zombiepura

World premiere: My new short film is now online!

The Man Who Can’t Smile: A man with a sad face is often misunderstood by others in his daily life. He undergoes a surgery to give himself a permanent smile. This is a whimsical silent film accompanied by orchestral music.

It’s been a great journey making this film with Viddsee, and my cast and crew from Zombiepura, and new friends who have joined our team. Watch it now on YouTube (above), FB or Viddsee.

Director’s statement: This film is inspired by my ‘resting b*tch face’. When I was younger, I didn’t smile so much. People often thought that I was sad, tired, or unapproachable. I soon realised that it could have been my face. I thought, what if I had a permanent smiley face?

As I developed the story, I found out that there are people with a rare condition known as Moebius Syndrome. They can’t control their facial muscles and have a real inability to smile. This film is a metaphor for people who face struggles fitting into society.

Zombiepura is on the list of Sinema’s 10 Favourite Films of the decade! We are extremely honoured! Read the list here.

Zombiepura holds a special place in my heart for its passion for the zombie genre and its guts to create something we have yet to see in Singapore cinema.

– Sinema

Thank you SGIFF for having me on the discussion panel: What happens after your first film?

Jacen Tan’s first feature, Zombiepura, was a box office success in Singapore cinemas in 2018. His striking use of horror and comedy in a local context earned him the title of ‘Singapore’s latest film funnyman’ by The Straits Times.

When asked about the difference between commercial and independent features, Tan feels that “a commercial film can still have an independent voice in it and vice versa, an independent film can still have commercial sensibilities.

Was a great learning experience from K. Rajagopal, Wong Chen-hsi and Jeremy Chua. Read a recap of the discussion here. It was a fantastic festival overall and I got to watch and learn from many films and filmmakers.

Variety Magazine covered the SGIFF panel discussion I was in. Thanks to the organisers for having me! Read the full Variety article.