IPS welcomes aboard award winning film-maker Tan Pin Pin of the acclaimed documentary "Singapore Gaga". She is the institute’s first Visiting Fellow. Ms Tan, whose accomplishments include two Asian TV Awards, Student Academy Award, an Eastman Scholarship, Elle Magazine’s Filmmaker of the year and an USA ASEAN ‘Best Documentary’ will be spending her time at IPS to work on a documentary called ‘Invisible City’, a film about spaces, in particular, sanctuaries in Singapore. It will be a feature length and will premiere in 2007.

Below is a candid tête-à-tête we had with her, especially for the newsletter.

Tell us more about yourself: Where in Singapore did you grow up? Where did you study? Being a talented individual—do you think its nature or nurture?

I am 37, born and bred in Singapore, studied law in Oxford, Film at Mediacorp, then at Northwestern. I am a curious person by nature and I am fascinated with how people live their lives, especially in Singapore.

You seem to be very critical of the Film Act. Do you think they’re listening?

For several reasons, as Film Maker, I have to be critical of such issue. It is a very shoddily drafted piece of legislation that will do the creative industries harm in the long run. It is too widely drafted to include everything and the kitchen sink. (I think) it is incongruous with the government’s aim to develop creativity. How can a law which threatens to ‘fine $100000 and 2 years in prison’, if you make a film that is bipartisan be held above all our heads, not be harmful?
Ultimately even if they aren’t listening, there are other people who matter who are so—so we should continue talking about it.

You studied overseas for your film degree. Do you think this exposure has made a difference on how you viewed things before, and how you look at things now, via your camera lenses?

Being away helps, but the trick is to maintain a critical distance even when one is land bound on this tiny island. Being able to see the subtext, historical links of our existence here, being able to peer through layers of distractions to examine assumptions of our lives is an important skill to have.

Singapore Gaga went very well. What do you think made it click with the audiences—both local and international?

It is very easy to experience the movie, easy to hum along with it, especially the tissue song which has been sung back to me many times in many languages. It is a heartfelt film which through creative means of using forgotten sounds, creeps up to you to knock you over to remind you that, all said and done, you still belong here.

Your latest work, ‘Invisible City’, was awarded a production grant from the Asian Network of Documentaries. Given your accomplishments, we reckon its funding is no longer an issue.

Funding will always be an issue because documentaries I make don’t make money, my documentaries are very local (small market) and not about penguin families and they take about a year to craft so its very labour and cost intensive as well. So I look for donors who want to go on an adventure with me, rather than investors who are looking for a high yield investment. Donors who are keen to hear and see a Singapore never seen and heard before.

This is actually the first time for IPS to have a ‘Visiting Fellow’. Playing with words, in what way do you think the title aptly describes you?

I am a native tourist touring Singapore so the words are more accurate than was intended.

Read more about ‘Invisible City’ at http://invisiblesingapore.blogspot.com/ .