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Straits Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Turning 60 during SG60: Arts and entertainment personalities on looking back and ahead
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – What do they miss most about the Singapore of their childhood? What have been their proudest contributions? And what does the nation's future and their next era look like? The Straits Times catches up with nine home-grown arts and entertainment personalities who hit 60 in SG60. Married actors Chen Liping and Rayson Tan: 'Not the end of our careers, but a new beginning' Singaporean actors Rayson Tan and Chen Liping are the rare celebrity couple who were born in 1965, on Jan 12 and Aug 22 respectively, the same year as an independent Singapore. Chen began acting in 1985 after completing a drama training course with the then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (now Mediacorp), and is most famous for her role as a bubbly teacher in the drama series Good Morning, Sir! (1989). She also has three Best Actress Star Awards to her name, for her roles in Holland V (2003), Reunion Dinner (2009) and The Dream Makers (2013). Tan kick-started his show-business career in 1990, after placing third in the Star Search acting competition. In 2014, he won Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Asian Television Awards for the drama Entangled (2013), in which his character kidnaps and rapes his friend's wife. READ MORE HERE Director Eric Khoo: 'I want to help the next wave of film-makers find their voice' Film aficionados will agree that local director and screenwriter Eric Khoo single-handedly put modern Singapore cinema on the international map with his seminal drama Mee Pok Man (1995), followed by another classic, 12 Storeys (1997). Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Asean's quiet diplomacy helped avert escalation in Cambodia-Thailand border conflict: Sec-Gen Kao Singapore Hidden vapes and where to find them: Inside ICA's clampdown at land checkpoints Singapore East-West Line MRT service resumes after delays lasting around 5 hours; track point fault fixed World Meta cracks down on WhatsApp scammers; bans millions of accounts linked to scam centres in S-E Asia Singapore 3 men arrested over alleged offences involving drugs worth over $150,000 Singapore Jail for 2 friends who swopped seats in car to try and evade justice after drinking alcohol Singapore Sorting recyclables by material could boost low domestic recycling rate: Observers Singapore SM Lee receives Australia's highest civilian honour for advancing bilateral ties Both movies – the first about a noodle seller and his fascination with a disillusioned prostitute, and the latter a social commentary about a group of ordinary Singaporeans living in the same HDB block – blazed a trail, being screened at more than 60 film festivals worldwide. Khoo did Singapore proud when 12 Storeys became the first made-in-Singapore film to officially participate in the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, thanks to its nomination in the Un Certain Regard section. READ MORE HERE Entertainer Gurmit Singh: 'My biggest contribution to S'pore is PCK – and three children' He made yellow boots and permed hair famous, thanks to his titular Singlish-spouting Ah Beng contractor character in the hit local sitcom Phua Chu Kang (PCK) Pte Ltd (1997 to 2007). Though the series ended almost 20 years ago after eight seasons, Gurmit Singh's name is still so synonymous with PCK, he was tapped by the Government to reprise his TV persona for a Covid-19 campaign in 2020 to rap about good hygiene habits. The home-grown actor-comedian is also a regular emcee of the National Day Parade and other National Day-related grassroot events. His latest hosting gig was for the Gardens by the Bay and Mediacorp National Day Concert on Aug 3, where he shared the stage with local personalities Nithiyia Rao, Yasminne Cheng and Zhin Sadali. READ MORE HERE Ex-model Hanis Hussey: 'I've grown to appreciate Singapore's order and stability' At 18, Hanis Hussey was the first Singaporean model to walk the runway of Paris Fashion Week when she closed the fall/winter show of French label Yves Saint Laurent in 1983. The statuesque teen was even handpicked to be the muse of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and became the in-house model for his eponymous brand. Hussey's international career took off, and she strutted the catwalks of Paris, Milan and Tokyo, working with luxury fashion houses such as Givenchy, Balmain, Christian Dior, Valentino and Versace. READ MORE HERE Playwright Haresh Sharma: 'I love that most Singaporeans will offer unsolicited advice' In the more than 130 plays he has written so far, playwright Haresh Sharma has cast his astute eye over a staggering range of social issues, from mental illness and interracial relations to the pressures of the education system and queer ageing. Born on Jan 18, 1965, the writer is a three-time winner for Best Original Script at The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards, and his play Off Centre (1993) was the first Singaporean play to be offered as a GCE O- and N-level literature text. He was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2015. READ MORE HERE Poet Boey Kim Cheng: 'You learn to love what you have lost' When it comes to chronicling urban change and memory in verse, poet Boey Kim Cheng is peerless in Singapore. Even after emigrating from Singapore in 1997, Boey – who has made a home in Berowra, New South Wales in Australia – continues to write about the vexed knot of a vanishing Singapore. He was born on June 10, 1965. His most recent collection, The Singer And Other Poems (2022), won the Kenneth Slessor Prize For Poetry at the New South Wales (NSW) Premier's Literary Awards in 2023. His books, Another Place (1992) and Clear Brightness (2012), have been texts for the GCE A-level literature syllabus. READ MORE HERE Artist Yang Derong: 'I want to disrupt gently and speak honestly' The gregarious Yang Derong, who turns 60 on Sept 11, was not always an artist. In the 1980s, he started out as a model before finding his groove as one of a bright young wave of Singaporean designers. He left to work with French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, then spearheaded visual branding at relaxed luxury retailer Esprit International. But the creativity of the