Tzang Merwyn Tong (b. 1979)
Alias:
Tzang
Birthplace:
Singapore
Born:
October 31, 1979
Tzang Merwyn Tong is an independent script writer/ film director with films that have traveled to critical acclaim in prestigious film festivals. Tzang's films are characterized by his rather offbeat style, often set in a surreal environment, incorporating elements of fairytale and comic fantasy. Tong graduated from Curtin University in Western Australia with a degree in Mass Communications. But his aspirations of being a filmmaker/storyteller started way back. He embarked on his debut film [e'Tzaintes], a self-written, self-funded teenage epic at the age of 19 with no prior knowledge and experience in filmmaking. This film, which took 3 years to complete, with the help of the Singapore Film Commission's Short Film Grant, was made guerrilla-style under tight constraints, with no confirmed budget, no professional actors and no proper on-set director. It won him the Bronze Remi Award for the Independent Category at the 2003 WorldFest in Houston, USA. Tzang was also named as one of the '25 Brightest Sparks' to watch in Hype Magazine. Soon after e'Tzaintes was completed, he started work on his second film, a psycho-erotic thriller based on the Little Red Riding Hood fable. A Wicked Tale made its World Premiere to critical acclaim at the 34th Rotterdam International Film Festival. The film went on to festivals in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Melbourne, Montreal, Lund, Leeds and Florida, receiving rave reviews as the Closing Night film of the Montreal FanTasia Festival. It was described by The Mirror as a "hallicinatory atmospheric film drenched in lust and dread". Tzang was one of the 500 selected filmmakers invited to participate at the 3rd Berlin Talent Campus by the Berlin International Film Festival. As part of the program, Tzang attended master classes conducted by director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven), Asano Tadanobu (Zatoichi, Ichi the Killer) and award winning cinematographer Christopher Doyle (2046, Chungking Express). In December 2005, Tzang became the youngest Singaporean ever to release his film commercially on DVD. A Wicked Tale was released on DVD/VCD by Comstar Entertainment in Singapore. As of 2006, all copies of this limited edition were sold out. The movie is now unavailable to Singapore audiences. Named by IS magazine as an 'X-factor personality' to look out for, Tzang represents the new generation of Singapore filmmakers calling for a change in the way Singaporean films are made.