Mar 31, 2005
"HE
MAKES
UN-SINGAPOREAN
SINGAPORE FILMS"
Article by Jill Lim
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There are going to be no heartwarming, heartlander-type
films from this film-maker.
Not in the immediate future, anyway.
It's just not his
thing.
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Said Tzang Merwyn Tong (right),
whose second film, A Wicked Tale, will show at the Singapore
International Film Festival next month: 'I come from
the heartlands myself, but I don't want to make a Singaporean
Singapore film. I want to make an un-Singaporean Singapore
film.'
Tzang, 25, a magazine staff writer,
is a fan of B-grade movies and says that what others
call trash, he takes 'very, very seriously'.
'I like cult movies - my films
are based on these. They may not be the top 10 most
watched movies but I'm not trying to achieve that. Art
is a form of expression for me.'
But it's not purely self-indulgence.
'I make films to escape. There are others like me who
also want to escape by watching movies.'
Enter A Wicked Tale, his 45-minute
psychological thriller that is an interpretation of
Little Red Riding Hood.
'I believe the fairy tale is
about sexual awakening and innocence lost. The imagery
and symbolism are very potent. I'm not twisting the
story, I'm amplifying what's already there. I just try
to play out what the story is talking about.'
A Wicked Tale, which stars local
actress Evelyn Ng (above) and Swedish musician Johan
Ydstrand, who used to study here, had its premiere at
Rotterdam's International Film Festival earlier this
year.
It showed to a full house there,
he said, but he is just grateful it's being screened
here.
His first film, the 52-minute
e*Tzaintes, about teen angst, had a single screening
at GV Grand in January 2003.
Later that year, it won a bronze
award at Houston's WorldFest, a film festival known
for discovering new talent.
Said Tzang earnestly: 'To have
your film shown to your own people gives a certain warmth.
My first film was shown at Golden Village (for one screening)
and that was nice.
'Love it or hate (A Wicked Tale),
it's fine. But people should have a chance to watch
it and judge for themselves.
END
