1 + 1 = life
From mastering the art of running a sheep farm in rural Canada, to navigating Singapore's streets alongside rough sleepers, and decoding the nuances of love in Germany, I'm on a journey to find out what makes a life well-lived.I hope to stretch your imaginations through these stories.
Selected Stories
$ingapura
Short Film
Writer | Director
A slice of life in Singapore through the lens of a cab driver.
(Music Video: Drive)
Festival selections:
2019 ciNE65 Movie Makers Award (SG): Best Film, Best Screenplay
2019 Viddsee Jury Awards (SG)
2021 Promofest Short Of The Year (Spring) (ES): Special Jury Mention
2021 Capricorn Film Festival (AU)
2021 La Femme Short Film Festival (EG)
2021 Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival - Shorts (US)
2021 Myrtle Beach International Film Festival - Shorts Program (US)
2021 HER Docs Film Festival 2021 (PL)
2021 Regina International Film Festival Awards 2021 (CA)
2021 Sole Luna Doc Film Festival XVI (IT)
2021 International Short Film Festival Detmold (DE)
Also featured in:
Feature on #ObjectifsSupports
No Strings Attached
Short Film
Writer | Director
An unexpected friendship forms when a homeless elderly man meets a terminally ill woman on the streets.
Co-directed with Lim Joo Hwee
Produced with Our Grandfather Story
My Unique Hair Sheep Farm
TV Documentary Episode
Writer | Director | Producer
Chef Ming Tan trades his apron for overalls for a week, as he joins fellow Singaporean Wesley Godden on a 200-acre sheep farm in rural Canada to uncover the realities of farm life.
Produced with CNA (Channel NewsAsia)
About the series:
The lack of farming culture in Singapore hasn't stopped four Singaporeans from setting up farms overseas. "My Unique Farm" finds out how these urbanites learned to grow and harvest uncommon foods in four different countries.
Producer's Notes
I've always dreamt of retiring in a farm like Wesley's, albeit maybe something smaller. But reality isn't all picturesque: forest fires, sheep going rogue, endless maintenance chores... Wesley's drive to carve his own definition of living well leaves me in awe.
Would This Be Too Much To Ask For?
Short Film
Writer | Director
Inside the mind of a person without a home, based on the collective experiences of rough sleepers we spoke to.
Co-directed with Lim Joo Hwee
Produced with Our Grandfather Story
Festival selections:
2021 National Youth Film Awards (SG): Special Jury Mention
A Life Without Regret
Photo Essay
Photos by Candice Lee | Words by Lan Yu
Produced with Dover Park Hospice
(Mandarin version here)
Writer's Notes
Humbling experience. Kept Mr Yap's dialogue in Mandarin, as this was meant to be a memento for his family.
A Cat's Purpose
Short Film
Writer | Director
A homeless man discovers a renewed sense of home when he finds an unlikely companion in a neighbourhood cat.
Produced with Weave, ciNE65 2021
Festival selections:
2021 National Youth Film Awards (SG): Special Jury Mention
Featured on:
狮城有约 | 狮城话艺: 助力梦想启航的平台
AsiaOne | She created an award-winning short film about a taxi driver in 2 days and it started from her being 'kaypoh'*
Director's Notes
Overnight shoot + a stray cat as a main cast may be a producer's nightmare. But the cat Rubi's a charm, and so are the production crew and the neighbourhood cat caretakers (Nancy and friends).
The Travelling Museum of Love
Micro-documentary
Writer | Director | Producer
From Schondorf, with love: A woman converts her tiny home into a moving museum of love.
Produced with Museum der Liebe
Producer's Notes
An impromptu shoot using iPhone while I was backpacking around Germany. Dreadlocks, taxidermy mouse, 1.8m paper giraffe statue... It's interesting to see what people gift each other as tokens of love.
Bio
Hi, I'm Lan! I plunged into filmmaking in 2018 to craft stories that foster empathy. I draw inspiration from the nuances of our surroundings - current affairs, snippets of conversations overheard in public spaces, and the ordinary elements often taken for granted.It's been an incredible privilege to share these stories with millions worldwide via social media, TV, and film festivals. These days, my mission has grown beyond its original scope, after my personal journey with grief and chancing upon a book that deeply resonated with me:
"Our ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life to the very end."
"There are people in the world who change imaginations."
-- Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
While I'm not a doctor equipped to save lives, I hope to expand imaginations on what makes a life well-lived, through the stories I tell.
Contact: lanyu.ly95@gmail.com
What I Do
Pre-production: Writing || Research || Story Conceptualising || Pitching || FixingProduction: Directing || Story producingPost-production: Post-producing
Past Collaborators
