Brian Gothong Tan
Editing
Biography
Brian Gothong Tan (b. 1980) is one of the most exciting and prolific multimedia artists to emerge from Singapore in recent years. A graduate in Fine Arts, Multimedia and Animation at the California Institute of Arts, his artistry has bagged him many accolades including the “Best Use of Multimedia” prize in the 2005 Life! Theatre Awards. The prolific artist’s first solo exhibition, Heavenly Cakes and Sentimental Flowers, was held in June 2003. He also created Hypersurface, which was featured at the 9th Venice Architectural Biennale in 2004. Last year, Tan represented Singapore in the cultural segment of the Commonwealth Games at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Federation Square in Melbourne. He was also the youngest artist participating in the Singapore Biennale 2006 with his installation, We Live In A Dangerous World. He recently completed Signs, Omens and Relics of Faith, an interactive multimedia installation as part of the 72-13’s Creatives-in-Residence programme in 2007. A master of many mediums, he was Director of Photography and Chief Editor of Pleasure Factory, an edgy drama screened in Cannes Film Festival 2007 under the Un Certain Regard section. Invisible Children - produced by Eric Khoo’s Zhao Wei Films Production - is his directorial debut.
Known For
This sensitive and sensual film draws together several narratives spanning several decades, all of them transpiring in the same room of the same Singaporean hotel — and all of them involving sex.
In the Room
Masato is a young ramen chef in Japan. When he finds his late mother's journal after the sudden death of his emotionally distant father, he takes it with him to her native country, Singapore, hoping to piece together the story of his family and his life.
Ramen Shop
A series of intertwining tales involve "pleasure seekers and pleasure providers" during the course of one night in Geylang, Singapore's red-light district. There are three distinct stories, united only by the presence of characters from all the stories in a streetside eatery:
Pleasure Factory
An emotive anthology by seven of Singapore's most illustrious filmmakers, celebrating SG50 through the lives and stories of Singaporeans. Directed by Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, K. Rajagopal, Royston Tan, Tan Pin Pin, Boo Junfeng, Kelvin Tong.
7 Letters
Seven young directors from Singapore produce a cinematic cadavre exquis.
Lucky7
A brash, irreverent and poetically playful collage of stories about people in Singapore who run away and disappear forever. Two children run away from home and discover an ancient underground network of monsoon drains, tunnels and caves. An army officer obsessed with order and discipline realises that life isnít so black and white. A painfully shy man reluctantly saves his neighbour and experiences a spiritual awakening. Concocted from a heady mix of realism and poetic fantasy, Invisible Children is sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always thought-provoking.
Invisible Children
A comic reverie and satire featuring a domestic helper in the likeness of former First Lady Imelda Marcos performing her favourite song, Dahil Sa Iyo.
Imelda Goes to Singapore
A man and a woman escape their mundane office life to look for a refuge to fulfill their desires, going through more extreme lengths the further out they venture.