Mak Chun Kit
| Mak Chun Kit | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 17, 1978 Singapore |
| Occupation |
Director Producer |
Mak Chun Kit is a Singaporean documentary filmmaker and director-producer.[1]
Mak's debut feature The World's Most Fashionable Prison documents the story of 31-year-old Philippine fashion designer Puey Quinones, and his aim to make couturiers of convicts housed in the largest maximum security prison in the country.[2][3] It received the Audience Award for Documentary Film at the Lighthouse International Film Festival and the Gold Kahuna Award for Documentary Film at the Honolulu Film Awards in 2012.[4]
China Close Up (2014) won Best Direction Silver World Medal and received Finalist Certificate (Community Portraits Category) at the New York Festivals World's Best TV and Films in 2014.[5]
His documentary Little People Big Dreams (2014) which followed the lives of the employees at the controversial Chinese theme park Dwarf Empire, won Best Foreign Language Documentary at the Madrid International Film Festival in 2015.[6]
In 2004, Mak volunteered at an orphanage in the African nation of Tanzania, Huruma Children's Trust, and taught English at the village primary school where the orphans went or play sports with them. These experiences left an indelible mark on him. However, when he returned there 11 years later, he was dismayed to find out nothing had changed for his new friends, many of whom were still struggling in life. The revelation proved to be the impetus for his latest project titled Buying Happiness where he will help to raise money for projects that his orphan friends have proposed to help their lives and for the next five years, he will simultaneously be documenting the results, to see whether donations impact the lives of the poor — if at all.[7]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Roles | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | What I Did During My Summer Vacation | Director, producer, film editor, cinematographer | Documentary short film |
| 2012 | The World's Most Fashionable Prison[3] | Director, producer | Documentary *Audience Award for Documentary Film at the Lighthouse International Film Festival and Gold Kahuna Award for Documentary Film at the Honolulu Film Awards in 2012. |
| 2014 | China Close Up[5] | Director, producer, writer | Documentary for Channel NewsAsia *Best Direction Silver World Medal at the New York Festivals World's Best TV and Films in 2014. |
| 2014 | Little People Big Dreams[8] | Director, producer, film editor, writer | Documentary *Best Foreign Language Documentary at the Madrid International Film Festival in 2015. |
| Buying Happiness | Director | 2016-ongoing: A five-year project documenting the lives of African orphans |
References
- ↑ "Mak Chun Kit". Mexican Film Residency. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- ↑ Pastor, Pam (8 April 2012). "Puey Quiñones– from runway to redemption". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- 1 2 "The World's Most Fashionable Prison". Stylist. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- ↑ "Honolulu Film Awards: 2012 Winners". Honolulu Film Awards. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- 1 2 "Mak CK". New York Festivals. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- ↑ "2015 Madrid International Film Festival Awards Nominations". Madrid International Film Festival. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- ↑ Martin, Mayo (17 May 2016). "Does your donation really help the poor? A new Singaporean documentary looks for answers". Today. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- ↑ "LITTLE PEOPLE BIG DREAMS". DOK.fest. Retrieved 2016-05-18.