15 (film)

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15: The Movie

15: The Movie theatrical poster
Directed by Royston Tan
Produced by Tan Fong Cheng
Eric Khoo
Written by Royston Tan
Starring Melvin Chen
Erick Chun
Melvin Lee
Vynn Soh
Shaun Tan
Editing by Pinky Calica
Release date(s) 27 Apr 2003 (Singapore)
5 Sep 2003 (Canada)
5 Nov 2003 (UK)
16 Jan 2004 (US)
16 Jun 2004 (Australia)
Running time 96 min
Country Flag of Singapore Singapore
Language Hokkien, Mandarin
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

15: The Movie, also known simply as 15, is a 2003 Singaporean film about teenage gangsters in the Singapore suburbs. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Royston Tan, the film is an expanded version of Tan's 2002 award-winning short film, also titled 15.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The film stars three real-life juvenile gangsters, aged 15, giving an honest and accurate depiction of Chinese teenage gang-life in the Singapore suburbs. The 2003 film features two more gangsters as characters as well as a fight sequence with more affluent English-educated Singapore youths. Rather than scripting the movie or employing professional actors, Tan attempted to capture the troubled lives of his characters in cinema verite fashion.

[edit] Distribution

In Singapore, the film premiered during the 2003 Singapore International Film Festival.[1] In 2003, it premiered in Canada during the Montreal World Film Festival,[1] and in Britain during the London Film Festival.[1] In 2004, it premiered in the US during the Sundance Film Festival,[1] and in Australia during the Sydney Film Festival.[1] The film also saw its first US theatrical release in New York City on 13 April 2005.[1][2]

In Singapore, the film is distributed by Zhao Wei Films. In North America, it is distributed by Picture This! Entertainment.[3]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Censorship

While 15: The Movie was initially banned in Singapore, the Singapore Board of Film Censors (BFC) later ruled that the film should be rated R(A).[4] Under pressure from the BFC, Royston Tan ended up making 27 cuts to the film.[5] Opposition was also raised against the heavy use of the Hokkien language in the film,[citation needed] which is discouraged by the Singapore government in favour of Mandarin and English. These restrictions infuriated Tan, and would later lead him to create his satirical short film Cut.[5]

[edit] Awards

[edit] Trivia

  • 15: The Movie has been advertised outside of Singapore in gay publications, due to the heavy homoerotic tension between the characters. However, in an interview segment of the DVD Royston's Shorts, a collection of Tan's short films, Tan affirms that the boys whose lives he portrayed do not identify as gay.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f IMDB: Release dates for 15: The Movie (2003).
  2. ^ 15 at Box Office Mojo.
  3. ^ IMDB: Company Credits for 15: The Movie (2003).
  4. ^ 15 at the Internet Movie Database.
  5. ^ a b "Take a big breath, you'll survive." The Standard. 27 Jul 2006.
  6. ^ a b c d IMDB: Awards for 15: The Movie (2003).
  7. ^ Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen: 2003 Award Winners.
  8. ^ 6th Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente: Winners.

[edit] References

[edit] Reviews

[edit] External links