Hong Huifang Met President Tharman & Ms Jane Ittogi At Film Premiere, And He “Very Readily” Agreed To Her One Request

Kopitiam Days, the anthology film made to commemorate Singapore's 60th year of independence, held its gala premiere on Aug 5 at Marina Bay Sands' The Sands Theatre. 

The event was graced by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, his wife, Ms Jane Ittogi, as well as ministers Josephine Teo and Tan Kiat How. 

In attendance was also the six directors behind the Kopitiam Days stories, along with its cast members, including Richie Koh, Tay Ping Hui, Xenia Tan, Chen Tianwen, Yvonne Lim, Stephen Zechariah, Siti Khalijah, Zhu Houren, and Hong Huifang — the last of whom managed to snag a pic with the President and wife amidst all the hustle and bustle. 

When 8days.sg reached out to Huifang, 64, about her encounter with President Tharman, she told us: "I shook his hand and said hello, then I asked if I could have the honour of taking a photo with him and his wife. He very readily said, 'Sure!'."

She thanked him for the photo after, but added that she, unfortunately, did not get the chance to speak to President Tharman much that night.

"There were just too many people wanting to talk to him and shake his hand, so there wasn't really a chance to chat more," she said. 

Huifang also shared pics with her hubby, Zheng Geping, who was there to support her, as well as her story's co-star, Zhu Houren, as well as other cast members. 

Kopitiam Days tells the story of a group of Singaporeans who are loosely linked through the coffee shop, and features six stories that were written and directed by local directors Yeo Siew Hua, Shoki Lin, Raihan Halim, Tan Siyou, Don Aravind, and Ong Kuo Sin. 

The SG60 movie is reminiscent of 7 Letters, the 2015 Singaporean anthology film which was made in celebration of SG50.

Watch the trailer for Kopitiam Days below — the film will be released on streaming platforms and through community screenings in Singapore.