Named “Singapore’s latest film funnyman” by The Straits Times, Life!, Jacen Tan is one of Singapore’s most exciting young filmmakers. In the pre-YouTube days, Jacen’s first short comedy, Tak Giu (Kick Ball), became a viral hit on the Internet, with over 100,000 views.
In 2005, his 2nd film, Zo Peng (Go Army), won 2nd place at the Panasonic MDA Digital Film Fiesta. This resulted in the creation of 2 more films Zo Gang & Zo Hee (Go Work & Make Movie), completing the “Zo” comedy trilogy, proving that his unique sense of Singapore humour is well and widely received. Zo Hee was specially commissioned by The Substation Moving Images to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
In 2011, Jacen released Hosaywood, a DVD compilation of his short films. Popularising the local slang “Hosay” (“Great!”) has helped Tan stand out as a filmmaker who has embraced being Singaporean by touching on topics close to the hearts of the people. 8 Days magazine refers to Jacen’s films as having “more Singaporean flavour than a pot of curry.” Jacen also served as assistant director on Han Yew Kwang’s comedy hit, Rubbers (2014).
Jacen’s latest short film Homeground (2015) was selected for the POSB Storytellers Grant in 2015. An avid zombie movie buff, Jacen created Zombiepura (2018) to fulfill his fantasy of surviving in an apocalyptic world.