- Title: Singaporean director Boo Junfeng returns to Cannes
- Date: 17th May 2016
- Summary: CANNES, FRANCE (MAY 17, 2016) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, BOO JUNFENG, SAYING: "Meeting him I realised how likable he actually was. He was this grandfather, very funny very jocular and I was a little bit disturbed at how much I actually liked him as a person. And after that for three months I couldn't write because I was thrown off and I felt that I needed time to process."
- Embargoed: 1st June 2016 17:55
- Keywords: Cannes film festival Singapore death penalty The Apprentice
- Location: CANNES, FRANCE / VARIOUS UNKNOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
- City: CANNES, FRANCE / VARIOUS UNKNOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA0044I74U31
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Singaporean director Boo Junfeng is back in Cannes with his second feature 'The Apprentice'.
The 32-year-old's film, which takes on the issue of the death penalty in his home country, is screening in the Un Certain Regard category.
The Apprentice follows Aiman, a prison guard working in the rehabilitation section, who ends up serving as the apprentice to the jail's executioner.
Though Boo has a personal take on the issue, he said his aim with the film was to explore this controversial aspect of Singaporean society from all angles.
"I'm personally against the death penalty, I don't believe we have the right to take the life of someone else even if that person had committed terrible things. That's coming from a very principled point of view but I must say the film is not about that," he said.
Murder, drug use and firearms offences can fall under capital punishment under Singaporean law.
Making the film was a five year marathon for Boo, who put a huge amount of time into researching his characters and met a former executioner, an experience which left him shaken.
"Meeting him I realised how likable he actually was. He was this grandfather, very funny very jocular and I was a little bit disturbed at how much I actually liked him as a person. And after that for three months I couldn't write because I was thrown off and I felt that I needed time to process," he said.
Boo is not the only Singaporean in Cannes, K Rajagopal's debut feature, 'A Yellow Bird' is also showing at the international critics week.
"I think we are going through quite an exciting period now, a few years ago we had Anthony Chen win the Camera d'Or with Ilo Ilo, and now with this we have two Singapore films in Cannes, I think it's certainly come a long way, but what I've noticed is that younger filmmakers are more willing to devote a lot of time to the development phase of their films," said Boo, who added that he believes this produces deeper and richer features.
'Ilo Ilo' competed for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, in 2008. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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