Royston Tan

Directing

Royston Tan

Born 1976-10-05 · Singapore

Royston Tan is a Singaporean director, writer and producer. He studied Visual Communications at Temasek Polytechnic. He first came into prominence through his short films: Sons (2000), Hock Hiap Leong (2001), 48 on AIDS (2002), Mother (2002) and 15 (2002).

Acting credits

Be with Me poster
6.1

Three tales of love wrap around the true story of a blind and deaf woman named Theresa Chan. In the first an elderly shopkeeper is devoted to his sick wife. In the second, two teenage girls become soul mates and lovers. In the third a chubby security guard tries to find the courage to woo a beautiful woman who works in his building.

Be with Me

2005

881 poster
5.9

Two Singaporean girls join together to form the Papaya Sisters, a getai group that sings at performances during the seventh lunar month. Big Papaya is estranged from her mother, who disapproves of her performances, whilst Little Papaya is an orphan who suffers from terminal cancer. The two are assisted by Auntie Ling and her son, Guan Yin. The two soon rise to the top of the Singaporean getai scene singing traditional Hokkien songs, but their fame brings along with it the enmity of the Durian Sisters, a rival group of techno-singing Eurasian girls.

881

2007

'15' poster
6.3

An award winning short with a hyper-kinetic, mind-bending foray into the world of adolescent Singaporean boys. '15': The Short; mixes documentary realism, dream sequences, rapid montages, and other stylistic flurries to unleash a hard-hitting cinematic assault on Singaporean oppression and teen angst.

'15'

2002

24 poster
9.0

24 follows the journey of a deceased sound recordist through twenty-four diverse environments after his death. These include a forest, a theatre, a cinema, a temple, a cemetery, a truck carrying migrant workers, an apartment bathroom – and the set of a gay pornographic film.

24

2021

Singapore Cinema: Between Takes poster
NR

From Crazy Rich Asians (2018) to 12 Storeys (1997) to Sumpah Pontianak (The Curse of Pontianak) (1957), Singapore’s film industry is a diverse one and its evolution is nothing short of colourful. Recollecting Singapore’s famed studios in the 1950s to uncovering new waves of filmmakers in 90s and into today’s digital revolution, Singapore Cinema: Between Takes provides an insight into the rich history, and culture of Singapore films and its industry through candid reflections of filmmakers and content creators.

Singapore Cinema: Between Takes

2018

The Teenage Textbook Movie poster
9.0

The Teenage Textbook Movie is a film adaptation of Adrian Tan's bestselling 1988 novel The Teenage Textbook. It is a lighthearted look at the lives of four students in Singapore as they start junior college.

The Teenage Textbook Movie

1998

Behind the camera

15 poster
4.7

Five troubled teens, abandoned by society and family, form a bond in a world of violence, drugs, and self-destruction, facing harsh realities of modern Singapore.

15

2003

15 poster
4.7

Five troubled teens, abandoned by society and family, form a bond in a world of violence, drugs, and self-destruction, facing harsh realities of modern Singapore.

15

2003

Hotel Vladivostok poster
NR

In a hotel overlooking the Sea of Japan, six disparate stories inter-connect giving time a shape, like a series of liquid transparencies, one laid on top of another. Murder, sacrifice, betrayal, longing and regret weave into a tapestry of souls remembering and forgetting.

Hotel Vladivostok

2006

Letters from the South poster
5.4

Six filmmakers present six short films about the experiences of Chinese immigrants. Shot across Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar, the anthology depicts the crisis of identity that accompanies international migration.

Letters from the South

2013

Letters from the South poster
5.4

Six filmmakers present six short films about the experiences of Chinese immigrants. Shot across Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar, the anthology depicts the crisis of identity that accompanies international migration.

Letters from the South

2013

12 Lotus poster
4.6

As a child, Lian Hua dreamed of becoming a performer in Singapore's Getai shows, concerts staged the same month each year and featuring emotionally broad songs of love, life and death. However, Lian's father dissuaded her from following her dreams, and while Lian never lost her love for music, her ambitions would be tied to tragedy as she grew to adulthood. As a grown woman, Lian finally seems poised to make her mark as a performer when she joins forces with flashy vocalist Astroboy and heartthrob Ah Long. Ah Long falls for Lian, but their romance comes to an abrupt end and Lian is assaulted by a handful of thugs who want to collect a debt from her father. Ten years later, middle aged Lian thinks she may have another chance at success when she finds new love, but fate has led her to the brink of madness and once again disappointment lies in wait for her.

