Jacen Tan
Encyclopedia
Jacen Tan is a Singapore
an independent film
director
, and has been named by The Straits Times Life!
as one of Singapore
’s "most exciting young talents".
in his films. All his film titles consist of commonly spoken Hokkien
words. He has directed music videos for popular Singaporean bands Rudra
, Lunarin
, Zero Sequence and Documentary in Amber, and has been named by The Straits Times Life!
as one of Singapore
’s "most exciting young talents". His films Tak Giu and Zo Pen are used in the course "Singapore Literature & Culture II" at Nanyang Technological University
.
during the AFC Cup Final
(Singapore vs Thailand) on 31 Jan 2007. Kwa Giu is a tribute to the Stadium which is slated to be demolished.
Moving Images and premiered at The Substation during Moving Images' 10 years anniversary celebrations, and includes cameos by prominent Singapore film-makers such as Juan Foo, Tan Pin Pin
, Sun Koh, Kristin Saw and Lionel Chok
.
to Berlin
. The film includes parodies and references to Quentin Tarantino
, Eric Khoo
, Jack Neo
, Electrico
, Royston Tan
. It includes cameos of musicians from the Singapore rock scene such as Linda Ong from Lunarin
and Patrick Chng of the The Oddfellows.
/MDA Digital Film Fiesta
, and in 2008 received Jury Prize for Short Film from Asian Film Archive
. In Singapore
males are required to serve two years of mandatory army training as part of their national duties. Zo Peng postulates a future where females are similarly required to serve two years of mandatory army training. The film re-genders the issue of national duty and military service in a light hearted comic treatment. Some have criticized the film as being male-centric as it is told from a male's perspective albeit with female characters.
, the lack of playing spaces has restricted the development of local soccer talents as young children have difficulties sourcing for fields for soccer practices. Shot in 7 days with a borrowed camera, Tak Giu critiques the lack of playing spaces in Singapore in the context of the nation's drive to enter the World Cup Finals in 2010. Two years after Tak Giu was released, 284 State fields were upgraded and opened for public recreation. Tak Giu gathered over 100,000 internet
views.
- 2009
Transcendence, Zero Sequence - 2007/08 In post production
Silverpiece, Lunarin
- 2006
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and has been named by The Straits Times Life!
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
as one of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
’s "most exciting young talents".
Background
Tan is known for his low budget films, highly localized treatment of Singaporean issues and the liberal use of SinglishSinglish
Colloquial Singaporean English, also known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore. The Singaporean government and many Singaporeans alike heavily discourage the use of Singlish in favour of Standard English...
in his films. All his film titles consist of commonly spoken Hokkien
Hokkien
Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
words. He has directed music videos for popular Singaporean bands Rudra
Rudra (band)
Rudra is a Singaporean band which was formed in 1992, and plays a style of black metal-influenced death metal with interpolations and extended passages of traditional Carnatic music. Additionally, the lyrical content is derived from Sanskrit Vedic literature and philosophy with some songs...
, Lunarin
Lunarin
Lunarin is a band from Singapore who enjoy playing music in the "alternative rock" vein, and are often described as "heavy yet lyrical". Their style of music has earned them much recognition in Singapore's local music scene.-Members:...
, Zero Sequence and Documentary in Amber, and has been named by The Straits Times Life!
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
as one of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
’s "most exciting young talents". His films Tak Giu and Zo Pen are used in the course "Singapore Literature & Culture II" at Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
.
Filmography
- Kwa Giu (2009) To be released
- Zo Hee (2008)
- Zo Gang (2007)
- Zo Peng (2006)
- Tak GiuTak GiuTak Giu, an indie short film about Singaporean football, gained a cult-following and gathered 100,000 viewers in 6 months after it was hosted on the internet. Shot with just a camcorder, Tak Giu spread like wild-fire and made waves in the Singaporean football and online community...
(2005)
Kwa Giu (Watch Football)
Kwa Giu is a documentary about the electrifying atmosphere of the Kallang Roar. It was filmed at the Kallang National StadiumNational Stadium, Singapore
The Singapore National Stadium was located in Kallang. Opened in July 1973, the National Stadium was officially closed on 30 June 2007 and has demolished to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub and New Singapore National Stadium which is expected to open in 2014.The stadium has played host to...
during the AFC Cup Final
2007 AFC Asian Cup
The Asian Football Confederation's 2007 AFC Asian Cup finals were held from July 7 to July 29, 2007. For the first time in its history, the competition was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The tournament was won by first-time champions Iraq, who defeated Saudi...
(Singapore vs Thailand) on 31 Jan 2007. Kwa Giu is a tribute to the Stadium which is slated to be demolished.
