The Violinist director Ervin Han embraces Rally ‘crying guy’ meme if it helps sell movie tickets《小提琴家》导演韩恩文表示，如果“哭泣男”的梗图有助于卖电影票，他欣然接受。
Discover the story behind Ervin Han’s animated film The Violinist, its Singapore premiere, international acclaim, and the team spirit driving its success. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Singaporean film-maker Ervin Han captured on screen looking emotional at the National Day Rally 2026 when Prime Minister Lawrence Wong name-dropped him.
PHOTO: GOV.SG/YOUTUBE
Published Sep 03, 2026, 07:00 AM
Updated Sep 03, 2026, 01:27 PM
Ervin Han was mistaken for crying at the National Day Rally 2026 due to photophobia, but he embraces the "crying guy" meme as it helps promote his film The Violinist.
The Violinist, a decade-long project, tells a poignant story set during the Japanese Occupation and has won top awards like the Cristal at Annecy Animation Festival.
Han focuses on reaching audiences with the film's Singapore release and international premieres, valuing audience reactions over awards for the film's lasting impact.
SINGAPORE – Film-maker Ervin Han would like to set the record straight: He was not crying at the 2026 National Day Rally (NDR).
Television cameras on Aug 23 caught the Singaporean director, seated in the audience, looking distinctly teary-eyed as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong name-dropped him during his speech and congratulated him on the success of The Violinist.
In June, the animated movie won the Cristal for a Feature Film, the top feature prize at France’s prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The NDR moment quickly took on a life of its own online, turning Han into a “crying guy” meme.
But the 51-year-old insists he was not crying at all.
He tells The Straits Times on Sept 2 at the Victoria Concert Hall after The Violinist press event that he has photophobia, or sensitivity to light. He says his eyes had been watering after almost 2½ hours facing a large, glaring LED screen at the NDR.
Then came the close-up.
“They just put this big camera directly on my face,” Han recalls. “Of course, there was emotion. How can one not have emotions? But it probably looked more dramatic than it actually was.”
Still, he is hardly rushing to brush off his new-found sobriquet.
With The Violinist opening in Singapore cinemas on Sept 17 after nearly a decade in the making, Han figures every bit of publicity helps.
“If the meme goes around and helps to bring exposure, then fine,” he says. “Can call me the crying guy. No problem.”
Towards the end of his NDR English speech, PM Wong singled Han out as an example of the courage and grit Singaporeans would need to navigate an uncertain future. He recalled meeting Han in 2015, when Han’s SG50 animated short The Violin first planted the seed for a feature.
The Violinist film-maker Ervin Han (left) and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally 2026. PHOTO: VIOLINISTMOVIE/INSTAGRAM
The Violinist film-maker Ervin Han (left) and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally 2026.
PHOTO: VIOLINISTMOVIE/INSTAGRAM
Over the next decade, PM Wong noted, Han persevered through the Covid-19 pandemic, partners pulling out and changing production plans to make The Violinist.
“Congratulations, Ervin. You have done Singapore proud,” he said.
The Violinist’s score, composed by Golden Horse Award-winning Singapore musician Ricky Ho, together with Spanish composer Isabel Latorre, also won the SACEM Award for Best Original Soundtrack for a Feature Film at the Annecy film festival, which ran from June 21 to 27.
Recognition for a team
Han had some inkling beforehand that his labour of love would be mentioned at the NDR. He had been asked to provide photographs and says some facts had been checked with him, although he did not know exactly how the segment would unfold.
PM Wong’s commendation nevertheless left him feeling a familiar emotion – imposter syndrome.
“I didn’t know if I was worthy,” he says.
His immediate thoughts went to the hundreds of local and international artists and crew – both from his animation studio Robot Playground Media, Spain’s TV ON Producciones and Italy’s Altri Occhi – who had worked on the English-language movie over the years.
“It’s never about me,” he says. “I really stand on the shoulders of so many people. My staff laboured so hard. It’s really blood, sweat, tears for years.”
He regards PM Wong’s compliment as one shared by the entire team. “This very improbable film really came about because of them. Truly, a collective effort,” he adds.
