Boo Junfeng (Chinese: 巫俊锋; pinyin: wū jùn fēng; born 4 December 1983) is a Singaporean filmmaker. Boo's films, Sandcastle (2010) and Apprentice (2016) have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival, beginning with his debut film, Sandcastle, which was an Critics' Week nominee.[1]
Boo Junfeng | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 December 1983 |
| Alma mater | Ngee Ann Polytechnic LASALLE College of the Arts |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Website | boojunfeng |
Background edit
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 Critics' Week section at the 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]
Boo's second feature film Apprentice (2016) was selected at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Executively produced by filmmaker Eric Khoo, the film 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.[9][10][11] He also revealed in an interview that he is personally against the death penalty in Singapore.[12]
In 2016, Boo received the Rising Director award at the 21st Busan International Film Festival's Asia Star Awards 2016.[13]
Boo was selected as the creative director of the Singapore National Day Parade in 2018[14] and 2021.[15]
Filmography edit
- Plague (part of 15 Shorts; 2018)
- Apprentice (2016)
- 7 Letters (omnibus - segment "Parting"; 2015)
- Sandcastle (2010)
- Tanjong Rhu (aka The Casuarina Cove) (short; 2009)
- Keluar Baris / Homecoming (short; 2008)
- Bedok Jetty (short; 2008)
- Lucky 7 (omnibus - segment 3; 2007)
- Katong Fugue (short; 2007)
- The Changi Murals (short; 2006)
- Guo Ke / Stranger (short; 2004)
- Un Retrato De Familia / A Family Portrait (short; 2004)
Awards edit
- 2010 1st Hanoi International Film Festival Best Feature Film and Best Director awards (Sandcastle)[16]
- 2016 Marie Claire Asia Star Awards: Rising Director, awarded in the 4th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) (Apprentice)[13]
References edit
- ^ hermes (3 September 2018). "How film-maker Boo Junfeng skirts controversy". The Straits Times. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "Royston Tan to produce Singapore's first dialect film anthology". 2 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
'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 18 October 2011.
- ^ "CNN Go: Boo Junfeng - Singapore's Next Filmmaking Star". Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The world could use more empathy, says Apprentice director Boo Junfeng". The Straits Times. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ a b Retnam, Reena Devi Shanmuga (7 October 2016). "Singaporean director Boo Junfeng awarded Rising Director at Busan International Film Festival". Today. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ^ "NDP 2018 creative director Boo Junfeng: 'Unity' is not just about 'propaganda'". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ Lim, Min Zhang (21 August 2021). "WATCH: National Day Parade 2021". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Napolitano, Dean. "Singaporean Director Is Coming of Age". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 January 2015.