If Hollywood is about celluloid fantasies, then Hosaywood ("Ho Say" being a local slang exclamation for 'great!') is about the things that Singaporeans hold most dear, even if we don’t know it.

"Tak Giu," "Zo Peng," "Zo Gang," or "kick ball," "do army," "do work," as translated into the Singapore vernacular, are six short words that succinctly sum up the nature of a being Singaporean. For local filmmaker Jacen Tan, they are also the titles of his three most popular short films. 

The 27-year old isn’t overly interested in making films about aliens and monsters. He prefers subjects that showcase his interest "in simple issues relating to common people like playing football, looking for space to play football, working life in this country, and stuff like that." This simplified distillation of Singaporean life is most apparent in "Tak Giu" where three friends undergo humorous encounters with irate field custodians, soccer betting shops and Nike soccer ad spoofs with a tireless policeman, whilst searching for an available soccer pitch. 

It’s a sociological discourse on Singapore’s grand desire to compete in the 2010 World Cup (which we didn’t make) and how we’re hobbled by our lack of space and the need for permits. More to the point, "Tak Giu" and Tan’s other short films are a peepshow into the essence of being Singaporean and the little problems and trials that we face daily. We think that the many folk who’ve watched "Tak Giu" (it garnered over 100,000 YouTube views) would agree with us.

CNNGo speaks to Jacen Tan, director of Hosaywood and one of Singapore’s "most exciting young talents" according to the Straits Times, about his low budget, big idea films.

CNNGo: Why are all your film names in the Hokkien dialect?

Jacen Tan: Those are quite commonly used words that Singaporeans would know -- like you go to "zo gang" [do work] everyday, you go to "kwa giu" [watch a soccer match], or play soccer ("tak giu"). So these are names that stick out in my mind and they are quite cute in a way. I thought they’d be cool [as names], but my films don’t actually have a lot of Hokkien in them.

On the set of "Zo Gang" (Do Work).

CNNGo: Describe your films in five words.

Tan: I thought of some yesterday: Singaporean, funny, real, entertaining, and I couldn’t think of the last one... maybe the last one is, nice.

CNNGo: What would you do if you were not a filmmaker?

Tan: I might have become a musician, maybe play in a band, or score music or become a film composer of some kind.

CNNGo: If you had 30 minutes left to live what would you do?

Tan: I’ll spend it with my family and friends. Maybe go to a kopitiam (coffee shop), eat and "lim kopi" (drink coffee).

CNNGo: What would you change if you could turn back time?

Tan: If I could, I'd make that time machine and sell it. Maybe use the money to fund my future feature film.

Watch "Zo Gang" (Go Work) on YouTube.

For more short films by Jacen Tan, head to www.hosaywood.com.