What is Homeground?

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Homeground (23 mins, documentary) is a love letter to playing spaces we call home.

Singapore is a football nation. Every weekend, thousands of amateur players, from schoolboys to office executives to retirees, gather to play the Beautiful Game. Not for glory, not for fame; but for passion, football and friendship. This spirit is forged in the neighbourhoods; void decks, street soccer courts, open fields or any patch of grass. All across Singapore, footballers have a place they call their ‘Homeground’.

Football can be played anywhere, and our neighbourhoods are Singapore’s playground. A baby first learns to kick a plastic ball in a HDB flat. A primary school boy forms a football team in his void deck. An aspiring national player scores his first goal for his school on a neighbourhood school field. These weekend warriors show us where they play, and how they play. Concrete, sand, grass or artificial grass. Two sticks, bottles, shoes, or even school bags can make a goalpost.

Homeground is a tribute to the weekend warriors and the playing spaces close to our hearts.

Stay updated for the premiere of Homeground in Oct 2015!

Going gaga over football fields

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I have spent the past 2 months going around Singapore, hunting for weekend warriors and finding the best spots where Singaporeans play football. While making this project, I had to miss some usual soccer games, which further gave me an itchy leg since I had to film all these people playing what I love most: football! We are in post production now, finally I have some football action myself!

Head to the official Homeground Facebook page for the latest updates.

New film 2015: Homeground

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I’m making a new short film: HOMEGROUND. Homeground is a film about playing spaces in Singapore, and a tribute to the weekend warriors who play football in the void decks, street soccer courts, open fields or any patch of grass in our neighbourhoods. Since it’s the 10 year anniversary of Tak Giu, it’s the perfect time to do this! More details soon, keep in touch at www.facebook.com/homegroundfilm

Our viral video for ‘Rubbers’

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Our viral music video A Condom And A Hole for the movie Rubbers, has gotten over 100,000 hits on Facebook! It has also been ripped and reposted by various pages. Watch the YouTube version here.

It has been great working with Marcus Chin and Rubbers director Han Yew Kwang.

Marcus Chin naked in the video was actually a happy accident. There was supposed to be a wardrobe of blue jacket and magician’s hat, but he turned up at the shoot without it. We paniced and then we decided, why not be half naked? After some persuasion, the clothes came off layer by layer after more takes. Marcus is a great sport! That’s what filmmaking is about, solving problems on the fly, and sometimes the end product turns out better 🙂

Pls support the movie in cinemas!

NEW FILM: ULTRAMEN JOHOR: JDT Fans film

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Here’s a new mini film to kick off 2015: ULTRAMEN JOHOR. I shot this footage in Jan 2014 but decided to revisit it recently and finally cut it into a film.

28 Jan 2014 – Johor Darul Ta’zim vs LionsXII
It was my second visit to the Larkin Stadium and I knew the atmosphere was gonna be great. Flags, chants, songs and coordinated scarves throughout 90 mins.

JDT’s support increased after the recent influx of resources and signings of superstars like Argentine international Pablo Aimar. You can feel the Johoreans’ passion for their team, and for their state even. Stuff that makes your skin crawl and your hair stand.

From a Singapore perspective:
The recent happenings on and off the pitch of Singapore football (S.league, Suzuki Cup) have made me wonder: Are Singaporeans really football fans, or just TV fans? Recently at the Singapore Sports Hub, Singaporeans were out-sung by visiting fans from Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia.

Perhaps our neighbours across the Causeway have the answer. Week in week out, THIS happens in their local stadiums. Led by ultras like BOS (Boys of Straits), there is a carnival, a worship of their local team and the beautiful game.

Perhaps we watch so much foreign football on television that we have forgotten what it is to be football fans. You don’t go to a stadium to enjoy the atmosphere, you ARE the atmosphere.

Singapore issues aside, this film is dedicated to the Johor Ultras. It was eye opening to make this film.

AYUH JOHOR! Respect!

NOTE: It’s been a busy past few years raising money and preparing to shoot my first feature film. Hence the lack of posts here. Thanks for visiting this site, do keep in touch on Hosaywood Facebook. – Jacen

Rubbers: Singapore sex comedy

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I apologise for the lack of updates on Zombiepura. We’ll be announcing something really soon. But meanwhile, I’d like to direct your attention to RUBBERS, a sex comedy by Han Yew Kwang, starring Golden Horse Award winner Yeo Yann Yann.

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Rubbers: Yeo Yann Yann tries to seduce a plumber (Mature content)

Rubbers is currently raising funds on Indiegogo.

Tired of the same old Singapore movies? Rubbers is a very daring project by one of my favourite Singapore directors, Yew Kwang. Having personally worked on this shoot, I can assure you that you will be shocked at what actors like Yann Yann, Alaric Tay, Oon Shu An and Marcus Chin ‘sacrificed’ for Rubbers! It is definitely a daring and hilarious film that needs your support. Check out the Rubbers Indiegogo page now and be a part of this groundbreaking movie.

Zo Gang in Japanese

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Zo Gang was screened in a lecture in Tokyo, Japan. I couldn’t help but ask for photos of the Japanese subtitles:

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How cool is that! Here’s feedback from Ms Konno, staff of Open University of Japan.

“She and her children love small ‘explosion’ and that Merlion Tan became a tea man at the end is very funny that they could watch this film many times. Each time she watches she discovers something new and she laughs.”

Singaporeans always have this inferior mindset that our local art cannot be understood overseas. To me, it’s like saying we can’t understand a French film because it’s in French. Hello, ever heard of subtitles? All stories and art are universal. Just look at K-pop, Singaporeans listen to K-pop without even understanding what they are singing about. I’ve said this at a Q&A before: I hope Singlish will be the new K-pop someday!

Thanks also to Matsushita Yumi for arranging the screening.

10th Singapore Short Cuts illustration

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It’s been a while since our last update, as we’re busy developing our feature film. But here’s a pleasant surprise from National Museum!

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 Illustration by Koh Hong Teng

This illustration for the 10th Singapore Short Cuts features elements from local short films screened previously in the festival. Can you spot the 3 Hosaywood motifs? Check out the festival here.