Kirsten Tan Photo Courtesy of SFFILM
Alum Kirsten Tan was named the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) 2020 New American Fellowship winner. The fellowship will support the development of Tan’s narrative feature Higher, including a cash grant and a FilmHouse artist residency in San Francisco.
As a mysterious flood rises through a metropolitan apartment building, Higher follows the residents as they fight for survival and resources, setting off an absurdist satire of five interlocking stories that grapple with morality, truth, and justice.
In a statement, the review panel said: “Kirsten Tan’s distinct and soulful voice, rich satire, and artful vision stood out to us. Her invention to subvert familiar spaces and sights, and to give voice to outsiders, social rejects, and the marginalized excited the committee, and we were struck by the clear talent and abundant potential of this artist and project.”
Tan also received recognition from Sundance Institute, who awarded her with the 2020 NHK Award. The award "is presented each year to one filmmaker on the basis of his/her past work and the script for the next feature film project...[It] was created to contribute to the world's visual culture and to promote cultural exchanges through finding and supporting emerging filmmakers".
Read more at SFFILM.