Jasmine Ng Kin Kia ( zh, 黃錦佳; born 1972) is a Singaporean director known for co-directing the feature film ''
Eating Air
Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food, typically to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive — carnivores eat other animals, herbi ...
''
with
Kelvin Tong, the documentary film ''
Pink Paddlers'' and the short film ''
Moveable Feast'', which she co-directed alongside Tong and
Sandi Tan
Sandi Tan (born 1972 in Singapore) is a film critic, writer, and filmmaker. After attending the University of Kent, she wrote as the film critic for ''The Straits Times'' from 1995 to 1997 before attending Columbia University's film school and ...
. She is also a part-time film lecturer at the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
.
Early life and education
While Ng was studying at
Singapore Chinese Girls' School
Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS) is an independent girls' school in Bukit Timah, Singapore, located opposite Stevens MRT station. Founded in 1899, it is one of the oldest institutions in Singapore. It offers a six-year primary education in ...
, she filmed her own rendition of
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
with the "odd-sized girls" in her class, which she titled ''Duck Pond''.
She studied at
Victoria Junior College
, motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour
, streetaddress = 20 Marine Vista, 449035
, country = Singapore
, coordinates =
, type = Government
, gender ...
.
In 1991, she won a scholarship to study at
New York University Tisch School of the Arts, jointly offered by the
Economic Development Board and VHQ, becoming the first person to win the scholarship. In the summer of 1992, she and her friends
Sandi Tan
Sandi Tan (born 1972 in Singapore) is a film critic, writer, and filmmaker. After attending the University of Kent, she wrote as the film critic for ''The Straits Times'' from 1995 to 1997 before attending Columbia University's film school and ...
and Sophia Siddique decided to make a film. They would use their savings to make the film, and would be guided by Georges Cardona, who was their mentor and close friend. The film, ''Shirkers'', starring Tan as a serial killer named "S", was edited by Ng, produced by Siddique and directed by Cardona. However, before the film could be completed, Cardona disappeared with the film.
Career
In 1996, Ng, Tan and filmmaker
Kelvin Tong filmed the 14-minute short film ''
Moveable Feast'' which won the Best Short Film Award at the 1996
Singapore International Film Festival
The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for ...
, and played at various other film festivals. By then, she had also become a film and video editor at VHQ. She co-directed the romantic action film ''
Eating Air
Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food, typically to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive — carnivores eat other animals, herbi ...
'' with Tong in 1999. The film was the acting debut of
Benjamin Heng Benjamin Heng (born 1976) is a Singaporean actor, known for starring in the romantic action film ''Eating Air'', the comedy film ''Lelio Popo'', and in the horror comedy film ''Zombiepura'', as well as in several television series, such as ''Anythin ...
, who starred in the film, and the feature debut of
Michelle Chong
Michelle Chong (, born 22 April 1977) is a Singaporean film, TV and digital content producer and director, writer and actress. She left the National Broadcaster Mediacorp in 2011 to set up her own media agency Left Profile and production hou ...
, who had a supporting role. The film won the Young Cinema Award at the 2000 Singapore International Film Festival and was screened at various other film festivals, later becoming a
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...
.
In 2007, she filmed the documentary film ''
Pink Paddlers'', which follows members of the dragonboat team of the Breast Cancer Society getting ready for the Breast Cancer Survivors DragonBoat World Championship.
The film received support with a grant from the Khoo Teck Puat Foundation and raised funds for Breast Cancer Foundation Singapore,
Unifem
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, french: Fonds de développement des Nations unies pour la femme, ) was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International ...
and SCWO Star Shelter.
She served as a Board Member of the Singapore International Film Festival in 2009.
She has also directed several television commercials, and held film workshops and mentorship programmes.
She was an interviewee in Sandi Tan's
2018 documentary film on the development and the disappearance of ''Shirkers'' as well as George Cardona. By then, she had also become a part-time film lecturer at the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
, and had taught in the
LASALLE College of the Arts and various polytechnics and primary schools.
Filmography
* ''
Moveable Feast'' (1996; co-directed with
Sandi Tan
Sandi Tan (born 1972 in Singapore) is a film critic, writer, and filmmaker. After attending the University of Kent, she wrote as the film critic for ''The Straits Times'' from 1995 to 1997 before attending Columbia University's film school and ...
and
Kelvin Tong)
* ''
Eating Air
Eating (also known as consuming) is the ingestion of food, typically to provide a heterotrophic organism with energy and to allow for growth. Animals and other heterotrophs must eat in order to survive — carnivores eat other animals, herbi ...
'' (1999; co-directed with Kelvin Tong)
* ''
Pink Paddlers'' (2007)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ng, Jasmine
1972 births
Singaporean film directors
Singaporean women film directors
Living people