Double wins for Sun Koh at Singapore Short Film Awards
By Genevieve Loh, TODAY | Posted: 01 February 2010 0809 hrs

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SINGAPORE : Veteram filmmaker Sun Koh won a double at the inaugural Singapore Short Film Awards held at The Substation on Sunday night.

The only Singaporean to win the coveted Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival back 2002, she took home both the Best Director and Best Fiction award for her short film "Dirty Bitch".

"It was a unanimous decision," SSFA judge and film-maker Jasmine Ng said about the win.

"It's definitely one of those films that take you to a very different place. Sun has got such a clear voice and clear vision - it's such a delight to watch her films. It's provocative in a very nice aesthetic.

"Sun really pushed it all the way ... there were no half measures."

At the awards, Tan Wei Keong collected Best Animation for "Hush Baby", Vicknesh Varan won Best Documentary for "Special Pass", Rene Pannevis nabbed Best Art Direction for "Rare Fish", while Chananun Chotrungroj ("Sink") and Loo Zihan ("Threshold") took home Best Cinematography and Best Script awards, respectively.

Best Editing went to Jack Haycox (for "5 Films In An Anthology Of A Film A Month"), while Newton won Best Soundtrack.

Surprisingly, there were no awards given out for Best Performance.

"We felt that the standard can be pushed further. We can always push ourselves a bit more," explained Ng.

The honorary award for outstanding contribution to the film community through short films was given to celebrated director Royston Tan.

"It's really a great honour," said Tan.

"The short film is a beautiful medium on its own. They might be expensive to make, but the passion from your heart in making them is free of charge.

"So to be recognised for this passion, it's a fantastic thing. (Singaporean short filmmakers) have really come a long way and I want to share this award with the pioneers as well as the future ones."

- TODAY/il