Singapore Director Kelvin Tong: “Finding Local Stories That Connect Emotionally With Foreign Audiences” Is a Challenge

The filmmaker talks to KrisWorld about the Singapore film industry, the difficulties of making movies in the country, and his creative influences.

Directors such as Jack Neo and Eric Khoo are practically household names in Singapore, even to casual moviegoers, and understandably so. Both are successful — in different ways — filmmakers who have played integral roles in the flourishing of the local film scene. Yet Singapore cinema might not have experienced a resurgence in the ’90s without its other early champions — ones who, till this day, fly under the radar. Kelvin Tong is one of them.

A prolific filmmaker and an established figure in local showbiz, Tong has been making movies since the late ’90s and now boasts more than 10 feature film directorial credits under his belt, including international collaborations such as 2016’s The Faith of Anna Waters. He has made forays into a wide variety of genres, worked on both commercial and independent projects, and most recently directed A Year of No Significance, a film exploring an important slice of Singapore history through the perspective of a man left behind by the nation’s inexorable march for progress.

KrisWorld speaks with Tong about his thoughts on the local movie industry, his favourite Singapore directors and movies, as well as his artistic influences.

Hi Kelvin. You’ve been in showbiz for more than two decades. What are your thoughts about the current local film industry, and how has it changed over the years?
The Singapore film industry has grown by leaps and bounds. When I started my career, there was only a handful of filmmakers — barely enough to fill a mini-bus. Today, I think you’ll need a double-decker or two. There are a lot more of us now, working across a large variety of genres, building up Singapore cinema one film at a time.

You’ve done international collaborations before, directing films with Hollywood and Hong Kong industry professionals. How does our film industry compare?
Though our film industry has come a long way in the last two decades, we are still in our adolescence compared to mature industries like Hollywood and Hong Kong, which have been making movies for more than a century. Film practitioners there are definitely more skilled, more experienced, and more professional. As the new kid on the block, however, the local film industry is full of zest and quick to learn.

You’ve directed a diverse body of films spanning different genres. Is there a specific genre that you like most?
I can’t choose. I love horror because it is so fiendishly difficult to scare audiences who know every trick in the book. I love thrillers because I am in a mental race against the viewer, trying to stay one step ahead all the time. And I love historical dramas because they allow me to live vicariously in past eras. I’m just like a kid in a mama shop — loving everything and utterly, utterly unable to choose.

Tell us a little more about your latest film, A Year of No Significance.
A Year of No Significance is an intimate film seen through the eyes of a middle-aged Chinese-educated draughtsman who finds his world turning upside down when the language policies in ’70s Singapore made English the official language of the workplace. It’s about rejection, rage, and loss. It’s about people like my mother who can recite the periodic table entirely in Mandarin but not in English.

What are the challenges of being a filmmaker in Singapore?
Finding local stories that connect emotionally with foreign audiences. Trying to draw the widest audiences possible without dumbing down. And making sure that the Qing-dynasty-werewolf-romantic-comedy you are making actually says something worthy at the end of the day. But these challenges are not unique to Singapore. Filmmakers everywhere have to grapple with them. For a uniquely Singaporean filmmaking challenge, I’d have to say our relentless equatorial heat.

What are some of your film influences?
I discovered the neighbourhood video store when I was 10. So my early diet consisted of all things great in the ’80s — Steven Spielberg’s blockbusters, John Woo’s bloodbaths, George Lucas’ faraway galaxies and Thai Ultraman movies. Later, as a teen with slightly elevated taste buds, I devoured Akira Kurosawa, Martin Scorsese, Francois Truffaut, and Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Just as I believe you are what you eat, you are also what you watch.

Who are some local filmmakers you respect or like?
Jack Neo, Eric Khoo, Tan Pin Pin, Jasmine Ng, Royston Tan, and K Rajagopal — they were my fellow travellers in the original (aforementioned) mini-bus. All of them are still chipping away, making movies despite the horrible heat.

Favourite local movie?
Jack Neo’s Money No Enough. It was the first film to bring the sights and sounds of everyday Singapore to the big screen. It’s authentic, and it still cracks me up.

Finally, what do you like most about Singapore?
Our rojak of languages. It’s the only place in the world where a one-minute scene in a film can feature English, Singlish, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay, and Tamil. It may be maddening for the subtitling people. But it’s music to me.

Text: Raymond Tan
Images: Kelvin Tong

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