Zo Hee (Make Movie)
Zo Hee, the sequel to Zo Gang, was specially commissioned by The SubstationThe Substation
The Substation is Singapore's first and only independent contemporary arts centre. It was founded in 1990 by Kuo Pao Kun.The Substation is centrally located in the city's civic district. Venues at The Substation for hire include a black-box theatre, a gallery, a dance studio, the Random Room and...
Moving Images and premiered at The Substation during Moving Images' 10 years anniversary celebrations, and includes cameos by prominent Singapore film-makers such as Juan Foo, Tan Pin Pin
Tan Pin Pin
Tan Pin Pin is a Singapore-based film director. She studied at the Raffles Girls' Secondary School and Victoria Junior College. Her credits include Singapore GaGa, which had a sold out seven week theatrical run in Singapore...
, Sun Koh, Kristin Saw and Lionel Chok
Lionel Chok
Lionel Chok Ko Hon is a Singaporean film-maker and director. His documentary, Geraldine, was premiered at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. His other short films were also screened in New York and Singapore...
.
Zo Gang (Go Work)
Zo Gang, his 3rd short film about a struggling filmmaker wannabe, has received rave applause from HougangHougang
Hougang is an urban planning area and a suburb in the north-eastern area of the city-state of Singapore. Under classification by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the area is part of the North-East Region, an urban planning division. Hougang borders Sengkang in the north and Serangoon to its...
to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. The film includes parodies and references to Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, Eric Khoo
Eric Khoo
Eric Khoo is a film director from Singapore. He was introduced to the world of cinema at a very early age. He was educated at United World College of South East Asia before attending City Art Institute in Sydney, Australia where he pursued cinematography...
, Jack Neo
Jack Neo
Jack Neo Chee Keong , PBM, credited as Jack Neo on screen, is a Chinese Singaporean film and television actor, host and director...
, Electrico
Electrico
Electrico is a pop rock and indie Singaporean band originally formed in Singapore in 1996, which went by the name Electric Company in 1996. This band is still active with the present line-up which includes David Tan, Desmond Goh, William Lim Jr.- Electric Company: 1996-1997 :Electric Company was...
, Royston Tan
Royston Tan
Royston Tan is a Singaporean filmmaker.Tan is a graduate from Temasek Polytechnic, where he took a course in Visual Communication. He first came into prominence through his short films: Sons , Hock Hiap Leong , 48 on AIDS , Mother and 15...
. It includes cameos of musicians from the Singapore rock scene such as Linda Ong from Lunarin
Lunarin
Lunarin is a band from Singapore who enjoy playing music in the "alternative rock" vein, and are often described as "heavy yet lyrical". Their style of music has earned them much recognition in Singapore's local music scene.-Members:...
and Patrick Chng of the The Oddfellows.
Zo Peng (Go Army)
In November 2005, Tan’s 2nd film, Zo Peng (Go Army), won 2nd place at the PanasonicPanasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
/MDA Digital Film Fiesta
Media Development Authority
The Media Development Authority is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts .-History:...
, and in 2008 received Jury Prize for Short Film from Asian Film Archive
Asian Film Archive
The Asian Film Archive is a non-governmental organisation founded in 2005 to preserve the film heritage of Asian Cinema, to encourage scholarly research on film, and to promote a wider critical appreciation of this art form. The archive has collected more than 1,500 titles, with a focus on classic...
. In Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
males are required to serve two years of mandatory army training as part of their national duties. Zo Peng postulates a future where females are similarly required to serve two years of mandatory army training. The film re-genders the issue of national duty and military service in a light hearted comic treatment. Some have criticized the film as being male-centric as it is told from a male's perspective albeit with female characters.
Tak Giu (Kick Ball)
In land scarce SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, the lack of playing spaces has restricted the development of local soccer talents as young children have difficulties sourcing for fields for soccer practices. Shot in 7 days with a borrowed camera, Tak Giu critiques the lack of playing spaces in Singapore in the context of the nation's drive to enter the World Cup Finals in 2010. Two years after Tak Giu was released, 284 State fields were upgraded and opened for public recreation. Tak Giu gathered over 100,000 internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
views.
Music videos
Hymns from the Blazing Chariot, RudraRudra
' is a Rigvedic God, associated with wind or storm, and the hunt. The name has been translated as "The Roarer", or "The Howler"....
- 2009
Transcendence, Zero Sequence - 2007/08 In post production
Silverpiece, Lunarin
Lunarin
Lunarin is a band from Singapore who enjoy playing music in the "alternative rock" vein, and are often described as "heavy yet lyrical". Their style of music has earned them much recognition in Singapore's local music scene.-Members:...
- 2006
Additional sources
- Hosaywood interview of Tak Giu star Stanley Huang
- Sinema, Signgapore films showcase * resource, "Jacen Tan’s films & Seletar Airbase @ Sinema at Timbré"
- The Void Deck, "Flash: Spore Short Cuts"
- Straits Times", "New fund for first-time film-makers"
- Football Association Singapore, "SLA improves 284 fields for community use"