Singapore Dark Comedy ‘Build to Order’ Seeks Finishing Funds at Taipei Content Fest

Singapore filmmaker Huang Junxiang’s debut feature, “Build to Order,” is seeking financing and post-production partners at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei this week. Now in post-production, the dark comedy connects the pressures of buying a home and getting ahead with a couple’s increasingly desperate efforts to conceal a death.

The story centers on Penny and Allan, two real estate workers who marry young to qualify for a public housing flat. Despite that decision, rising property prices leave them struggling financially. They start selling photographs of Penny’s feet online to supplement their income, then accept an unusually large offer from a wealthy customer who wants to suck her toes in person.

Their arrangement turns fatal when the customer has an allergic reaction and Allan’s unskilled attempt to administer first aid fails. Frightened, the couple hide the body in their freezer. Months later, the dead man’s unsuspecting widow asks them to sell her luxury mansion, offering a new financial opportunity while pulling them further into a predicament shaped by guilt, greed and self-preservation.

Huang links the film’s concerns to his own experience of searching for a first home in Singapore. Property agents repeatedly cautioned him that a poor choice could have lasting financial consequences and urged him to approach the purchase logically rather than emotionally. He says the cost of living in Singapore encourages rational decisions that can come at the expense of relationships and personal identity.

Completing the film is Huang’s current priority. He hopes its combination of dark humor and genre elements will entertain viewers while prompting them to consider their own decisions and the kind of lives they wish to pursue. Producer Macarius Chia says housing costs and the expense of everyday life give the story relevance beyond Singapore. He was also drawn to the script’s humor, unexpected turns and sustained attention to its characters.

Executive producer Lim Teck sees the potential for a breakout Singaporean film in Huang’s vision. He points to the local importance of housing and social advancement, and considers the production’s budget reasonable and its commercial prospects promising.

At TCCF, the producers are looking for gap financing to complete post-production, alongside collaborators for audio post-production and color grading. Chia also wants an international sales agent who shares the team’s belief in the project. Lim views the event as an opportunity to present the film to contacts throughout Asia’s film industry and believes it could find audiences in several Asian markets.

Organized by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency, the Taiwan Creative Content Fest runs from November 6 to 9 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.