Local director filming debut movie on bittersweet love between Filipino domestic helper and Vietnamese migrant worker
(From left) Rhen Escaño, Sean Ng, and Ho Thanh Trung at the Start of Production ceremony for Sunday.
PHOTO: mm2 Entertainment
PUBLISHED ONAugust 19, 2021 9:17 AMByXavier Poh
Promising local director Sean Ng held a lensing ceremony on Aug 16 for his debut movie about a bittersweet love between migrant workers in Singapore.
Titled Sunday, it stars Filipino actress Rhen Escaño and Vietnamese actor Ho Thanh Trung as domestic helper Lily and bus boy Minh respectively.
The two characters cross paths in Singapore and find comfort in each other’s presence and company, easing their loneliness in a distant land. The relationship starts out pure and simple, but the couple begin to lose sight of reality and their identities as their romance progresses.
The movie will also star local actors Michelle Saram and Adrian Pang in supporting roles.
Sean said: “It has been a really tough year-and-a-half for the film industry since Covid-19 and the restrictions began. Producing this film right now is definitely not the easiest choice, as we’re shooting on location and with a foreign cast.
“But having said that, we’re blessed with a really dedicated team that has been taking on the challenges in their stride, considering all the unpredictability and new norms we are facing. The team is very excited to have such an opportunity to share this story with the world.”
In 2015, Sean won the inaugural mm2 Movie Makers Awards competition organised by mm2 Entertainment in Singapore and Hong Kong. The contest aims to develop new movie-making talent and help filmmakers gain regional exposure.
The top three winners are given a chance to create a film with mm2.
Director Jun Li, one of the winners of the 2017 Hong Kong competition, released the movie Drifting — starring Francis Ng — in June. The film collected over HK$6.4 million ($1.12 million) at the Hong Kong box office and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Awards at the 15th FIRST International Film Festival in Xining, China.
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