In 2004, Royston Tan was named as one of the “Top 20 Asian Heroes” by Time Magazine, for being bold, brave and remarkable in his field. Tan’s willingness to push the creative envelope has made him a hero to the city’s independent artists. A filmmaker with a huge cult following around the world, his retrospective show 0104, a showcase featuring all his award winning short films over the last 10 years have traveled to ICA London, Chicago, Japan and Singapore with overwhelming response.
In 2006, Royston Tan’s second feature film 4:30 became the first Singapore film to be funded and co-produced by NHK Japan. The film held its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. 4:30 then went on to bag wards such as the NETPAC Award at the 26th Hawaii International Film Festival, Grand Prix Award for Best Film at the International Film Festival Bratislava and the Best Film Award at the Rome Asian Film Festival.
In 2007, his 3rd feature film 881 became the top grossing local film in Singapore, making its ensemble cast instant household names overnight. It was presented as
one of the four films in Pusan fest’s new Gala Screenings section. Out of Singapore,
international rights for the movie for the Malaysia and Japan markets, was picked up
by the Easternlight label of Oz-U.S. sales agency Archlight Films. The film also
scored a nomination in the 44th Golden Horse Awards for Best Costume and
Makeup.
