Close up: Hosaywood

What’s behind the name ‘Hosaywood’?
‘Hosaywood is a play on Hollywood. Hosay [‘great’] is Hokkien, local slang – [a huge part of] my films – so I thought it was a nice fi t and a fun name. Then, over the years, it stuck.’

All of your films feature distinctly Singaporean humour – do you think foreigners can relate to it?
‘I’ve actually shown some of my films overseas. Zo Gang [‘Go Work’], for example, my third film about a guy going to work, was received very well. I showed it in Germany [and] the European audiences found it funny. I was quite surprised initially but, then again, except for some local jokes, I think humour is quite universal. I don’t know why some Singaporeans feel that our humour is not exportable – I think if you have a good film, people will be able to appreciate it.’

What made you decide to release a compilation DVD?
‘I’ve been working on it for a while actually – ever since my last film, Kwa Giu [‘Watch Football’], was shot [in 2007]. After I finished making it, I thought, “Why not put all my films in a DVD and launch it?” And [releasing it so close to National Day] is just great timing because most of my films are about Singapore.’

But why the four-year wait given that you’d finished shooting your last film in 2007?
‘Kwa Giu is a documentary tribute to the demolished [Kallang] National Stadium and it made sense to release it after it was torn down. But even though they had the official closing ceremony match in 2007, due to a number of reasons, it was only a few years later that they demolished it.’

So what can we expect from your new film?
‘The National Stadium is an important place to me because I went there to watch Malaysia Cup football matches as a child – that’s where I first experienced the really intense and exciting football-match atmosphere. So when they said they were demolishing the stadium, I thought it would be great to document that atmosphere. In 2007, during what ended up being the last ever full-house match in the National Stadium – the ASEAN Cup final against Thailand – I was there with three cameras, filming the crowd, documenting the place, the atmosphere and what happens inside and outside the stadium. I think it was an iconic match. With this film, audiences will be able to preserve such memories.’

Is it geared exclusively towards soccer fans?
‘I think even non-soccer fans will like it, but naturally it appeals more to Singapore soccer fans, especially if they’ve been to the stadium when it was a full house, when the blood’s really pumping. Kwa Giu is not about the football – it’s about the fans. When you go to a match, everyone’s wearing red, raising flags – they paint their faces and everyone’s just very charged up. And it was very interesting because people who would usually be shy elsewhere in front of a camera – [Singaporeans] are just shy – were completely different. When you’re inside a stadium, it’s like a cauldron full of very excited fans eager to show their love for the team, or Singapore. That’s the kind of atmosphere that only occurs at the iconic National Stadium. So I documented the crowd, their reactions and their emotions, especially when goals [were] scored and missed.’

It’s your first film that’s not a comedy – quite a departure from your previous work.
‘It’s certainly a little sentimental since it’s about something that’s gone. But the humour is still there – there’s natural humour coming through. It’s fun at the stadium: people will wave at you and do a lot of funny things for the camera.’ What’s the DVD extra ‘Hosay All Over the World’ about? ‘When I went on my trips overseas, I made friends from all over the world. It’s basically a collection of them saying “hosay, lah!” in all their different accents – Italian, Russian, Finnish, American, etc.’

Is that red lightning bolt on the DVD cover a reference to the People’s Action Party?
‘It’s open to interpretation – that’s all I’m going to say [about] that.’

Hosaywood is available at Objectifs, priced at $16.50.