Royston Tan to make S$1m musical on "Getai"
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 07 February 2007 2159 hrs

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SINGAPORE : He is known as the bad boy of Singapore cinema in some circles. But to some, Royston Tan is also the talented director who has won several awards, both local and overseas, for his films.

And he is about to embark on his biggest project yet - a $1 million musical feature film to showcase performers who sing to the dead in Singapore.

"Getai" or song stages are makeshift concerts visible all over Singapore during the Chinese seventh lunar month.

Devotees believe getai entertain spirits of the dead, which roam the earth during that period.

And this is the subject behind Royston Tan's latest film "881".

"A lot of times, people think that getai is very sleazy and something that's very low class. What they don't see is the motivation of all the getai people. And what I want to bring out is the beauty of Hokkien songs and hopefully a local version of a Moulin Rouge in a getai way," says director Royston Tan.

"881" will feature 18 Chinese songs written by the late Chen Jin Lang, a Singapore getai legend, who died in 2006.

It's a production involving five companies - Zhao Wei Films, Media Development Authority, Scorpio East Pictures, Infinite Frameworks and MediaCorp Raintree Pictures.

"It's going to be a quality film that can be accessible to as many people as possible. Not only in Singapore, but hopefully to key markets as well. The getai is a subculture that has taken root in the face of modernisation. And in fact, it is a phenomenon. I think it will be exotically appealing to a lot of people around the world," says Daniel Yun, MD of MediaCorp Raintree Pictures.

"But that's only going to be the subject matter. The main thing will be the story. And the story is going to be told in a way that will inspire and touch viewers. And also most importantly entertain," he adds.

The film will be shot entirely in HD format in Singapore. Shooting is expected to start in March.

Producers aim to have "881" up on the big screens in August, in time for the seventh lunar month. - CNA /ls