Boo Junfeng
Boo Junfeng (Chinese: 巫俊锋; pinyin: wū jùn fēng; born 4 December 1983) is a Singaporean filmmaker. Boo's films have been nominated at the Cannes Film Festival on multiple occasions, beginning with his debut, Sandcastle (2010), which was an International Critics' Week nominee[1].
Boo Junfeng | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Singaporean |
Alma mater | Ngee Ann Polytechnic LASALLE College of the Arts |
Occupation | Filmmaker |
Years active | 2004—present |
Website | boojunfeng |
Background
Boo is an ethnic Hokkien.[2] He graduated from the School of Film & Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2003, and from the Puttnam School of Film, LASALLE College of the Arts, in 2009, where he was accorded the McNally Award for Excellence in the Arts – the valedictorian honour of the college.[3]
His films, many of which show a preoccupation with places and historical and personal memory, have won prizes and acclaim and have been shown in film festivals around the world.[4] Boo's debut feature film Sandcastle (2010) was the first Singaporean film to be invited to the International Critics' Week at Cannes Film Festival.[5][6] Notable short films include Un Retrato De Familia (2004), Katong Fugue (2007), Keluar Baris (2008) and Tanjong Rhu (2009).
In 2013, Boo won the President’s Young Talents Credit Suisse Artist Commissioning Award for a video art piece, Mirror. Later that year, he participated at the Singapore Biennale with Happy and Free, a video installation that depicted a Singapore that remained a part of Malaysia in 2013 and was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the territories' merger.[7] Boo's short film, "Parting" was released as part of the omnibus titled 7 Letters (2015) to commemorate Singapore's 50th year of independence.[8]
In 2014, Boo announced that he will begin shooting his second film within the year. Executive produced by filmmaker Eric Khoo, Apprentice is a psychological drama about a young Malay correctional officer who is transferred to Singapore's top prison where he befriends its soon-to-retire chief executioner. The film is released in 2016, where it was selected to screen at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.[9][10].[11]
In 2016, Boo received the relatively new and coveted Rising Director award at the 21st Busan International Film Festival's Asia Star Awards 2016.[12]
In 2018, Boo was selected as the creative director of the Singapore National Day Parade.[13]
Filmography
- Apprentice (2016)
- 7 Letters (omnibus - segment "Parting"; 2015)
- Sandcastle (2010)
- Lucky 7 (omnibus - segment 3; 2007)
- Tanjong Rhu (aka The Casuarina Cove) (short; 2009)
- Keluar Baris / Homecoming (short; 2008)
- Bedok Jetty (short; 2008)
- Katong Fugue (short; 2007)
- The Changi Murals (short; 2006)
- Guo Ke / Stranger (short; 2004)
- Un Retrato De Familia / A Family Portrait (short; 2004)
Awards
- 2016 4th BIFF with Marie Claire Asia Star Awards: Rising Director (Apprentice)[12]
References
- hermes (2018-09-03). "How film-maker Boo Junfeng skirts controversy". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- "Royston Tan to produce Singapore's first dialect film anthology". 2 May 2017.
'I was going to be acting as myself, so I guess it was relatively stress free,' joked Boo, who is Hokkien.
- "Kinema: A journal for Film and Audiovisual Media".
- "Yesterday.sg". Archived from the original on 2011-10-18.
- "CNN Go: Boo Junfeng - Singapore's Next Filmmaking Star". Archived from the original on 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- Napolitano, Dean (19 November 2010). "The Wall Street Journal: Singaporean Director Is Coming of Age".
- "SingaporeBiennale".
- Chan, Boon (20 August 2014). "One film for Singapore's 50th year from seven top local directors, including Eric Khoo and Jack Neo". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- "2016 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- Cremin, Stephen (25 February 2014). "European partners board Boo Junfeng's Apprentice". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- Retnam, Reena Devi Shanmuga (7 October 2016). "Singaporean director Boo Junfeng awarded Rising Director at Busan International Film Festival". Today. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
- "NDP 2018 creative director Boo Junfeng: 'Unity' is not just about 'propaganda'". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-01-12.