The Sandbox
Focus on ASEAN | U.S. Premiere
沙盒
Followed by Q&A
113 min | Mockumentary, Comedy | 2025 | Singapore | English | English Subs
Synopsis:
In Singapore, a stuntman teams up with his best friend and the best friend’s exwife to keep their declining stunt school alive. Just as their dream seems about to fade, a rumour that Marvel Studios is scouting locally brings a surge of wannabe superheroes and misfits to their doorstep, convinced they’ll be whipped into crime-fighting shape. Filled with misplaced egos, failed flips and a total disregard for the craft of stunt work, Sandbox gleefully pokes fun at fantasies of blockbuster fame while spotlighting the precariousness of small businesses.
Schedule
Nov 16, 2024 | 02:30 PM
Director
James Thoo
James Thoo resides in Singapore with his wife and their two daughters, who play within sight of where he writes. He has had more than two decades of professional experience in screenwriting, excluding his stint as a professional boxer when he was 27. He has sold multiple feature screenplays to large Hollywood production companies including Ravenwood Studios, Phoenix Productions and Bruise Productions, who were hugely impressed by his acerbic sensibilities, idiosyncratic characters, and very funny plots.
His compelling memoir about his fight to become a dad, Palooka: 12 Rounds To Fatherhood (Brango), was published in 2020 to raves in The Edge Singapore, The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao. Most recently, James’ first theatrical feature film, The Sandbox, debuted at the Singapore International Film Festival and is slated for release in theatres on 8 October 2026. The heartwarming but grounded mockumentary comedy was met with laughter and praise from audiences at SGIFF as well as at the Malaysian International Film Festival.
Credits
Director:
James Thoo
Peps Goh
Jon Cancio
Oon Shu An
Estelle Fly
Benjamin Kheng
Nathan Hartono
Fauzi Azzhar
Xuan Ong
Aaron Mossadeg
Cast:
Producer:
Anthony Eu
Cinematography:
Michael Edo Keane
Editing:
Dayne Taniajura
Screenwriters:
James Thoo
