Eric Khoo

Eric Khoo Kim Hai(born 27 March 1965) is a Singaporean film director and producer who is often credited for the revival of the Singapore modern film industry.
Born on 27 March 1965 in Singapore, Eric Khoo was the youngest son of the 15 children ofTan SriKhoo Teck Puatfrom his second wife Rose Marie Wee.His mother, who was a cinephile, introduced him to cinema when he was three years old.He later received his education at theUnited World College of South East Asia.
Khoo's interest in film eventually led him to studycinematographyat theCity Art InstituteinSydney,Australia.
Khoo's filmsMee Pok Manand12 Storeyshave together been screened at over 60 film festivals, held all over the world including prestigious festivals such asVenice,BerlinandRotterdam.
In 1998, Khoo was ranked as one of the 25 exceptional trend makers of Asia byAsiaweekmagazine and in the following year was included into Asiaweek's leaders for the millennium issue. He was an executive producer for the local comedy hit,Liang Po Po – The Movie(1999), andOne Leg Kicking(2001), which were both the highest grossing local movies for their respective years in Singapore. He also produced15(2003) directed byRoyston Tan, which screened at the Venice Film Festival (2003) and Sundance (2004). His TV work includes being executive producer ofDRIVE, an anthology series for the Television Corporation of Singapore (1998), andSeventh Month(2004), a highly acclaimed TV horror series forChannel U(SPH Mediaworks). These productions served as a platform for grooming young talented filmmakers.
Some of his notable achievements include being the first recipient of the National Arts CouncilsYoung Artist Awardfor Film in 1997 and together with James Toh and Lucilla Teoh they wrote the White Paper which resulted in the formation of theSingapore Film Commission.
In 2004, Khoo directed his third featureBe With Mewhich was selected as the opening film for the Directors’ Fortnight Cannes 2005. The film has since won several awards overseas and has been invited to the Toronto International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Pusan International Film Festival amongst others. It has also received international distribution including the US and Europe with glowing reviews in the French media when it opened in October 2005.
Khoo was a judge at the 10thBusan International Film Festival2005 andBe With Meis the first Singaporean film to be nominated for the European Film Awards 2005. In 2006, Khoo executive producedRoyston Tan’s second feature4:30and was invited to direct for the Jeonju Digital Film Festival in Korea –No Day Offthe story of an Indonesian maid. He was the first Singapore director whose films were featured in a retrospective in Korea. TheSeoul Independent Film Festivalpaid this tribute to him.
In 2007, Khoo was appointed as a board member ofNYU Tisch School of the Arts, Asia. He produced Royston Tan's881a box office hit and received the highest arts honor the Cultural Medallion by the President of Singapore in the same year. In 2008, Khoo's film,My Magicwas selected for Cannes official selection main competition. It is distributed in France by ARP and Wild bunch for international sales.My Magicpicked up the best film award at Fribourg International Film Festival and was voted best film of 2008 byLe Monde.
In 2009, Khoo entered into a partnership withInfinite Frameworksto form a new company, Gorylah, specializing in the production of genre films. Gorylah's maiden effort,Darah, went on to win the Best Actress award at the 2009 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. Khoo executive producedBoo Junfeng's first feature film,Sandcastle. The film was selected for 2010 Critic's Week at Cannes. Centre Pompidou in Paris held an Eric Khoo retrospective in 2010 and he was featured in Phaidon Books, Take 100 - The Future of Film, 100 new directors. Khoo was president of the jury for the International Competition at the 63rd edition of theLocarno International Film Festivalin 2010.
Tatsumi, based on the life and short stories ofYoshihiro Tatsumi, is Khoo's first animation feature which premiered at the64th Cannes Film Festivalin 2011 and world sales is handled by The Match Factory.Tatsumiwon best animated feature at theSitges Film Festivaland the best film and best composer in theMuhr AsiaAfrica Awardsat the 8thDubai International Film Festival. It made its North American premiere at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). In the same year his production23:59, an army paranormal film, was number one at the Singapore box office. In 2012, Khoo was Jury President at theAsian Film AwardsandRotterdam International Film Festival. He was the head of the Jury at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival 2013.
Khoo has five critically acclaimed feature films that were at film festivals all over the world:Mee Pok Man(1995),12 Storeys(1997),Be with Me(2005),My Magic(2008), andTatsumi(2011).Mee Pok Manwon prizes in Singapore,Fukuoka, andPusan. It was also entered into the19th Moscow International Film Festival.12 Storeyswon him the Federation of International Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award and the UOB Young Cinema Award at the 10thSingapore International Film Festival, and the Golden Maile Award for Best Picture at the 17thHawaii International Film Festival.12 Storeyswas also the first Singapore film to be invited to take part in theCannes Film Festival.Be With Meopened theDirectors' Fortnightat the2005 Cannes Film Festival, whileMy Magicwas nominated for thePalme d'Orat the2008 Cannes Film Festivaland was voted as one of the top five films of that year byLe Monde. Most recently,Tatsumi, based on manga artistYoshihiro Tatsumi's memoir, premiered in theUn Certain Regardsection at the2011 Cannes Film Festival.
In September 2014, Khoo announced that he will release a drama anthology,In the Room, in 2015. Exploring themes of love and sensuality, the film will star Hong Kong actressJosie Ho, up and coming Korean actorChoi Woo-shik, Japanese adult-film actress Shou Nishino, and actor Koh Boon Pin, who starred in Khoo's12 Storeys.In the Roomwill also feature a homage to controversial cabaret dancerRose Chan, the subject of a biopic that was first announced in 2009 but is still under development.In the Roompremiered at theToronto International Film Festivalin September 2015 and travelled to theSan Sebastián International Film Festival,Busan International Film FestivalandSingapore International Film Festival. It was initially unable to be screened for commercial release in Singapore as Khoo refused to edit two scenes that exceeded the MDA's film classification guidelines.Later, the subtly different 'international version' of the film was given a commercial release on 25 February 2016, after it was passed uncut with an R21 rating by theMedia Development Authority.
In December 2015,Mee Pok Manwas restored by theAsian Film Archivefor its 20th anniversary and screened at theSingapore International Film Festival. The high-resolution Digital Cinema Package version, restored from original 35mm prints, also enjoyed screenings at arthouse cinemaThe Projectorin April and May 2016, with a panel discussion on the film's legacy.
2015 also saw the release of Khoo's short film,Cinema, as part of the omnibus,7 Letters, to commemorate Singapore's 50thyear of independence.In addition, Khoo released the telemovieWanton Meeonoktoin March, before it travelled to the Culinary Zinema section of the 63rdSan Sebastian Film Festivalin September and the 10th Culinary Cinema programme of the 2016Berlinalein February, where chefs likeAlexander Dresseltook turns serving a menu inspired by the programme's films.Wanton Mee, a look at the transformation of Singapore's versatile street food scene, is also screening onSingapore Airlines' inflight entertainment programming.
In 2016, Khoo collaborated with some of Southeast Asia's most renowned filmmakers as part of an omnibus project commissioned by National Gallery Singapore,Art Through Our Eyes. This project brought together – for the first time – filmmakersJoko Anwar(Indonesia),Ho Yuhang(Malaysia),Brilliante Mendoza(Philippines),Apichatpong Weerasethakul(Thailand), and Eric Khoo (Singapore).
In 2018, Khoo directedRamen Teh, which starsSeiko Matsuda. The film premiered as the closing film of the Culinary Cinema section at theBerlin International Film Festival.He also launched theScream Asia Festivalin Singapore.
Khoo is married to Kim Eun Choo; they have four sons named Edward, James, Christopher, and Lucas.