FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHY

KIRSTEN TAN is a New York-based Singaporean filmmaker. A cultural nomad, she has lived in Berlin, South Korea, and Thailand, and has now been based in New York City for over a decade. Her work is socially engaged and formally adventurous, with close attention to overlooked lives and spaces. Repped by CAA, she's a Cannes Cinéfondation and Sundance Institute Fellow, and earned her MFA at NYU Tisch’s Graduate Film Program, fully supported by the Tisch Fellowship. 

Her debut feature, POP AYE, was the opening film for the World Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival 2017, where it won the Special Jury Prize for Screenwriting, the VPRO Big Screen Award at Rotterdam and Best International Film at Zurich. To date, POP AYE has screened at 50+ festivals and was distributed in 30+ territories worldwide. It was also Singapore’s official entry for the Oscars.

Kirsten is currently developing her second feature film, HIGHER, recipient of the Sundance Institute NHK Award. She has been hired by FX as creator/EP of a TV adaptation of Ha Jin’s short story collection, A GOOD FALL. Her third feature, CROCODILE ROCK, has picked up a Gen Z Special Mention Award at Berlinale’s Co-Production Market and a VIPO Award at Busan’s Asian Film Market.

Beyond film, Kirsten has helmed branded campaigns for iconic fashion houses and cultural institutions. From Giorgio Armani, Tiffany & Co, Raffles Hotel, and Marina Bay Sands to national ad campaigns in Singapore, her branded work has reached over 4 million views worldwide. ELLA, her fashion film for Giorgio Armani, is housed in the film collection at MoMA, NYC.

Kirsten co-founded the Asian Film Archive (NLB), nuSTUDIOS (NUS), and served on the board of The Substation in Singapore. She has been honored with Her World's Young Woman Achiever of the Year Award, Singapore National Arts Council's Young Artist Award and was The Straits Times' Singaporean of the Year nominee. She was also featured on CNN International’s Ones to Watch, with her work covered across major publications like The New York Times, LA Times and The Guardian.