Lights, camera, impact: S’porean film-maker’s gritty stories win global acclaim

From the Cannes Film Festival to the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, this SG Digital scholar’s heartfelt films have touched audiences worldwide

When Chiang Wei Liang packed his bags to leave Singapore and embark on his film-making career in Taiwan in 2013, he gave himself 10 years to make a feature film.

Right on the dot in 2023, he completed his movie Mongrel, which won him Special Mention for Camera d’Or (Golden Camera) at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in 2024 in France, as well as the Golden Horse Award for Best New Director at the 61st Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in the same year.

“The younger version of me wouldn’t believe what I have experienced so far. It’s crazy: A taxi driver’s kid goes to a film school in Taiwan and makes his way to Cannes, Berlin and Venice,” says the 37-year-old film-maker.

These achievements would have remained wistful dreams if not for the Singapore Digital (SG Digital) Scholarship that funded Wei Liang’s postgraduate studies at the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA).

The SG Digital Scholarship is an initiative by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) which aims to nurture and develop industry leaders in the tech and media industry. Scholars can fulfil their bond in any tech or media role at any organisation and industry of their choice. Over 200 media scholars have established themselves in diverse roles as film and TV directors, producers and game developers. Scholars are provided a diverse pool of mentors to sharpen their skills, expand their professional network and offer valuable insights to the industry.

“As someone coming from a lower-middle income background, the cost of higher education and living expenses was always a major concern,” says Wei Liang. “The scholarship made my aspirations a reality.”

From script to screen

Wei Liang’s love affair with the cinema started with his penchant for writing and talking to different people.

“I originally wanted to do journalism,” he says. “When I was young, I was entering essay competitions and did quite well in some of them.”

He enrolled in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University. There, fellow undergraduates encouraged him to write a ghost story that they would turn into a short film and enter a local competition.

"I don't remember the storyline but I do remember how the filming went," recalls Wei Liang. "We were outside Matilda House in Punggol, rumoured to be haunted, when security questioned us, eventually involving the police. When the police let us off without any charges, we quickly threw together a mockumentary, shooting around Punggol, and surprisingly won a Judges' Choice award.

"That moment made me realise how fun film-making is — it’s really about the people you meet"

In Taipei, Wei Liang's scholarship opened doors to inspiring connections. Some of his courses were conducted by acclaimed Taiwanese directors and producers such as Liao Ching-sung, Wang Tung and Peggy Chiao.

Unveiling the stories behind the scenes

After graduating from TNUA, Wei Liang stayed on in Taipei to pursue his film-making dreams and further his passion for shedding light on hidden lives. This journey led to the creation of Mongrel, a film that portrays the struggles of an undocumented Thai migrant working as a caregiver for the elderly and disabled.

Wei Liang’s other films exploring the struggles of migrants have also received critical acclaim. His short film Anchorage Prohibited (“Jin Zhi Xia Mao” in Mandarin) earned the prestigious Audi Short Film Award at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in 2016, while his virtual reality short film Only The Mountain Remains was an official selection at the 76th Venice International Film Festival in 2019.

In 2021, Wei Liang turned his lens toward the poor and elderly living in a dilapidated complex in the city of Kaohsiung and worked on a documentary to chronicle their struggles.

“I wanted to know how these people got by because there were no social services for them,” he says. “I shot them every day for a month and a half. Two weeks after I finished filming, a fire broke out and many of the people I filmed perished in the fire.”

The Cheng Chung Cheng building fire killed at least 46 people and according to the fire bureau, the average age of the deceased was 62.

One year after the fire, Wei Liang screened his documentary at the park which had been built over the building’s remains. He says poignantly: “I had to fulfil my promise to those who passed away that I would show the film to them.”

The SG Digital Scholarship not only paved the way for Wei Liang’s international exposure but it also transformed his mindset.

“My scholarship experience has definitely enhanced my ability to think outside the box by pushing me to be more resourceful and creative, especially when facing limited resources,” he says.

“During the production of a short film, we faced an unexpected budget cut. Instead of compromising on the quality of the film, I reimagined the story’s setting to work with the available locations and adjusted its execution to maximise the use of smaller, more intimate scenes.”

For aspiring film-makers, the SG Digital scholar shares some advice from his mentor and famed director Hou Hsiao-hsien.

“He said that cinema must come from non-cinema. This struck me deeply because it reminded me that true creativity and storytelling are not confined to the technical aspects of film-making alone.

“They come from life, from experience and from understanding the world beyond the camera.”

Apply for the SG Digital Scholarship today. Applications are currently open until 31 Mar 2025.