series, some for kindergarteners and others for preteens and some for those 14 and up, and as the constant exchange of ideas continues, there is lots of buzz, mostly positive about the Hungarian Competition film “On Body and Soul”.“On Body and Soul” by Ildikó Enyedi
Buzz continues the next day both pro and con about Oren Moverman’s Competition film, “The Dinner” which is definitely a must-see for each to decide on one’s own response to it. As Scott Roxborough in The Hollywood Reporter says, it “looks like just the political dish the times demand.” Produced by Caldecot Chubb, the script was originally to be written by Moverman for Cate Blanchett to direct.
Buzz continues the next day both pro and con about Oren Moverman’s Competition film, “The Dinner” which is definitely a must-see for each to decide on one’s own response to it. As Scott Roxborough in The Hollywood Reporter says, it “looks like just the political dish the times demand.” Produced by Caldecot Chubb, the script was originally to be written by Moverman for Cate Blanchett to direct.
- 2/28/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Why Sundance Goers, and Audiences at Every Festival, Should Embrace World Cinema Over Popular Main-Slate Titles“God’s Own Country”
Eager to brave the extreme amounts of snow piling on every sidewalk and road in Park City, scores of freezing, malnourished, and often overworked film journalists and industry professionals line up hours in advance in order to secure a satisfying seat to that star-studded, Oscar-friendly, English-language stunner people have been raving about at every party or bus top around town. It’s understandable, they are desperate to become conquerors and be the first to plant their flag on the year’s big discovery. Trendsetting is a currency that in film criticism, like in many other occupations, is vital to acquire a certain level of recognition and validation.
However, even though being able to predict the future and to see the merits of a film before the crowd has sunk their...
Eager to brave the extreme amounts of snow piling on every sidewalk and road in Park City, scores of freezing, malnourished, and often overworked film journalists and industry professionals line up hours in advance in order to secure a satisfying seat to that star-studded, Oscar-friendly, English-language stunner people have been raving about at every party or bus top around town. It’s understandable, they are desperate to become conquerors and be the first to plant their flag on the year’s big discovery. Trendsetting is a currency that in film criticism, like in many other occupations, is vital to acquire a certain level of recognition and validation.
However, even though being able to predict the future and to see the merits of a film before the crowd has sunk their...
- 2/17/2017
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Thailand-set film goes to France, Germany, Australia and Sweden.
Crowd-pleasing Sundance opener Pop Aye – about a disenchanted architect who sets on a trip across Thailand with this childhood elephant – is also proving a hit with buyers.
Sales company Cercamon is reporting brisk sales on the film following its Sundance premiere, with deals closing for France (Happiness Distribution), Germany and Austria (Nfp), Switzerland (Frenetic), Australia (Madman) and Sweden (Folkets Bio).
Kino Lauber announced it had acquired North American rights during Sundance.
“Pop Aye is totally exotic and at the same time truly universal. Everybody falls in love with Pop Aye, the elephant,” said Cercamon’s founding chief Sebastien Chesneau.
The Thailand-set film is the debut feature of Singaporean director Kirsten Tan.
It won the Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at Sundance and also clinched the Vpro Big Screen Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) where it made its European premiere.
Crowd-pleasing Sundance opener Pop Aye – about a disenchanted architect who sets on a trip across Thailand with this childhood elephant – is also proving a hit with buyers.
Sales company Cercamon is reporting brisk sales on the film following its Sundance premiere, with deals closing for France (Happiness Distribution), Germany and Austria (Nfp), Switzerland (Frenetic), Australia (Madman) and Sweden (Folkets Bio).
Kino Lauber announced it had acquired North American rights during Sundance.
“Pop Aye is totally exotic and at the same time truly universal. Everybody falls in love with Pop Aye, the elephant,” said Cercamon’s founding chief Sebastien Chesneau.
The Thailand-set film is the debut feature of Singaporean director Kirsten Tan.
It won the Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at Sundance and also clinched the Vpro Big Screen Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) where it made its European premiere.
- 2/9/2017
- ScreenDaily
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