Hock Hiap Leong

I seems to be going back in time very often these days. Well, maybe its because of the tons of work that had to be done which reminds me of how carefree I was back then in poly. Or maybe its beacuse I am growing old with every second passing by which makes me wanna look back. Whichever it is, I cant deny the fact that whatever that had happen in the past are memories to be kept. And when you look back into those good times which you had, you can't help but put on a smile on your face.

The recent movie 881 by Royston Tan had reminded me of the short flim, Hock Hiap Leong, in which I took part in the filming. Hock Hiap Leong is a short film by Royston Tan in 2001 and this film had got the following awards:

1. Jury's Diploma of Merit Award, 32nd Tampere International Film Festival
2. International Hury Honorary Mention, 21st Uppsala International Short Film Festival

This film was made in memories of this coffeeshop in Singapore which had to be tear down to make way for modernisation.

I still remember that one day a friend of ours asked us if we would like to take part in the filming of a short film. We will be dancers in the film but we will not be paid. Well, it doesnt matter if we are gonna be paid, its the experience that counts. So we agreed.

Weeks after the making of the film, Royston Tan gathered all the crew for a thank you dinner cum mini crew award presentation. To my surprise, He awarded me The Best Smile on Camera Award. He also gave each of us a vcd of Hock Hiap Leong to keep.

However, after 6 years, the vcd cannot be played any more. I do not know why. So are all the copies given to my friends. I only managed to revive the Behind The Scene track, but not the main film. It was kinda sad. So I went online to search for it. I managed to find a DVD titled "ROYSTON'S SHORTS". It is a collection of many short films by Royston and Hock Hiap Leong is one of it. GREAT!

However, this DVD is so difficult to find in Singapore. So difficult that I had to oplace an order for it. So I did. Initially, I wanted to upload this film online to share with everyone. Especially to those who took part in the filming. But then I realised that this ROYSTON'S SHORT DVD is actually part of a fund raising project and that the money collected will go to some charity, I decided not to upload it. If you wanna see the film, go buy the DVD ok? Comm'on man, do some charity!!! For more info on this DVD, and for those who took parted in this film, CLICK HERE to see your name in the website.

Here are some photos.