Wow... Did you manage to blow the Korean's minds with those getai pop song?

Hope they love the longans brother as much as we love them! :D top

wad happen to yuwu in the 2nd pic?? top

hey guys, thanks for all your effort and hardwork to bring our unique getai to Korea and we miss all of you back home....take care! top

haha mr qi is either slping or lookin down at his shoes???haha so cute..poor tink..all must be tired but excited!!

put more pic of red carpet!!best is individuals de!!i wan c yuwu wear wat n royston expensive all white rabbit costume..hahaha top

Hello Folks, jus wrack roy for taking me when I am sleeping. Didn't know he snap me la. Anyway! Yes we survive and make a stunning impression here in Korea! Yea! We all do 881 and singapore Proud! Thank you all for the constance support, stay tune tmr for more updates. see ya! huat ah!


little papaya(still alive)
Ong Bok Gua top

mindee... Ok la, u sleep until so pretty. Take picture also never mind lah!

I saw 2 red carpet photos already. Was surfing around for it. Wow!!! EXTRAVAGANT leh! All in white and silver. Only 715 in black suit. Haha! And Royston, u rock lah. Donning an expensive GUESS Rabbit wear.

Read that it was pouring that evening. Everywhere was wet. So... Mindee and Liu Ling Ling... How did you guys manage to strut down the red carpet in style? Both your costumes are FANTASTIC la. A lot of people online are asking if that's a common red carpet wear that Singaporeans don. Hahaha!

Anyway, congrats! Thanks for successfully bringing the Spore Getai spirit to Pusan and to HUAT big big there! Enjoy yourself! top

wow!! you all look fabulous and can tell from the pix that you guys really HUAT AH!!! in Pusan..:)
have a blast!!!

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=photoGalleryAlbum&galleryid=283&order=1

(yuwu, hello! u look so shuai ;) ) top

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROYSTON!! =D top

Good thing, going places, spread the love and blow their minds, is this progress or what?
And Han Cinema names RT with the likes of Hou Hsiao-hsien as one among the many prolific filmmakers at this year's PIFF...
This shows just what Singapore's best are capable of, with much more to come. Hopefully over to Europe as well? Show everybody, coz too good for hiding!

Thanks for the reporting, am looking for more!

fromberlin top

ah wu looked down becos he was laughing at a silly joke by liu ling ling!!!!! top

haha everyone drinkin water except yuwu..gt remind him to buy gifts for paradise? =p

aniway u all looked reali cool on the red carpet!!!look forward to more pic!!n u all cumin back soon liao!!haha

mindee happy b-lated bdae btw!!! =) yest wan bao gt a big pic of u!! top

Thanks for keeping us update on PIFF trip. Show us more photos & happenings, ok ?... You all look good and stunning at PIFF red carpet...(I like the color combination, well match). Indeed, let the world know who we are and you all make Singapore proud...

Huat Ah ! :P

Angeline Teo top

NICE PHOTOS!
looking forward to more photos!
are you guys enjoying over there?
must take good care! =D top

hahahaha...yuwu so funny!

so proud of u guys!

n mindee i luv ur acting in 881, happy b-lated bday!!!!!!!!!!! top

WOW The Pic Very Nice Take at Pusan International Film Festival... O_O

(Mindee You Look So Pretty)@_@

Wish Your A Happy Birthday!! 生日快乐 Mindee ^_^ May Your Birthday Wishes All Come True.. ^_- top

wow!!! you guys look fabulous and really stand out lor, no doubt you steal the limelight because all of you SHINE!! two-thumbs up!! yayyy...can tell you all really HUAT AHHH!! in Pusan :)
mindee...happy happy birthday!!! what a way to celebrate your bday at piff 2007 ;) and you look gorgeous!!!!
yuwu, HELLO!! you look so shuai leh! top

Happy Sunday Birthday Mindee!!! :)

Hope the Pusan trip was a rewarding one for everybody - Royston, Mindee, 715, 600 and Karen! And what else happened on 5 Oct? The screening? The birthday celebration? Royston, do update us ok?

