UTM Asian Short Film Collection Lunch Screening

An initiative of the UTM Asian Short Film Collection, “Queer Island” is a program of three short films showing perspectives on gender and sexuality in contemporary Singapore: Pifuskin and Between Us Two by Tan Wei Keong and Strawberry Cheesecake by Tan Siyou. The filmmakers will be present to introduce and discuss their films. Cinema Studies Institute’s PhD student, Jixin Jia will serve as discussant for the event. Lai Weijie and Elizabeth Wijaya will moderate the event.

 

 

Born in Singapore, Tan Wei Keong studied animation at the island city-state's Nanyang Technological University. In his films he animates fantasy worlds in which he explores his gay identity through personal storytelling. He is currently developing his first feature film. His film, Kingdom, has been selected at the Berlinale Shorts in 2019. He is also an alumnus of the Berlinale Talents and SFFILM. His films have achieved recognition on numerous occasions at the Singapore International Film Festival, including the Best Singapore Short Film Award, Special Mention and Special Achievement Award. His highly acclaimed body of work received international recognition at many film festivals, including those at Annecy, Zagreb, Stuttgart and Toronto. He was awarded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore in 2019.

 

Tan Siyou is a Los Angeles based filmmaker originally from Singapore. Her latest short STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. Her previous short HELLO AHMA, completed under the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women, played in competition at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival and the 70th Berlinale. Most recently, she has been selected at Berlinale’s 2022 Talents Tokyo, Busan’s 2019 Asian Film Academy, the 2019-21 Universal Directors Initiative, and the 2021 Commercial Directors Diversity Program. She is a film graduate of Wesleyan University. Siyou’s first feature AMOEBA will premiere at the Discovery Section of the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025.