S’pore film-maker Kirsten Tan’s debut feature heads to Sundance next year

SINGAPORE — Local film-maker Kirsten Tan’s debut feature Pop Aye will make a world premiere at the feted Sundance Film Festival in 2017.

It is the first Singapore feature film to compete at the Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition, where it will be up against 11 other films.

It has also been 16 years since a feature film from Singapore — Miss Wonton by Meng Ong — was shown at Sundance.

Tan said she was “over the moon” about the invitation to compete at Sundance. “It feels truly special to have my first feature film play at such a prestigious American film festival.”

Pop Aye is a Singapore-Thailand production and tells the story of a disenchanted architect who bumps into his long-lost elephant on the streets of Bangkok.

Pop Aye was selected for last year’s Cannes Film Festival’s 11th Cinefondation’s L’Atelier, as well as the 2014 Berlinale Talent’s Script Station programes.

In 2014, Tan also took home the top prize of US$75,000 (S$101,700) at the TorinoFilmLab, and her short film Dahdi (Granny) won Best South-east Asian Short Film at the 25th Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards.

Pop Aye is produced by award-winning director Anthony Chen’s Giraffe Pictures. Chen, whose own debut feature Ilo Ilo won the Camera d’Or at Cannes and the Golden Horse Best Film award, said this was “heartening news for both our team and for Singapore cinema”.

The World Cinema competition at Sundance, a US festival founded by Hollywood legend Robert Redford, is dedicated to the discovery of new films and new voices from around the world.