*big huat* top

Raining is bcos Jin Lang is Crying?
Possible leh

Royston,U look cool in that suit and Mindee dressed that i guess already GOT many actress "eat Vinegar" liao top

oh! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MINDEE TOO!
and Happy Belated Birthday, Royston! top

royston, congratulations!!!!
i am so happy for all of you to have such a tremendous response in pusan...the audiences are so great and you guys are super duper fantastic! 881 HUAT AHHHH!!!!!! top

So excited for you guys! Shows that u don't need to know Hokkien to love Getai. Hahhaa! Hopefully the nominations for all the other award ceremony will go through, then you can bring 881 to HongKong, Taiwan and even to HOLLYWOOD!!!

psst... got Dior watch or not? haha!! top

it's fucking madness!!!!! ling jie's red outfit is jus crazy! hahaha... so glad everything is doing great my friend, very very very proud to have been a part of it and very very very very very very proud of your success babe! and rain means water means GOOD!!!! top

wow, so glad nothing's been wasted on the indigenous crowd, sure know a good show when they see one!
mighty congrats to everyone for film, response and all that's still to come!
rain's a blessing only the best survive, haha!
and that red carpet staging and festivity just super impressive, must've really asked for professional staying power. you folks just have it and SHINE!!!

fromberlin top

Here's some pictures and video clips from Korean media.
[img]http://img.news.yahoo.co.kr/picture/2007/94/20071006/2007100622582225894_230031_0.jpg[img] top

a tip for you... as a celebrity, always give credits to your sponsors... ur rabbit suit may be ruined, but give them credits... mention the brand huge, especially the PR person, mention the brand whenever you have the opportunity... this act may pay for the outfit :) Good PR coverage is always more valuable than the merchandise...

ur lover alwayz...R
rem wat u need to do wen u get back frm Pusan... will b anticipating it... top

I dont recall rainy weather at last year's PIFF but this year with typhoon threats and all, there's news in Korean press commenting on the safety of holding this event by that famous Busan beach.

Video news clips:
http://www.diodeo.com/id=entertaintv&movie=000669684&pt_code=03 (881 is 1st film featured in this clip)

http://media.paran.com/sphoto/newsviewmovie.php?dirnews=2122799&year=2007
(reception)
Alternative site : http://www.tagstory.com/video/video_post.aspx?media_id=V000101149&feed=PR

Photo links
http://photonews.paran.com/newsphoto/2007/10/08/ts/tsV000101149_0.png

http://media.paran.com/snews/newsview.php?dirnews=2117783&year=2007 top

Thanks for the update. The photos looks great!

Congratulations, Royston,looks like 881 received a very good response from the audience even in a raining day!

Hopefully we can see some video clips after you come back! top

hey guys, thank you so much, do keep the your comments coming, its not over yet , still got one last post from the lovely fans of the pusan film festival.stay tune:)

royston top

Happy brithday mindee!!!! You look fab in all the photos!

& Royston, Yuwu is really laughing meh? hahaha honestly he look like he is deep in sleep hahahaha~

Anyway, congrats to everyone!!!! I bet this must be the most memorable bday Roy and Mindee have so far!!

& Yuwu looks fab as always in black hahaha

welcome back to singapore!!!!! you guys have done everyone proud!

HUAT AH!!!!!!!! top

I love you Royston, You're the most friendly and stylist director, you film touched me a lot and i Hope to see you sgsin in Pusan. Thank you for signing on my T shirt. I LOVE YOU!

Min Yeong
(Korea) top

thank you so much for 881 in korea! top

So happy to see that 881 is being well received in Korea. Shows that a good film can indeed transcend the language barrier!

And wow Royston... can't believe you are loved both in Singapore as well as in Korea! Hello to all Korea friends/fans!!! Hope you guys felt the huat spirit and enjoyed the getai in the rain. :D top

hi tan im dae sic ,busan big guy.haha
I was so happy to meet you.
i didnt know about your fame.^^
i wish you got a good emotion in korea.
see you when i go to singapore or
you come to korea again
잘지네요.. 만나서 너무 좋았구요.
앞으로도 좋은 영화 많이 찍으세요.
안녕..BYEBYE top

