Crazy Smart Asia lifts the lid on the unexpected stories behind some of Asia’s boldest disruptors. Every week we talk with a young leader about the crazy-smart approaches they’re taking to achieve success and tackle some of the biggest issues facing Asia today.
“Horror is like a rollercoaster ride, it mirrors us as human beings,” says Kenneth Dagatan, the film director behind the Philippines’ first scary film to premiere at the Sundance’s Midnight Section. On Crazy Smart Asia, Dagatan shares with Tatler Gen.T’s Chong Seow Wei his philosophy of horror beyond cheap thrills, the joy of directing with playfulness and why nothing scares him more than the realities of adulthood.
“Animation is a magical thing that can bring ideas and beauty to people who don’t get access,” says visual development artist Desiree Ong on the Crazy Smart Asia podcast. In conversation with Tatler Gen.T’s Chong Seow Wei, Ong shares about the film that sparked her curiosity in animation, being a graphic designer for Guillermo del Toro’s award-winning stop-motion musical ‘Pinocchio’ and navigating the international film world as a Singaporean artist.
“The more specific you are, the more global you are,” says Tan Si En, an award-winning Singaporean film producer and founder of Momo Film Co, on the Crazy Smart Asia podcast. In conversation with Tatler Gen.T’s Chong Seow Wei, they share why the best producers are like rivers – they flow with the bends, why the best films tell stories that are true to personal experiences, and dreams of an alternate career as a champagne grower.
“Being a film composer is about how good your instincts are,” says music composer Elliot Leung on the Crazy Smart Asia podcast. In conversation with Tatler Gen.T’s Chong Seow Wei, the Hong Kong native discusses the process of composing big orchestral scores for blockbusters, why the ultimate compliment is the audience humming the main theme song in the bathroom after watching a film and why the voice memos app is his secret weapon in composition.
