SINGAPORE - Director Jack Neo has unveiled his main cast and story for his “kampong movie”, Long Long Time Ago.

Long-time collaborator Mark Lee will be reuniting with Neo for the first time in four years, starring alongside veteran MediaCorp actress Alieen Tan and getai entertainer Wang Lei in this period film.

Set in the 1960s, the film aims to look at Singapore’s post-independence struggle of racial riots, social unrest and gang activities through the focal point of a Chinese family’s trials and tribulations living in a kampong. Spanning a period of 10 years where many were going through mixed feelings about the big move out of the kampong for a better life, Tan will be playing Zhao Di, a pregnant widow who makes an unwelcomed return home to her patriarchal family with her three daughters. Lee is her estranged older brother Ah Kun, while Wang Lei plays her father.

Contrary to what Neo initially said last year, the film is no longer a two-parter but now just one movie, which will be released over Chinese New Year next year. The film-maker is set to begin his 60-day shoot over a three month period in July with a budget between S$4 to S$5 million. He revealed that he will be shooting on location in both Ipoh in Malaysia and Singapore. This was decided only after an extensive kampong recce trip to places that included Pulau Ubin and Buangkok, both of which ultimately posed too many filming challenges.

With a cinematic backdrop of real life socio-political issues set in what many deem as turbulent times in our nation’s history, will Neo’s kampong story be treading sensitive lines?

“As a film-maker, we should look at history and real life events from all different angles,” Neo told TODAY. “Yes, our story is set against the backdrop of real political and national issues, but the film is not based on one true story per se. It’s based on our research of hearing so many different real life stories told by different people of different races who made the big move out of the kampong. So you can say it’s a combination of many different people’s true stories and real life memories.”

The director continued: “Here, I chose my angle and focus to be looking at these events from the perspective of family life in a kampong and that kampong spirit. Also about the inevitable big move to HDB flats and the issues and problems that arise from it. Like the issue of compensation, that created a lot of conflict and arguments.”

All this research is precisely why Neo, who spent 16 years in Kampong Chai Chee before moving to a HDB flat in Eunos, took two years to write the script. “I wanted to get it right,” he said. “To make sure I elicit an overwhelming emotion from audiences when they watch the film in the cinema.”

With the Hokkien dialect being a considerable part of the film, Neo is fully aware of our local language restrictions but also wants to reiterate that other languages such as English, Malay and Tamil will always be used in the film. “I know one of my biggest challenges is how much dialect I’m allowed to use,” he said. “But we will definitely use the censorship board rules and regulation as a guideline and standard, and of course keep it in consideration during filming.

“I don’t know or dare say what percentage of Hokkien will be used,” he added, “but for sure, it’ll be on the foremost on my mind when filming! In the script itself, we have a lot of different people speaking a lot of different languages. In fact, Malay will make up a big portion (of the dialogue). So with all the languages mixed in together, I think it’ll be pretty balanced.”

As to whether Neo will cast himself in this film, seeing as he was a kampong boy, he said he was considering the idea. “But usually, when I act in my own films, I end up cutting myself out,” he quipped.

“I’ve shot 24 films throughout all these years, but I only have one period film which is Home Run,” he said. “I really feel like a real proper kampong film has never been filmed before. My fondest memories has always been my kampong days, because back in those days, you were carefree and everything seemed new and exciting. And now I realise, no matter how much I reminisce, I can never go back to those days.”

Neo is also looking for help from the public and hopes Singaporeans will share their kampong memories. If you have any photos of your family’s kampong life, please email them to kampongday [at] gmail.com. Neo promises it’ll be showcased in the movie.