12 Lotus

12 Lotus (Chinese: 十二莲花) is a 2008 Singaporean musical drama film written and directed by Royston Tan, starring Qi Yuwu, Liu Lingling and Mindee Ong.^[3] The film was released in theatres on 14 August 2008 and was screened at the 13th Busan International Film Festival in October 2008.^[4] The film performed poorly at the local box office, grossing S$983,000 against a budget of S$$1.5 million.

12 Lotus
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese	十二蓮花
Simplified Chinese	十二莲花
Hanyu Pinyin	Shí'èr liánhuā
Directed by	Royston Tan
Written by	Royston Tan Liam Yeo
Produced by	Seah Saw Yam Mabelyn Ow Lim Teck Freddie Yeo
Starring	Qi Yuwu Liu Lingling Mindee Ong
Cinematography	Alan Yap
Edited by	Low Hwee Ling
Music by	Ricky Ho
Production companies	Studio 10 Twenty-Eight Production Mediacorp Raintree Pictures Scorpio East Pictures Infinite Frameworks
Distributed by	Golden Village Entertainment
Release date	14 August 2008 (2008-08-14) (Singapore)
Running time	121 minutes
Country	Singapore
Languages	Mandarin Hokkien
Budget	S$$1.5 million[1]
Box office	S$983,000[2]

Plot

Spanning over the 1980s, 1990s till the present day, 12 Lotus tells the story of a singer who is constantly used and abused by the men in her life, against the backdrop of a string of melancholic Hokkien songs.

Cast

Main and supporting

• Qi Yuwu as Ah Long / Long 2
• Liu Lingling as Older Liu Lianhua
• Mindee Ong as Liu Lianhua
• Huang Yiliang as Lianhua's father
• Hao Hao as Adult Xiao Feixia
• Li Bao En as Liu Lianhua (kid)
• Damus Lim as Xiao Feixia (kid)
• Aaron Tan as Young gambler / Ah Long's accomplice
• Yeo Yann Yann as Long 2's girlfriend
• Guo Min as Xiao Feixia's mother
• Auntie Fen as Opera actress
• Sam Loo as Getai host
• Amy Yang as Getai host
• Baobei Sisters as themselves
• Samantha Tan as Xiao Feixia's girlfriend
• Wang Yan Bin as Brother Tiger

The film also features the Sin Sai Feng opera troupe and the band Funkie Monkies Amps.

Special appearances

• Stefanie Sun as Guan Yin Goddess (opera)
• David Gan as himself

Production

The film was shot in 23 days.^[5]

Awards and nominations

Year	Awards	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2008	45th Golden Horse Awards	Best Original Film Score	Ricky Ho	Nominated	[6]
2009	22nd Singapore International Film Festival Awards	Best Director	Royston Tan	Won	[7]

References

1. "12 Lotus (2008) || movieXclusive.com". www.moviexclusive.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
2. "12 Lotus loss out". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. No. Page 107. The Straits Times. 27 September 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
3. "Getai life takes centre stage again". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. No. Page 33. The Business Times. 15 August 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
4. "12 Lotus". Busan International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
5. "Well done, Royston". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. No. Page 99. The Straits Times. 16 August 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
6. "台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival". www.goldenhorse.org.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
7. "22nd SIFF Silver Screen Awards - Results". Sinema.SG. 24 April 2009. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.

External links

• 12 Lotus at IMDb