It was 5:30 am on Oct 28. Yet popular Singaporean screenwriter and satirist Colin Goh, couldn’t return to sleep after putting down the phone. The founder of talkingcock.com was kept awake by one big question that constantly played in his mind – ‘Am I dreaming?’

Then the information started to sink in: The director had just won the Best Asian/Middle Eastern Film Award for his local feature, Singapore Dreaming, at the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals across Asia.

He received the good news from Alice Lim, the actress behind the role of ‘Ma’ (Mandarin for mother) in the full-length movie.

“I thought that at [that] hour, it could only be bad news. But it was Alice calling to congratulate us. In my jet-lag-addled state, I thought I was dreaming, but it was a dream come true,” Colin shared in a press release.

With the win, the feature has achieved a first, being the only Singapore production to be honoured in the film festival’s 20 years of celebrating the best film talents on the global stage.

Sharing his success is co-director and spouse, Woo Yen Yen, who gave her views on the win, “When we made Singapore Dreaming, we wanted to tell a really Singaporean story, and it’s great to see it has touched overseas audiences as well.”

Unable to attend the event as they were at the closing ceremony of the US Asean Film Festival in Washington DC, the couple was represented by Ms Thong Leng Yeng, Alice’s daughter.

 

The film, which has also won the Montblanc New Screenwriters Award at the 54th San Sebastian International Film Festival, speaks about the average Singaporean family chasing the 5Cs ( cash, credit cards, cars, condominium, and country club membership). As they try to achieve ‘The Singapore Dream’, greed consumes the Loh family, however, with various members scheming and plotting to satisfy their thirst for wealth and status. Singapore Dreaming, which features stars including 881’s Yeo Yann Yann and I Not Stupid’s Richard Low, brings a message that money doesn’t necessarily lead to a happy life, which is not much of a comfort to most, if not all, Singaporeans who share the same aspirations as the Lohs.

It seems to have struck a universal chord. Despite fierce competition from several other films including Mad Detective by highly acclaimed directorJohnny To, Exodus, directed by Hong Kong’s Pang Ho Cheung and starring prominent actor Simon Yam, Breath by South Korea’s Kim Ki Duk, The Wall PasserHung Hung, A Few Days Later featuring Iranian actor Niki Karimi, Cut and Paste by Egypt’s Hala Khalil, Singapore Dreaming came out tops in the category ‘Winds of Asia-Middle East’, which awards new productions from the region. 

Besides Singapore Dreaming, 3 local productions – Just Follow Law, Home Song Stories and 881 – have also been nominated for awards at the 44th Golden Horse Awards this year, giving the local film industry a big boost. The Golden Horse Awards is the Taiwanese movie industry’s highest honour. 

Speaking on the future of local productions, Yen Yen added, “I think this bodes well for all Singaporean filmmakers who want to tell authentic Singapore stories.”