Sandi Tan, a talented individual, began her creative journey at the tender age of 16 by publishing a cult zine called The Exploding Cat. This early venture marked the beginning of her foray into the world of writing.
As she grew older, Tan's passion for film criticism only intensified, and at 22, she landed the esteemed position of film critic at The Straits Times, Singapore's largest newspaper, from 1995 to 1997.
However, Tan's insatiable desire for knowledge and artistic expression led her to abandon her successful career in journalism and pursue a degree in film at Columbia University.
Her short films, Moveable Feast and Gourmet Baby, have garnered widespread acclaim, showcasing at over 100 film festivals, including the prestigious New York Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand, and MoMA, with international broadcasts on RAI, SBS, and ZDF/arte.
In addition to her filmmaking endeavors, Tan has also ventured into the world of literature, authoring the epic ghost story novel, The Black Isle. This ambitious work has received rave reviews, being dubbed an "ambitious" (Los Angeles Times),"cinematic" (Kirkus Reviews),and "psychosexual odyssey" (Vogue) that is "both epic and intimate" (LA Weekly). The novel has been translated into Dutch, Turkish, and Polish.
Tan's accomplishments in the film industry did not go unnoticed, as she was selected as a 2016 Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellow and a 2017 Sundance Creative Producing Fellow. Her film, Shirkers, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where she won a Directing award.
Shirkers, a Netflix Original Documentary, has received widespread critical acclaim, earning 5-star reviews from The Guardian and being included in several Best Of Sundance lists, including The Hollywood Reporter, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times.
Sandi Tan currently resides in Pasadena, California, and has been recognized as one of Variety's "10 Documakers to Watch" of 2018 and one of Indiewire's "20 Rising Female Directors of 2018".
