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Latest ASEAN film award is 'special' to Kirsten Tan

SINGAPORE — Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan’s feature film, Pop Aye, is on an award-winning streak. It snapped up the Jury Prize at the Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2017 on Monday (May 1).

Filmmaker Kirsten Tan dedicated her latest win to her cast of actors, including Thai veteran singer-songwriter Thaneth Warakulnukroh and Bong the elephant. Producer Lai Weiji received the award on Tan’s behalf. Photo: Giraffe Pictures

Filmmaker Kirsten Tan dedicated her latest win to her cast of actors, including Thai veteran singer-songwriter Thaneth Warakulnukroh and Bong the elephant. Producer Lai Weiji received the award on Tan’s behalf. Photo: Giraffe Pictures

SINGAPORE — Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan’s feature film, Pop Aye, is on an award-winning streak. It snapped up the Jury Prize at the Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival 2017 on Monday (May 1).

The Jury Prize is worth US$5,000 (S$6,982).

Tan, 35, was elated with the win. She had been at the festival on April 26 for its sceening there. She was not present for the awards ceremony as she had flown back to Singapore due to prior commitments.

She told TODAY that she was grateful for the Thai crew, led by producer Soros Sukhum, whom she had worked with, adding that the shoot had not been an easy one. She dedicated her win to leading actors – including Bong, the elephant, which hails from Thailand’s main “elephant city” of Surin.

“I dedicate this win to all my Thai actors, led by Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Penpak Sirikul and Bong the elephant. They were the ones who breathed life into Pop Aye and made my impossible imaginings come true,” she said.

According to Tan, since Pop Aye is set completely in Thailand, "this award from the Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival feels truly special to me”.

She added: “The film is my humble ode to Thailand and in the making of it, I tried to honour Thai culture and Thai life as sincerely as I could through my personal eyes."

(Above: Producer Lai Weijie receiving the award on Tan's behalf. Photo: Giraffe PIctures)

The Bangkok ASEAN Film Festival is in its third year. It is organised by the Ministry of Culture of Thailand and the Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Association of Thailand. 

Pop Aye, Singapore’s first winning film entry at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival this year, is about two misfits — an architect past his prime, Thana, played by veteran Thai singer-songwriter Warakulnukroh, and his displaced street elephant Popeye (Bong). The two embark on a road trip through rural Thailand.

Besides winning the Special Jury Award for Screenwriting in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance in Park City, Utah, on January 29, the film also took the VPRO Big Screen Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands  on February 4 — another first for Singapore films.

The film returned to Thailand this month for the festival. At the awards ceremony on Monday, the film’s producer, Lai Weijie, received the award on Tan’s behalf. 

Pop Aye is currently showing in Golden Village cinemas, and also has limited screenings at The Projector. 

 

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