HI TAN I'm DAE SIK ,big guy in busan. haha
i was so happy to meet you
i didn't know about your fame.
i wanna see your movies not only PIFF but also evey theater in korea.
see you when i go to singapore or
you come to korea again.
좋은 영화 많이 만드세요.건강하시구요
byebye top

annyeong-haseyo!! to all the fans in korea...you rocks!!!! :)
just to let you know that we love your korean dramas here in singapore too!
cheers!!! top

hi, karen here,thank you of all the support from all the fans in busan,really makes all of us feels happy for the five days in busan although all of us feels very tired...once again, thanks royston for bringing me to this grand firm festival that i never go before...881 huat ah.... top

Dan Fainaru in Pusan
09 Oct 2007 21:47


Oozing sweet smiles and made-up grimaces, a myriad of glittering colours, low-brow humour and an endless string of easily hummed tunes, 881 is already a major hit in Singapore. Despite the lack of any plot to speak of, Royston Tan's film is likely to be cherished by gay (in every sense of the word) audiences all over Asia, and probably not only there.

A strange item to come from a director with a reputation for minimalist, intimate dramas, considered at best arthouse fare, way outside any type of commercial territory.

It plays like an extended vaudeville act, with brief dramatic interludes whose only purpose is to lead into the next musical number – though sometimes they don't even do that.

The film pretends to tell the story of the competition between the two cute and loveable Papaya Sisters (who aren't sisters but love each other more than real ones would) and the nasty, bitchy but bountiful Durian Sisters, for the supremacy on the Singapore "getai" (musical stage) circuit.

Any attempt to take it seriously is doomed to fail for there isn't really anything to unearth behind the heavy make-up, the costumes, the feathers and the light effects which keep pouring out of the screen in abundance.

Working on the premise that more is better, Tan's picture doesn't skimp in any department.

Both Little Papaya (Mindee Ong) and Big Papaya (Yeo Yann-Yann) get to change their appearance about a dozen times in each and every one of their many musical numbers.

The Durian sisters (pop singing duo May & Choy) get the same treatment, only in a more aggressive, perverse manner, so the audience is left with no doubt who to root for and who to despise.

Needless to say, some may very well tire after a while of the goody-goody heroines and start rooting for the vicious antagonists but that's part of the charm and the secret of its success.

Still, the Durians are not allowed any personality of their own, but the Papayas get some more miles of sympathy, the little one because she has breast cancer and only little time to live, the big one, because her mother, once a "getai" performer herself, kicked her out, when the daughter refused to stay away from show business.

All this is supposed to be told by a deaf-mute (Qi Yu-wu) who is in love with both sisters, and drives them around from one show to another.

The comic relief is provided by his mother, Aunt Ling (singer and comedian Liu Ling-ling), a costumer who has vowed to make the Papayas the greatest of them all.

881 is performed with hammy enthusiasm by a whole gang of troupers who launch into their roles with relish and never shy away from anything over the top. It is reminiscent, if anything, of those marathonic Italian TV shows that apparently never fail to find a large audience.

After a while, even earnest minded critics will have to give up the tools of their trade, sit back and allow themselves to be swept over by the unpretentious fantasy, or else just get up and leave.

Allusions to the influence of Tsai Ming-Liang and his "Wayward Clouds" may be inevitable, after all Tan's films have been close, in spirit, to those of the idiosyncratic Malaysian born Taiwanese filmmaker, but in this case, he is tamer and certainly not as blatantly provocative, a strictly expurgated version, if at all, of the same approach.

Daniel Low's camera effectively captures the kaleidoscopic invasion of the Singaporean glam extravaganza.

Moe Kassim's catchy costumes may not be the epitome of elegance, but they were never intended to be and the musical score will provide ample anciliary CD profits.

Editing blissfully prevents lingering on any flitting thought for more than a moment, as for the actors, they never sigh but cry and never smile but holler, which is just what that type of picture would expect them to do. top

Dan Fainaru in Pusan
09 Oct 2007 21:47


Oozing sweet smiles and made-up grimaces, a myriad of glittering colours, low-brow humour and an endless string of easily hummed tunes, 881 is already a major hit in Singapore. Despite the lack of any plot to speak of, Royston Tan's film is likely to be cherished by gay (in every sense of the word) audiences all over Asia, and probably not only there.

