Why this award-winning Singaporean director took 6 years to finish his 2nd movie
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CNA Lifestyle
Why this award-winning Singaporean director took 6 years to finish his 2nd movie
"I can't meet myself making a Marvel motion picture" said Anthony Chen, whose highly predictable follow-upward Moisture Season opens the 30th Singapore International Moving-picture show Festival today (Nov 21).
Singapore motion-picture show director Anthony Chen holds his trophies after winning the Best New Manager and the Best Original Screenplay at the 50th Gilded Horse Movie Awards in Taipei. (AFP Photograph/Sam Yeh)
An exceptional debut feature motion picture is key in putting a director on the map, just anybody knows it'due south the 2nd movie that is cardinal in determining whether or not said managing director is the real deal or just a ane-hitting wonder.
Perfecting the art of the sophomore endeavour is perhaps every aspiring great filmmaker's biggest challenge and – as proven many times over – not every ane succeeds.
Singapore'southward very ain multi-award winner Anthony Chen knows this all too well.
In 2013, Chen made history when he became the kickoff Singaporean to not only win the Cannes Film Festival Camera d'Or, just also take home four Golden Horse Awards including the coveted Best Film with his debut feature Ilo Ilo.
The homegrown auteur was then signed on by United Talent Agency (UTA), one of the largest talent agencies in the world whose clients include A-listers Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins, Barbra Streisand and Benedict Cumberbatch.
So how does anyone acme such a glorious get-go? For Chen, it was a 2nd pic titled Moisture Season that took a long but worthwhile vi years to make.
He told CNA Lifestyle he can't look to bear witness everyone the film.
"It took me three years to write the script and information technology took me some other ane year to bandage. And then, I won't begin filming until I can really understand the world I created, along with the tone, emotions and the relationships of every character," he said.
And it nigh certainly has paid off.
Wet Flavour, which follows the relationship between a Chinese linguistic communication secondary school teacher (Yeo Yann Yann) who finds solace from her troubles at work and at dwelling house with her student (Koh Jia Ler), has garnered six Golden Horse nominations.
READ: Singapore films Moisture Season and A Country Imagined nominated at Golden Horse Awards
The awards, often been heralded as the Oscars of Chinese-linguistic communication cinema, will be held this Saturday (Nov 23) in Taipei. In addition to the ii Best Supporting Actor nominations, the film also gained nods in the All-time Narrative Feature, Best Managing director (Chen), All-time Original Screenplay (Chen) and All-time Leading Actress (Yeo) categories.
Moisture Season is besides the opening picture of this year's Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), on its very special 30th anniversary. The festival will screen the motion picture on Th evening (Nov 21) at Capitol Theatre to a sold-out crowd.
SGIFF's executive manager Yuni Hadi told CNA Lifestyle that having Chen's sophomore pic open up the festival was the most natural choice.
"Having followed Anthony'south career over the years, we are glad to be function of his journey... We are confident that Wet Season, with its sensitive portrayal of the intricacies between human relationships, will resonate with the Singapore community and enable more to witness the growth and talent of our local filmmakers," she said. "Equally a discovery ground and champion for Singapore film, SGIFF is committed to giving a voice to our ain stories that reveal the texture of life locally."
Only what say Chen to naysayers and critics who will undoubtedly harp on the fact that it took him this long?
"But information technology ever takes very long," he replied with a laugh. "The writing process is very long. I think most writer-directors take a long fourth dimension, which is why now I'm trying to develop a few more projects where I'm not only writing it myself.
"I hope it won't be another 6 years before my side by side film, I'd be in my 40s!" he added.
The London-based Singaporean e'er knew he wanted to write and directly his second moving picture, fifty-fifty every bit bigger opportunities to straight large names in big projects came a-knocking.
"Yeah, I knew I wanted to write this. There were other stuff in the UK that I was developing ideas on but somehow this came together. And actually, I'm quite pleased that this is the follow-up film. I think information technology'south a very prissy progression. I recall people would see that it makes sense."
What surprised him was the fact that he ended up using the same two actors – Yeo and Koh – from Ilo Ilo.
"That wasn't the plan!" he revealed. "But y'all know, I might actually go that manager, you lot know? In that location'south a good chance that I might brand a trilogy and I might actually bring at least one of them back."
"That'll be a part iii to this," he said. "Nosotros'll see, we'll meet."
He added, every bit the thought came to his mind: "And if so, it'll exist chosen the Growing Up Trilogy. Because we shot Jia Le in a main school, and so in a Secondary Schoolhouse. Then the adjacent one, he'll be in the army! Afterwards all, in real life, he's going into the regular army on Jan 6."
So volition the 3rd film be in the aforementioned arthouse vein?
To answer that, Chen reveals a conversation he had with his UTA amanuensis later she watched Wet Season. "She said, 'It'southward such a good second picture show! Information technology's so mature, it'due south a step upwardly and it's so exquisite. But are you going to make small films all your life?'" he said with a express joy.
Echoing his amanuensis, we're guessing the million-dollar question is: "What'south the big motion picture you're going to make?"
"I'thou non certain if I would ever make a big commercial film. I can't see myself making a Marvel film. I'm merely non that sort of filmmaker," he replied thoughtfully. "Just interestingly, recently, I saw a special screening of Advertizing Astra and I thought, perchance 1 day I tin make this. It'due south a big moving-picture show. It costs a lot, it's set in outer space, but it's actually such a delicate portrait of a begetter-son human relationship. And that's the most delicate and nuanced performance from Brad Pitt ever. To me, it'due south similar, it's really an arthouse moving-picture show you know, it's not a commercial moving picture."
READ: Singaporean director Anthony Chen's latest film to premiere at Toronto festival
So would he be able to do a film like The Joker which managed to join the indie and blockbuster world in i tidy global box-function juggernaut parcel?
"I don't make films that are dark. I don't think I've got that. I retrieve there'southward always a lot of warmth and humanity in my piece of work. Will I make the Joker? I don't recollect so, not because I don't want to just I simply don't have that sort of darkness, yous know?"
The 30th SGIFF volition run from Nov 21 to December i. The festival'due south total line-upwards and ticketing details volition be announced on October 22. For more data, go to www.sgiff.com.
READ:Anthony Chen'southward Wet Flavor to open 30th Singapore International Pic Festival
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