12 LOTUS

Director Royston Tan / 2008 / Singapore

“The switch for kitschy visuals and florid melodrama is flicked to 11.” - Variety

Flamboyant filmmaker Royston Tan follows on from the bubblegum musical fun of 881 (MIFF 08) to once again delve into the exuberant Singaporean song culture of getai - a series of open-air concerts dominating the seventh month of the Chinese calendar.

12 Lotus follows the darker tale of Lian Hua, a girl who dreams of becoming a singer and performing the ‘12 Lotus' - a tragic story of a woman who suffers many hardships - and whose life will end up mirroring that of the song's heroine.

Awash with colourful, over-the-top musical numbers and stellar performances, Royston Tan's answer to Moulin Rouge glitters with dazzling visuals and slick choreography.


D Royston Tan P Mabelyn Ow S Liam Yeo, Roystan Tan WS Mediacorp Raintree L Hokkien, Mandarin w/English subtitles TD 35mm/2008

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