S’pore film-maker Kirsten Tan going to Cannes

Singapore — Flying the Singapore flag high and proud at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (from May 13 to 24) is film-maker Kirsten Tan whose first feature film project, Popeye, has been selected for the festival’s 11th Cinefondation’s L’Atelier.

Set up in 2005 to promote the creation of new works, L’Atelier selects 15 feature-length projects from around the world each year. The respective film-makers whose projects have been considered particularly promising then get invited to the Cannes Film Festival for a chance to meet with potential co-production partners and sales agents. Since its inception, this initiative has seen 103 films out of the 156 projects presented being made and released, while 40 more are in pre-production stages.

Tan has been on a winning streak of sorts. She was invited to participate in a project lab at the 2014 Berlinale Talent’s Script Station, and also took home the top prize at the Torino Film Lab last November (with Popeye), as part of the FrameWork Programme, in which nine projects seeking co-production agreements were presented. Popeye won the US$75,000 (S$99,800) production prize.

Tan said she was shocked when she heard that she won in Torino. “It really isn’t an exaggeration to say that I was stunned since some of other projects are really strong and have very experienced teams,” she recalled. “Though in my haze of shell-shock as I was going up to receive the prize, I vaguely remember the jury saying that Popeye was awarded for its ‘humanity and humour’. Waking up to it, though, I thought to myself that those kind words serve also as a lovely reminder for myself to live, exist, create (and make films) with humanity and humour.”

A Singapore-Thailand production, Popeye tells the story about a disenchanted man who encounters his long-lost elephant on the streets of Bangkok and takes his old friend on a redemptive journey across the country in search of the farm where they grew up together — only to discover the truth about himself and the life he callously left behind.

It’s being produced by Anthony Chen’s Giraffe Pictures, along with producer Huang Wenhong and Lai Weijie of E&W Films. It is also has been short-listed for the Media Development Authority (MDA), Singapore’s New Talent Feature Grant (NTFG).

Tan, who is based in New York, is clearly the next big local film-maker to look out for. Last year, her short film Dahdi (Granny) won Best Southeast Asian Short Film at the 25th Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards. She hopes to commence Popeye’s filming at the end of the year or the start of 2016. “Our wish is for the film to travel the festival circuit and to have theatrical releases,” she said.