Singapore MP, minister… and now film director? Josephine Teo tries her hand at film directing for the very first time

Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo appeared to don another hat recently with her “maiden attempt at directing”, she said over posts on Facebook and LinkedIn.

While directing film clips is not something she is familiar with, Ms Teo gamely said yes to the challenge. “This is my first directorial attempt, and it was definitely not an easy feat, having to look at various aspects like lighting, sound and camera angle!”

Ms Teo, who began heading MCI in 2021, wrote in her Dec 17 post that when she visited King Kong Media Production 金刚媒体, the company’s co-founder, Mr Mark Lee Kok Huang, “really put (her) in the hot seat, by asking me to play director for their short clip.”

The company, founded in 2018, has multiple arms, including movie development, online content creation, social media marketing and talent management.

Its pool of talents includes artists such as Henry Thia, Marcus Chin, Chef Melvyn, Chase Tan, Jaspers Lai, and Ee Chiou Huey, as well as Mr Lee himself.

She thanked “the real director Tan Wei Yang” who had “patiently guided” her throughout the process, as well as cast members Chiou Huey, Jaspers Lai, Marcus Chin, Henry Thia, and Chase Tan, whom she said “are so experienced” that they “hardly needing any directing from me.”

“We also got to try out the thoughtfully planned refreshments prepared by Chef Melvyn Lee,” the Minister added before expressing “Huge respect for those in Singapore’s media and creator industries. We will continue to work with you to nurture talents, improve content quality, and position Singapore as a content hub.” /TISG

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