SINGAPORE : Kym Ng gets her first feature film — and her first kiss. On screen, that is.

At Thursday afternoon's press conference for the new movie Gone Shopping, she was asked to describe co-star Adrian Pang's kissing prowess.

"He has got a very thick and long tongue," the 30-something actress said in jest. To which Pang hastily clarified: "It was very sanitised."

Ng shares her first onscreen kissing scene — done in three takes — with her fellow MediaCorp artiste in the debut feature film by award-winning short film director Wee Li Lin, 34, which hits local cinemas on July 26.

Gone Shopping, which Wee describes as a "satirical drama", centres on three disenfranchised characters who look for comfort in malls. Ng plays Clara, a 40-year-old tai-tai who rekindles a romance with Valentine, Pang's character who works at Tang's.

Newbie actor Aaron Kao, a La Salle-SIA graduate and former student of Wee, plays his namesake reluctant to join the workforce, while seven-year-old Sonya Nair bested 70 others to debut as Renu, a latchkey kid. The cast also includes, among others, Chen Shu Cheng, Magdelene Tan, Selena Tan, Brandon Lee, Chermaine Ang and Cheryl Miles.

The movie, produced by Kismet Films and distributed by Golden Village Pictures, is the first full-length feature film for Ng, who said she does not have the makings of a tai-tai. "The spirit is there … but not the money," she said.

Pang, 41, described his character as "a jaded loner." He appears in five scenes, and wears a moustache.

"It's a blink-and-miss performance. My moustache does all the performing. And my lines are in Chinese, some more," he joked.

The movie is trilingual, with scenes in English, Mandarin and Tamil.

Wee, who won a best director award at the 1997 Singapore International Film Festival for her short Norman On The Air, completed Gone Shopping in 31 days over a couple of years. It was shot at Tang's, Marina Square and Mustafa Centre. Certain scenes were also shot at Far East Plaza, Paragon and Suntec City.

Thursday, Golden Village Pictures managing director Kenneth Tan announced that the company will be signing up for the movie's sequels. "How can anyone say no to a movie about Singapore's national obsession?" he said.

Several props and wardrobe used in the movie, including three dresses Ng wore, will be auctioned online on eBay. Proceeds will go to The Substation, where Wee has screened most of her short films.

A trailer of the movie can be seen on www.goneshoppingthemovie.com.

- TODAY/rose