Something Stops.. & Starts.
In Reminiscence.
2005
Opera auntie shouting 6:45pm! Its make-up time, I sat down with my big mineral water. Auntie Feng bought me a shared pot of rice. “When you are with us you eat what we eat.” My hand was trembling while I was applying eyeliner on my eyes. A few rounds of rehearsals were done behind the curtain to perfect the sword fighting scene… curtain call. Tonight I was told that I have to stand firm throughout the performance. I took my last drag of cigarette and went on the stage; I did my ‘san tong’ waiting for the general to be on stage. My mind drifted to somewhere else, to the nonchalant musician, to the curious audience who was discussing who this new actor was in the troop.
Costume changed, the troop leader gave me another ciggie, and his way of saying I’m doing fine. I'm now bought to scene 17 where I had to stab the prince, with 5 other assassinators, He sing a melancholy tune which resent life, and he tried to reach out to his princess. We were to stay still with our weapons. I saw the prince tear, uncontrollably I quietly did. Removing the makeup, I'm back to being Royston playing the role I ought to be. Something stops and starts.
“You coming tomorrow?”
“No I have to shoot a film.”
“Then come when you can, we miss you.”
Filmmaking to me have always been like being in a love relationship, you go through a series of intense experience, you laugh, you cry, you empathize with each other and when the film is finally done, you feel a sense of relief concocted with melancholy. The film is done, the love relationship is over. We started to reminisce, to hold on to what was left. Something stops and starts.
“We have performance tomorrow, you can make it?”
“Not for a while. Do inform me when you are performing.”
Dec 29th near AZ building, our first performance after a long time.
They smiled. Ever so beautifully.
Royston Tan. December 2006.
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Tables Turned.
Background. Foreground. Playground.
Piano: Clara Lim-Tan
Film & Set Design: Royston Tan
Dance/Choreography: Ix Wong Thien Pau & Joey Chua
16th December 2006.
Dinner 7pm/Performance 8pm.
Play Den. The Arts House @ Old Parliament.
Admission Fees:
$45 (performance only)
$90 (performance with 3-course dinner& 1 glass of wine at Viet Lang)
You Can Make A Difference!
Call 65 6332 6919 or Email tickets@toph.com.sg to book now!
Or visit The Arts House Box Office at 1, Old Parliament Lane , Singapore 179429 from 10am to 8pm on Mondays to Fridays, and from 11am to 8pm on Saturdays. All tickets are subject to a ticketing fee of $1 each.
www.theartshouse.com.sg
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Background. Foreground. Playground.
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Tables Turned @ the Arts House.
2 in One. Monday, December 11 |
09 December 2006.
Royston Tan's '4:30' scooped the best film awards at the 8th IFF BRATISLAVA 2006 (Slovak Republic) and the 4th ROME Asian Film Festival, on the same day.
8th Iff Bratislava 2006 Grand Prix for the Best Film:
4:30 (Director Royston Tan; Singapore/Japan)
- for pervasive depiction of man's loneliness, who despite it, is able to sustain his human integrity.
4th Rome Asian Film Festival for Best Film:
4:30 (Director Royston Tan; Singapore/Japan)
- for the intimate ability to express the uncommunicative theme in the modern society through the innocent eyes of a boy.
Royston Tan’s “4:30” wins two top awards at 8th IFF Bratislava and the 4th Rome Asian Film Festival on the same day
11 December 2006 – It was double happiness for Royston Tan as his second feature “4:30” won the Grand Prix Award for Best Film at the International Film Festival Bratislava (Slovakia Republic) as well as the Best Film Award at the Rome Asian Film Festival, both on Sunday. “4:30” tells the story of Xiao Wu, a lonely eccentric 12- year old latchkey kid and his fascination with the male Korean tenant in his apartment, getting up at 4:30am everyday to spy on him.
Antonio Termenini, festival director of the Rome Asian Film Festival said, “The jury felt that the film was able to express the theme of the incommunicability in the modern society and that the film considers the universe of the youth".
“4:30” won the Best Film Award beating other films like “I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone” by Tsai Ming Liang, “Exiled” by Johnnie To, “Loft” by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and “The Peter Pan Formula” by Cho Chang Ho.
Over at the IFF Bratislava, the film bagged the Grand Prix Award for Best Film. Roman Gutek member of the jury said, “I’ve been aware of his works (short films and first feature film) over the years and the jury awarded the film for the pervasive depiction of Man's loneliness, who despite it, is able to sustain his human integrity.
The Grand Prix Award is given under the First and Second Feature Film Competition and this year there are a total of twenty entries spanning from countries like Romania, Italy, Argentina, Denmark, Russia, China, France and Germany. The award is presented to first and second time feature film directors.
“It’s wonderful that “4:30” can get this recognition and it’s the first time that I’ve actually won two awards at the same time at two different places, so it’s exhilarating for me. It’s not been a really good year for me personally so I am glad I can take this as the start of a new beginning for next year”, said Royston Tan.
He also adds, “430 is a film made from the perspective of a child, so when I received the award at Bratislava to a standing ovation from the audience, I felt like a child getting his candy, the sweets of his labour”.
