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SINGAPORE: Filmmaker Royston Tan would like to make movies which he says are "quieter" than the ones he has been making in the last two years, and his latest film "12 Lotus" may be his last film which features the Hokkien dialect.
The 31-year-old, who wrote and directed the hit movie "881" and other critically acclaimed short films, shared his plans and views on film-making with Channel NewsAsia recently.
CNA: Royston, tell us about your latest movie.
Tan: In "881", there's this song called "12 Lotus" and I really, really like the song. Somehow after finishing the film, going to different film festivals and re-watching the film over and over again, that song sort of lingered in my head and I started putting pictures to the song. It's a story about how a woman – a wonderful character – survives a very tragic life. It's not a comedy, yet you do see strength and simple joy in (the midst of) crazy madness in the film.
CNA: You've had your fair share dealing with Singapore censors. What are your thoughts on Singapore censorship laws?
Tan: We're really hoping that this movie will be well-received and gets through the censors! I think this is probably going to be my last Hokkien film. I think the censorship (board) has evolved in different ways. What I'm very happy about is that right now, there is room for discussion. They will ask us why we are doing this and things like that, rather than a straight 'no'.
CNA: Jack Neo is coming up with "Money No Enough 2" which will contain dialect and Eric Khoo is coming up with a new one called "Chinese Rose" which he insists must be in Cantonese. Is this a trend among filmmakers in Singapore or are they starting to push the boundaries a bit?
Tan: I think we've reached a stage whereby we don't need to push the boundaries anymore. But it's more of trying to preserve... right now, we're more secure with ourselves, more comfortable with our own identity. We see how the Western culture has influenced us and has taken over our local culture. So it's like all the filmmakers are doing whatever they can to immortalise things, languages, people, buildings... everything that surrounds them, which is precious to them.
CNA: You mentioned that "12 Lotus" is going to be your last Hokkien movie. What else is in the pipeline?
Tan: For the last two years, I've been making a lot of films which are very noisy, with a lot of music. I really want to make a silent film now, something different for a change or something which is a little bit quieter or a little bit more adventurous.
CNA: What scares you most about making movies?
Tan: I think it's the loneliness. Being a filmmaker is very lonely. Although you work with a whole group of people, sometimes when you write a script and with all the visuals in your mind, only you yourself know what's going on.
- CNA/so
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