self-described 'flaneur' could never be contained, and by the 2010s, Yang was designing theatre costumes for iconic productions such as Beauty World in 2015. READ MORE HERE Artist Boo Sze Yang: 'I don't regret not having children' A certain desolation is sometimes associated with semi-abstract painter Boo Sze Yang's oeuvre. His most recognisable works are usually in greyscale, both segmented and melting. Of these, his derelict interiors of empty cathedrals and shopping centres, as well as car and motorcycle crash wreckages, have been said to be indicative of a morbid impulse, with which the artist goes in search of a darker beauty. A graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa) in 1991, Boo has taught at Nafa, National Institute of Education and School of the Arts. His works are in collections including at National Gallery Singapore, the Istana and UOB Singapore, and he has held more than 18 solo exhibitions, in Singapore, Taiwan, Australia and the United States.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Director Eric Khoo at 60: ‘I want to help the next wave of film-makers find their voice'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Film-maker Eric Khoo put Singapore on the international film map in 1995 with his debut feature Mee Pok Man. SINGAPORE – Film aficionados will agree that local director and screenwriter Eric Khoo single-handedly put modern Singapore cinema on the international map with his seminal drama Mee Pok Man (1995), followed by another classic, 12 Storeys (1997). Both movies – the first about a noodle seller and his fascination with a disillusioned prostitute, and the latter a social commentary about a group of ordinary Singaporeans living in the same HDB block – blazed a trail, being screened at more than 60 film festivals worldwide. Khoo did Singapore proud when 12 Storeys became the first made-in-Singapore film to officially participate in the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, thanks to its nomination in the Un Certain Regard section. Through the years, he continued to garner attention and awards at the prestigious event. His works Be With Me, an anthology about love and solitude, opened the Directors' Fortnight sidebar in 2005; and My Magic, a drama about a single father, was selected to compete for the top Palme d'Or award in 2008. For his contributions to the local film industry, Khoo was conferred the Cultural Medallion for Film in 2007. The auteur is celebrating Singapore's 60th birthday with Kopitiam Days, an anthology of six short films revolving around a kopitiam that unveils the interwoven stories of strangers who find solace, love and connection within the country's social fabric. Khoo serves as the executive producer and creative director of the project that showcases six rising writer-directors: Yeo Siew Hua, Shoki Lin, M. Raihan Halim, Tan Siyou, Don Aravind and Ong Kuo Sin. It is jointly produced by Khoo's company Zhao Wei Films , as well as Akanga Film Asia and Clover Films. Kopitiam Days held its world premiere at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, on Aug 5 with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife, Ms Jane Ittogi, as the guests of honour. Special screenings of the film are slated to be held at community hubs and centres across Singapore. Khoo, who turned 60 on March 27, is married with four sons – Edward, 31, a director; James, 29, and Christopher, 28, both producers; and Lucas, 26, a master's student at Dartmouth university in the US. What is your core memory of Singapore? The relentless heat, punishing humidity and nasty mosquitoes. But this tiny island also has a culinary scene as vibrant as its people. Meals are often mouthwatering experiences, thanks to generations of diverse cultures cooking side by side. What do you consider your biggest contribution to Singapore? Directing Mee Pok Man 30 years ago with a fantastic team. The film didn't just mark a milestone, it kick-started Singapore's modern cinema. Later, co-writing the white paper with a couple of my mates in 1997 led to the birth of the Singapore Film Commission, fuelling the rise of a new generation of talented home-grown film-makers. What do you love or hate about the country? I love the food, but hate the heat. I often wish we have four seasons: Imagine savouring my favourite wonton mee at Tanglin Halt or digging into Samy's Curry at Dempsey while snowflakes gently drift outside. It will be a true heaven for foodies. What is the one thing you miss about the Singapore of your childhood? Singaporean film-maker Eric Khoo at two years old. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ERIC KHOO Grabbing tasty bites from pushcart hawkers under five-foot-ways ; catching blockbusters that played for months in grand 1,000-seat cinemas, such as Bruce Lee's The Big Boss (1971) at Majestic Theatre; tuning into (cable-transmitted radio service) Rediffusion; and hunting for Action Man figures at that sacred toy shop, The Orchard Store. What is the best and worst thing about turning 60? These days, I've ditched dull, drawn-out films you watch only when you're ironing. There's just too much to do and not enough hours in the day. Life feels more exciting, and I'm more energised than ever. SG60's theme is Building Our Singapore Together. What would you like the Singapore of the future to look like? I wish my favourite Hainanese curry rice and Peranakan mee siam will stay just as delicious in the decades to come. (Singapore's first prime minister) Lee Kuan Yew once considered air-conditioning as one of the most important inventions ever, so I fantasise that we will become an air-conditioned city which is blissfully mosquito-free. Maybe I'm dreaming, but what matters most is that we keep loving, creating and savouring life together. I can't be prouder of our new SG60 film Kopitiam Days, a heartfelt tribute to our homeland, our community and, of course, those perfect soft-boiled eggs. (From left) Eric Khoo with Kopitiam Days directors Tan Siyou, Don Aravind, Shoki Lin, M. Raihan Halim, Ong Kuo Sin and Yeo Siew Hua. PHOTO: CLOVER FILMS And what does your next era look like? I don't have a crystal ball, but my greatest passion is film. I want to keep creating and help the next wave of film-makers find their voice. None of this would have happened without my late mother, who introduced me to the magic of cinema. May she keep smiling at me and guiding me from heaven.
