Jasmine Ng

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Jasmine Ng
Born1972 (age 51–52)
Education
Alma materNew York University Tisch School of the Arts
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • lecturer
Years active1996−present
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese黃錦佳
Simplified Chinese黃錦佳
Hanyu PinyinHuáng Jǐnjiā

Jasmine Ng Kin Kia (Chinese: 黃錦佳; born 1972) is a Singaporean film director. She is known for co-directing the feature film Eating Air,[1] the documentary film Pink Paddlers and the short film Moveable Feast. She is also a part-time film lecturer at the National University of Singapore.

Early life and education[edit]

While Ng was studying at Singapore Chinese Girls' School, she filmed her own rendition of Swan Lake with the "odd-sized girls" in her class, which she titled Duck Pond.[2] She studied at Victoria Junior College.[3] In 1991, she became the first person to win a scholarship to study at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, jointly offered by the Economic Development Board and VHQ.[4]

In the summer of 1992, Ng, Sandi Tan and Sophia Siddique decided to make a film. They were guided by Georges Cardona, who was their mentor and close friend. Directed by Cardona, Tan plays a serial killer in the film which was edited by Ng and produced by Siddique. Before the film could be completed, Cardona disappeared with the film footage.[5] The footage was later recovered and became part of the 2018 documentary film Shirkers[6] directed by Tan.

Career[edit]

In 1996, Ng co-directed the 14-minute short film Moveable Feast with Sandi Tan and Kelvin Tong. It won the Best Short Film Award at the Singapore International Film Festival and played at various other film festivals. By then, she had also become a film and video editor at VHQ.[7]

Ng co-directed the feature film Eating Air with Tong in 1999.[8] The romantic action film was the acting debut of Benjamin Heng and feature debut of Michelle Chong with a supporting role. The film won the Young Cinema Award at the 2000 Singapore International Film Festival. It has since been considered a cult film among the local film community.[9]

In 2007, Ng directed the documentary film Pink Paddlers. The film follows the dragonboat team members of the Breast Cancer Society as they get ready for the Breast Cancer Survivors DragonBoat World Championship.[10] The film received a grant from the Khoo Teck Puat Foundation and raised funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation Singapore, Unifem and SCWO Star Shelter.[11]

Ng was a Board Member of the Singapore International Film Festival in 2009.[3] She has also directed several television commercials and held film workshops and mentorship programmes.[11]

Ng was an interviewee in Sandi Tan's Shirkers, the 2018 documentary film. By then, Ng was a part-time film lecturer at the National University of Singapore and had taught at the LASALLE College of the Arts, various polytechnics and primary schools.[2]

In 2023, Ng co-produced A Year of No Significance directed by Kelvin Tong.[12]

Filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Derek Elley (13 February 2000). "Film reviews - Eating Air". Variety. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Ang, Jolene (10 December 2018). "Shirkers – a lesson in ethics for film students". The Straits Times. Singapore.
  3. ^ a b "Portrait of Ms. Jasmine Ng, Singaporean filmmaker". BookSG. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  4. ^ Tan, Sandi (2 June 1991). "Lights, camera ... but action?". The Straits Times. Singapore.
  5. ^ Hans, Simran (20 October 2018). "Shirkers: a movie mystery 25 years in the making". The Observer. Singapore. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  6. ^ Keeley, Pete (13 November 2018). "How a "Shape-Shifter" Director Hijacked a Teen Film for More Than 20 Years". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ^ Gwee, Elizabeth (26 July 1997). "Moveable Feast is now Bewegliches Festessen". The Straits Times. Singapore.
  8. ^ Teo, Pau Lin (3 December 1999). "Ah, the sweet scent of exhaust fumes". The Straits Times. Singapore.
  9. ^ Lui, John (19 January 2022). "S'pore cult classic film Eating Air makes Netflix debut on Jan 28". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. ^ Cheah, Ui-hoon (27 October 2007). "Not just another Survivor show". The Business Times. Singapore.
  11. ^ a b "Jasmine Ng Kin Kia". Infocomm Media Development Authority. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  12. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2 December 2023). "'A Year of No Significance' Chronicles a Fading Generation of Chinese-Educated Singaporeans – SGIFF". Variety. Retrieved 31 December 2023.