2018 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: Sandi Tan’s Shirkers

Forget about Chris Smith’s Jim Carrey / Man on the Moon rescued footage docu, we have a true detective treasure hunt that knows no geographic bounds to watch out for on the horizon. A recent 2016 Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellow and recipient of some post-production coin from Sundance, the Singapore born Sandi Tan saw her short films shore up at fests such as NYFF, and Clermont-Ferrand and then made the Cinereach backed Shirkers her first feature quest. Teaming with Cinematographer Iris Ng (Stories We Tell), Tan is also an author having published a couple of years back.

Gist: In 1992, an enigmatic American named Georges shot Singapore’s first indie film with a group of female teenage film-buffs, then absconded with all the footage. Nearly twenty years later, his widow uncovers the 16mm cans in New Orleans—and ships them to the film’s screenwriter-actress, who embarks on a new voyage to Singapore, Cambridge, New Orleans, and into the past.

Production Co./Producers: Sandi Tan, Jessica Levin (Day Night Day Night).

Prediction: U.S. Documentary Film Comp.

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. TBD (domestic). TBD (international)