Singapore International Film Festival confirms that Solos will not have public screening

Solos will still be eligible to compete for the Silver Screen Awards

Singapore, 20 April, 2007 – Solos, the only Singaporean film in competition for the 2007 Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) Silver Screen awards, will not be holding its World Premiere in its home country but will still be allowed to compete for the festival’s Silver Screen Awards.

Solos is one of eleven films selected to participate in competition for the Silver Screen awards and will be allowed a private screening for the festival’s jury. The decision to cancel the public screening originally scheduled on the 25th April is a joint decision between the producers and the organizers of the festival to preserve the principle that films at the festival should be shown uncut. The film received an R21 rating with 3 cuts from the Board of Film Censors.

Solos is a story about love and explores relationships among three individuals who are struggling to open up their feelings towards each other.
Filmmakers Kan LUME and LOO Zihan co-directed Solos, which was inspired by true events of a teacher-student relationship. Solos is the 2nd collaboration of the two directors, the first being a short film, Untitled (2005), which took home the top prize at the Take 5! Guerilla Filmmaking Challenge 2005 organized by the Singapore History Museum

The film stars award winning theatre actors, LIM Yu-Beng (Singapore Dreaming, Anna & the King, AD 2000) and GOH Guat Kian in her film debut. Director LOO Zi-han also wrote the screenplay and played the BOY role in the film. Sound design and music was composed by Darren NG, one of Singapore’s most respected and acclaimed sound artist.

In Solos, a man (LIM Yu-Beng) and a boy (LOO Zihan) struggle with their mutual sexual desire, all the more because it seems to be a transgression, an anomaly compared to the banal normality of the domestic family unit they try to fit into and live in. The BOY's mother (GOH Guat Kian) suffers from depression and loneliness but is unable to express her emotions to her son.

Solos is produced by Florence ANG with Ricardo UNCILLA as Executive Producer, and Kan Lume as Co-Producer.

Solos was shot on HD and edited on Grass Valley™ EDIUS HD from Thomson. AV8 Media provided the facility for editing. The film’s running time is 77 minutes and has no dialogue.

Official Movie Website : www.solosmovie.com

For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact:

Ian Purnomo (Publicist)
Red Dawn Communications
Mobile +65 8200 4721 DID: +65 6222 4704
ian@reddawncommunications.com

ABOUT THE DIRECTORS AND MUSIC COMPOSER

Kan Lume – Director

Kan’s debut feature film, The Art of Flirting (2005), was named Best ASEAN Feature at the 2005 Malaysian Video Awards, beating out Malaysian favorite Gol and Gincu (2005) to bag the top spot.

It was also in competition for Best Film in Jeonju International Film Festival under Digital Spectrum, and was chosen for the official selection of the 19th Singapore International Film Festival 2006.

A Film and Television graduate from Australia’s Bond University, Kan Lume has written, directed, produced, edited and shot more than 10 short films in the last three years.

Solos is his second feature film after The Art of Flirting.

In 2005, Kan collaborated with Loo Zihan for Untitled (2005), which was developed into Solos. Untitled won the top prize at Take 5! Guerrilla Film Making Challenge 2005 organized by Singapore History Museum. His other accolades are the Best of Show at Canon DV Fest 2005, 5th Prize for SAE’s National Film Festival 2005 and Judges’ Choice Award for Fly-By-Night 2004.



Loo Zihan – Director / Writer

Within the year of 2005, Zihan directed three short films and edited two others. One of the short films, Untitled (2005), was done in collaboration with Kan Lume and was developed into his debut feature length film, Solos.

Untitled (2005) won the top prize at Take 5! Guerrilla Film Making Challenge 2005 with the Singapore History Museum and was subsequently screened in the 3rd Singapore Short Cuts and Short Circuit 2006.

His other short films include Embryo (2006), which was selected by the Asian Film Archive to be screened in a showcase of Singapore Film and Video – Painkiller for my Foreign Body with films by other local directors like Tan Pin Pin and Eric Khoo. The screening was held in London, March 2007. Zihan also won the Judges' Choice Award for Fly-By-Night 2006 with his short film Lucilla (2006).

He is reading at the School of Art Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University.



Darren Ng – Sound Engineer / Music Composer

Darren is a sound artist whose Ethereal-Ethno-Electronic sound-bites have established him as one of the most sought-after sound designers/music composers and arrangers in the local theatre scene.

With two nominations under his belt, he won the coveted award of Best Sound Designer for the 6th Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards 2006.

Darren was the first sound artist invited by the Asian Civilization Museum (Empress Palace) to design the audio of the museum’s closing event of Journey of Faith, Art & History from the Vatican Collection.

To date, the National University of Singapore Theatre Studies and Philosophy graduate has worked on Death and the Maiden (Escape Theatre), Furthest North Deepest South, and Twisted (The Finger Players), to name a few.

He has also been commission to work on sound installation project with the Singapore History Museum.