A strange item to come from a director with a reputation for minimalist, intimate dramas, considered at best arthouse fare, way outside any type of commercial territory.

It plays like an extended vaudeville act, with brief dramatic interludes whose only purpose is to lead into the next musical number – though sometimes they don't even do that.

The film pretends to tell the story of the competition between the two cute and loveable Papaya Sisters (who aren't sisters but love each other more than real ones would) and the nasty, bitchy but bountiful Durian Sisters, for the supremacy on the Singapore "getai" (musical stage) circuit.

Any attempt to take it seriously is doomed to fail for there isn't really anything to unearth behind the heavy make-up, the costumes, the feathers and the light effects which keep pouring out of the screen in abundance.

Working on the premise that more is better, Tan's picture doesn't skimp in any department.

Both Little Papaya (Mindee Ong) and Big Papaya (Yeo Yann-Yann) get to change their appearance about a dozen times in each and every one of their many musical numbers.

The Durian sisters (pop singing duo May & Choy) get the same treatment, only in a more aggressive, perverse manner, so the audience is left with no doubt who to root for and who to despise.

Needless to say, some may very well tire after a while of the goody-goody heroines and start rooting for the vicious antagonists but that's part of the charm and the secret of its success.

Still, the Durians are not allowed any personality of their own, but the Papayas get some more miles of sympathy, the little one because she has breast cancer and only little time to live, the big one, because her mother, once a "getai" performer herself, kicked her out, when the daughter refused to stay away from show business.

All this is supposed to be told by a deaf-mute (Qi Yu-wu) who is in love with both sisters, and drives them around from one show to another.

The comic relief is provided by his mother, Aunt Ling (singer and comedian Liu Ling-ling), a costumer who has vowed to make the Papayas the greatest of them all.

881 is performed with hammy enthusiasm by a whole gang of troupers who launch into their roles with relish and never shy away from anything over the top. It is reminiscent, if anything, of those marathonic Italian TV shows that apparently never fail to find a large audience.

After a while, even earnest minded critics will have to give up the tools of their trade, sit back and allow themselves to be swept over by the unpretentious fantasy, or else just get up and leave.

Allusions to the influence of Tsai Ming-Liang and his "Wayward Clouds" may be inevitable, after all Tan's films have been close, in spirit, to those of the idiosyncratic Malaysian born Taiwanese filmmaker, but in this case, he is tamer and certainly not as blatantly provocative, a strictly expurgated version, if at all, of the same approach.

Daniel Low's camera effectively captures the kaleidoscopic invasion of the Singaporean glam extravaganza.

Moe Kassim's catchy costumes may not be the epitome of elegance, but they were never intended to be and the musical score will provide ample anciliary CD profits.

Editing blissfully prevents lingering on any flitting thought for more than a moment, as for the actors, they never sigh but cry and never smile but holler, which is just what that type of picture would expect them to do. top

bro wow super hot man u in korea also some many fan c how i wish i can got there support u support the korean whore last but no less the sho ju wif u~ btw i brought something for u pop pop day present~~lol just wanna tell u i stil miss your long hair man haha~~ top

oh wow...so glad u see you guys are enjoying urself in Korea. Have fun have fun.

I've watched 881 the 7th time today! who beats me? top

600 is amazing in her costume:) love her lingling top

다시 한번 한국에서 만기기를 기원합니다. 다음 작품을 기대하겠습니다.
欢迎陈导下次再到韩国，期待您的下一步力作。 top

hello!!!!!! greetings from NUS! thank you for the great blog, even more so for delivering it candidly, because it makes it all the more real and relatable... i heard about you (blog maintainer) during royston tan's talk at NUS today... your efforts and insistence on keeping anonymous is an admirable spirit. best of luck to you! top

hi bodyguard....

NUS SAYS HI! here to leave you a comment heh heh! don't be sad k?

anyway royston if you're reading this, thank you so much for giving my group 15 minutes of your time for the interview even though you were running late for your next appointment! donch worry.. some of the info will remain SECRET heh heh

all the best for your next trip to shanghai!

xuefang top

The theme is interesting, I will take part in discussion. Together we can come to a right answer. top