AMOEBA
At an authoritarian all-girls school, four misfit teens form a secret gang. Their fumbling rebellion unearths buried desires and the quiet violence of growing up in contemporary Singapore.
World premiere: Toronto International Film Festival
Awards:
- Best Youth Film - Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2025
- FIPRESCI Prize, Taiwan Film Critics Society Award, Best New Director nominee - Golden Horse Film Festival 2025
- Cinephilia Critics Award, Youth Jury Award, Best Actress - Pingyao International Film Festival 2025
- Best Film - QCinema New Horizons 2025
Festivals:
Busan IFF, Marrakech IFF, Pingyao IFF, Filmfest Hamburg, AFI FEST, Tokyo FILMeX, Golden Horse FF, Bangkok IFF, Qcinema, Singapore IFF, Jogja-NETPAC Asian FF, Rome Film Festival, San Diego Asian FF, Five Flavors FF, Gijon IFF, IFFI Goa, Golden Rooster FF, Hainan IFF
Quotes:
“Siyou Tan’s Amoeba, is a remarkable Singaporean film fresh off its premiere in Toronto: a deliberate portrait of a group of girls at the elite Confucius Girls’ Secondary School in Singapore, rebelling against its strictures in ways big and small.” - Christopher Small, MUBI Notebook
“With strong performances, accomplished visuals, and an engaging exploration of adolescence under pressure, the work remains consistently intriguing from beginning to end.” Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
“a wonderful queer story, coming-of-age, and heartfelt middle finger to the establishment.” Brontë H. Lacsamana, Business World
Credits:
Writer & Director: TAN SIYOU
Producer: FRAN BORGIA
Co-Producers: DENIS VASLIN, ANTOINE SIMKINE, LUISA ROMEO, HAN SUNHEE
Executive Producer: FRAN BORGIA
Line Producers: SHIRMAINE ONG, TAN BAO YING
Director of Photography: NEUS OLLÉ, BSC, AEC
Colourist: LIONEL KOPP
Production Designer: SAM MANACSA
Editor: FÉLIX REHM
Supervising Sound Editor: JAIM SAHULEKA
Cast: RANICE TAY, NICOLE LEE, LIM SHI-AN, GENEVIEVE TAN, JACK KAO, NG MUN POH, JANICE KOH, JO TAN, ZELDA TATIANA NG, DOREEN TOH
An AKANGA FILM ASIA, VOLYA FILMS, LES FILMS D’ANTOINE, MARARÍA FILMS, THE WIDELOG OFFICE production