It took five years for executive producer Daniel Yun to finally give a nod to start production of local film ‘1965’. Pre-production will commence this month and principal photography will start in November, in time for the SG50 celebrations in 2015.
The long wait was mainly because Yun was ‘not comfortable with the script’, until about a year ago when the project finally had a strong premise. “We also needed a story that will relate and relink it to the modern day Singapore, to the younger generation,” he shared, adding “When the Little India Riot happened, it became very clear that it is not just something that just happens in the past, it is something that can happen today.”
(L-R: lead actors Qi Yuwu and Deanna Yusoff)
The two out of four leads of the movie were announced at the press conference yesterday at Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel, namely MediaCorp artiste Qi Yuwu and Malaysian actress Deanna Yusoff.
Singapore’s first Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew will be featured in the film, but Yun emphasised that 1965 is ‘not a biopic of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’.
“1965 It’s not a political film and it is not a propaganda film. It is not a docu-drama and it’s not a movie about the independence of Singapore. So what is it really about? It is really about how fragile racial harmony can be and how we can take it for granted,” he continued.
(L-R: Executive Producers Melvin Ang (mm2 Entertainment) and Daniel Yun (blue3 Pictures))
As to who will be playing Singapore’s founding father Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the producers are not name-dropping any actor for now, but will ‘progressively reveal the rest of the cast’ in the days to come. “It was a difficult and long process, but it’s a decision that we made based on the aura and what he can bring to the spirit of this person (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) … it will be played by a local actor,” explained Yun, who headed MediaCorp Raintree Pictures to over 30 film releases, including ‘I Not Stupid’, ‘The Maid’ and ‘881’.
“I was very attracted to this character when it was offered to me. I think it’s a role that a lot of people can relate to… So I’m very, very honoured to part of this amazing project,” said actress Yusoff, who will be playing Khatijah, a single mother with a son in the police force.
Co-actor Qi also shared his excitement for the project, “In 1965, I wasn’t born. I don’t know what was it like to be living in 1965, and more so I wouldn’t know the Singapore in 1965… I’m looking forward to see how this film can bring me back to that period of time.” Qi will be playing a police inspector of the then Royal Malaysian Police Force and
1965 will be directed by Re:solve director Randy Ang, who is ‘honoured’ to be part of the film. “The past year and a half spent on the development and research has brought me to appreciate what the founding generation has to go through to get us to where we are today.”
The film comprises of various languages and dialects, such as Malay, Cantonese and Teochew, which were more often used in the past.
(L-R: costume designer Goh Lai Chan, director Randy Ang, scriptwriter Andrew Ngin Chiang Meng)
“With all the languages, it’s going to balance out quite nicely… and you know what? That’s going to be the beauty of it,” quipped Ang.