More photos from the first 4 days of RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS shoot

I'm now in Taipei, trying to recuperate after spending four intense days of filming RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS (my feature debut).

Kong the cinematographer, Boon the production designer and Ming Jin the producer have started posting more photos from the RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS shoot.

RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS Film Shoot: Days 2 to 4

After four intense days, I have finally completed the first leg of the RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS film shoot last night.

Unlike my earlier shoots, the constant development of smartphones and social media has made it possible for everyone in my team to take photos of the production, chronicling things that I myself wasn't able to see.

So once again I'm compiling Facebook posts from my producer, cast members and crew members from the last 3 days.

RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS Film Shoot: Day 1

January 2nd, 2014.

I started shooting my debut feature film RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS. It's a surreal feeling, what seemed improbable just a few weeks ago became probable.

So excited that I immediately took a selfie of myself before the shoot started.

How I started 2014... a production meeting for my debut feature, RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS

January 1, 2014. Woke up, and headed straight to the mamak stall near my house for a production meeting.

It was for my film, RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS.

My 20 Biggest Moments in 2013. Based on Facebook

Facebook had listed out my 20 biggest moments of 2013. I'm glad I have a social media site to do this for me based on the amount of likes I got on my Facebook status updates.

My 10 favourite Anita Mui film roles

The Cantopop superstar Anita Mui passed away from cancer exactly ten years ago.

I remember what I did ten years ago when I heard of the news. It was morning, my family and I were heading off to Singapore for vacation. Her death cast a pall upon my heart, that day, on the road to Singapore, the songs of Anita Mui constantly played on radio.

While I grew up listening to her songs (Bad Girl, with the memorable "Why, why, tell me why" lyrics, was a childhood favourite) and had even attended one of her concerts in Singapore, I knew Anita Mui more as an actress who starred in many great Hong Kong film classics.

It's been a decade since her passing. I will sift through my own memories and list out ten of my favourite Anita Mui films (or film roles), from earliest to latest.

My Hou Hsiao-Hsien marathon

I'm ashamed to admit that prior to the beginning of this month, I have only seen two Hou Hsiao-Hsien films, and both are his latter day works: MILLENNIUM MAMBO (2001) and CAFE LUMIERE (2003).

Every time I watch MILLENNIUM MAMBO's opening, my heart flutters.


In order to rectify my lack of knowledge regarding Hou Hsiao-Hsien's body of work (and also for filmmaking reasons), I decided to go on a Hou Hsiao-Hsien marathon of sorts. I have heard that his best works are the ones from the 80s to 90s, those were times when he was more interested in making films related to Taiwan's history.

An essay I wrote at the age of 10 made me seem like a closet psychopath

A friend back in primary school managed to dig out a book of collected student essays. Turned out that my autobiographical piece was in it.

Lav Diaz's 6-hour film, CENTURY OF BIRTHING (2011)

For the past few years, I have always wanted to catch a film by the Filipino director Lav Diaz. Most of his films are longer than four hours (his longest being close to 10 hours), yet he is prolific to make at least a film a year. How is that even possible???

Finished the principal photography on Woo Ming Jin's SECOND LIFE OF THIEVES

After 14 gruelling days, we're finally done with Ming Jin's SECOND LIFE OF THIEVES shoot. For me, the strange about film shoots is that they always seem longer than they really are. It's not because they are miserable so time seems to flow very slowly, it's just that so many things happen in one day that when everything is over, you realize you've gone through a range of emotions that you usually would go through in a longer span of time.

More misadventures on the set of Woo Ming Jin's new film SECOND LIFE OF THIEVES

Here's a photo by our Art Director Gabby, which showed actress Emily practising her slapping moves on Ming Jin and I. Epic. That was the 7th of November.

Post by Edmund Yeo.