12 Lotus

2008

12 Lotus poster
4.6

As a child, Lian Hua dreamed of becoming a performer in Singapore's Getai shows, concerts staged the same month each year and featuring emotionally broad songs of love, life and death. However, Lian's father dissuaded her from following her dreams, and while Lian never lost her love for music, her ambitions would be tied to tragedy as she grew to adulthood. As a grown woman, Lian finally seems poised to make her mark as a performer when she joins forces with flashy vocalist Astroboy and heartthrob Ah Long. Ah Long falls for Lian, but their romance comes to an abrupt end and Lian is assaulted by a handful of thugs who want to collect a debt from her father. Ten years later, middle aged Lian thinks she may have another chance at success when she finds new love, but fate has led her to the brink of madness and once again disappointment lies in wait for her.

12 Lotus

2008

7 Letters poster
6.5

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

2015

7 Letters poster
6.5

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

2015

3688 poster
4.6

Parking attendant Fei Fei has always dreamed of becoming a singer, like her famous namesake – the legendary Taiwanese singer Fong Fei Fei. Fei Fei decides to follow her heart and joins a national talent contest. Her voice and sincerity captures the nation's heart, pushing her to the finals! But on the final day, her dementia-stricken father disappears…

3688

2015

3688 poster
4.6

Parking attendant Fei Fei has always dreamed of becoming a singer, like her famous namesake – the legendary Taiwanese singer Fong Fei Fei. Fei Fei decides to follow her heart and joins a national talent contest. Her voice and sincerity captures the nation's heart, pushing her to the finals! But on the final day, her dementia-stricken father disappears…

3688

2015

No artwork available
5.2

Living with little wants in the countryside, Zhiren and his mother expressed their love and support for each other in a simple way — by exchanging little notes.

Little Note

2009

No artwork available
5.2

Living with little wants in the countryside, Zhiren and his mother expressed their love and support for each other in a simple way — by exchanging little notes.

Little Note

2009

881 poster
5.9

Two Singaporean girls join together to form the Papaya Sisters, a getai group that sings at performances during the seventh lunar month. Big Papaya is estranged from her mother, who disapproves of her performances, whilst Little Papaya is an orphan who suffers from terminal cancer. The two are assisted by Auntie Ling and her son, Guan Yin. The two soon rise to the top of the Singaporean getai scene singing traditional Hokkien songs, but their fame brings along with it the enmity of the Durian Sisters, a rival group of techno-singing Eurasian girls.

881

2007

881 poster
5.9

Two Singaporean girls join together to form the Papaya Sisters, a getai group that sings at performances during the seventh lunar month. Big Papaya is estranged from her mother, who disapproves of her performances, whilst Little Papaya is an orphan who suffers from terminal cancer. The two are assisted by Auntie Ling and her son, Guan Yin. The two soon rise to the top of the Singaporean getai scene singing traditional Hokkien songs, but their fame brings along with it the enmity of the Durian Sisters, a rival group of techno-singing Eurasian girls.

881

2007

'15' poster
6.3

An award winning short with a hyper-kinetic, mind-bending foray into the world of adolescent Singaporean boys. '15': The Short; mixes documentary realism, dream sequences, rapid montages, and other stylistic flurries to unleash a hard-hitting cinematic assault on Singaporean oppression and teen angst.

'15'

2002

'15' poster
6.3

An award winning short with a hyper-kinetic, mind-bending foray into the world of adolescent Singaporean boys. '15': The Short; mixes documentary realism, dream sequences, rapid montages, and other stylistic flurries to unleash a hard-hitting cinematic assault on Singaporean oppression and teen angst.

'15'

2002

24 poster
9.0

24 follows the journey of a deceased sound recordist through twenty-four diverse environments after his death. These include a forest, a theatre, a cinema, a temple, a cemetery, a truck carrying migrant workers, an apartment bathroom – and the set of a gay pornographic film.

24

2021

24 poster
9.0

24 follows the journey of a deceased sound recordist through twenty-four diverse environments after his death. These include a forest, a theatre, a cinema, a temple, a cemetery, a truck carrying migrant workers, an apartment bathroom – and the set of a gay pornographic film.

24

2021

No artwork available
NR

1999 short film by Royston Tan

Jesses

1999

No artwork available
8.0

A musical, all-singing, all-dancing, attack on censorship in Singaporean movies

Cut

2004

No artwork available
8.0

A musical, all-singing, all-dancing, attack on censorship in Singaporean movies

Cut

2004

4:30 poster
6.5

Longing for human contact Xiao Wu tries all he can to make a connection through physical and metaphorical walls in that hour between night and day.

4:30

2005

4:30 poster
6.5

Longing for human contact Xiao Wu tries all he can to make a connection through physical and metaphorical walls in that hour between night and day.

4:30

2005