That, Han believes, is also why The Violinist fits PM Wong’s point about the Singapore spirit.
“Together as a team, we find a way to do a project like this,” he says. “We always do.”
There was another layer of poignancy to the NDR mention.
PM Wong showed the audience a photograph taken about 11 years ago, when he met Han and other local film-makers involved in SG50 projects.
Among them was home-grown director Royston Tan, who subsequently texted Han after spotting their younger selves on screen.
More significantly, that was the period when The Violin was released and slowly started turning into The Violinist, a vastly more ambitious feature that would take close to a decade to realise.
PM Wong showed the National Day Rally audience a photograph taken about 11 years ago, when he met Ervin Han (third from left) and other local film-makers like Royston Tan (third from right) involved in SG50 projects. PHOTO: GOV.SG/YOUTUBE
PM Wong showed the National Day Rally audience a photograph taken about 11 years ago, when he met Ervin Han (third from left) and other local film-makers like Royston Tan (third from right) involved in SG50 projects.
Set in 1930s to 1940s Singapore, it follows childhood friends Fei (voiced by Fang Rong) and Kai (Ayden Sng), two aspiring violinists whose lives are torn apart by war and the Japanese Occupation. After Kai joins the resistance and disappears, Fei spends years searching for him, with music binding a sweeping story of love, loss and memory across the decades.
“It was so nice for it to come full circle,” Han says of PM Wong being there near the beginning of the journey and, more than a decade later , highlighting what that little film had turned into.
Audiences before awards
When ST spoke to Han on June 30 , the Annecy victory had already sparked talk of how far the film might travel during awards season.
Two months later, his immediate concern is more basic: getting people into Singapore cinemas to watch it.
The Violinist explores the relationship between two childhood friends, Kai and Fei, voiced by Singapore actors Ayden Sng and Fang Rong. PHOTO: ROBOT PLAYGROUND MEDIA
The Violinist explores the relationship between two childhood friends, Kai and Fei, voiced by Singapore actors Ayden Sng and Fang Rong.
PHOTO: ROBOT PLAYGROUND MEDIA
Not only will the film’s soundtrack be released on Sept 17, but The Violinist will also have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on the same date.
It will then head to the Busan International Film Festival in October for its South Korean debut, with more festival stops planned for the rest of 2026.
When it comes to the growing Oscar buzz, however, Han is reluctant to get ahead of himself. “I dare not hope for these things,” he says. “If it comes, it’s great.”
Festival accolades matter less to him than the attention they can bring to audiences, buyers and distributors – and the possibility that The Violinist will reach people far beyond Singapore.
“Its longevity really depends on audience reactions, and not so much the awards.”
The Violinist opens in Singapore cinemas on Sept 17.
Correction note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct status of The Violinist in Singapore animation.
Joanne Soh is a lifestyle correspondent at The Straits Times, with a special interest in entertainment and pop culture.
Film festivals/awards
National Day Rally 2026
新加坡电影制作人韩恩文在2026年国庆群众大会上被镜头捕捉到情绪激动的表情，当时总理黄循财提到了他的名字。
图片来源：GOV.SG/YOUTUBE
发布于 2026 年 9 月 3 日上午 7:00
更新于2026年9月3日下午1:27
韩恩文在2026年国庆群众大会上因畏光被误认为哭泣，但他欣然接受了“哭泣男”的梗，因为这有助于宣传他的电影《小提琴家》。
《小提琴家》是一部历时十年制作的动画电影，讲述了一个发生在日据时期的感人故事，并荣获了安纳西国际动画电影节水晶奖等顶级奖项。
韩导演专注于通过影片在新加坡的上映和国际首映来吸引观众，他认为观众的反应比奖项更能决定影片的持久影响力。
新加坡——电影制作人韩恩文想要澄清事实：他在2026年国庆群众大会上并没有哭。
8 月 23 日，电视摄像机捕捉到坐在观众席上的这位新加坡导演，在总理黄循财在演讲中提到他的名字并祝贺他执导的《小提琴家》取得成功时，他明显眼含热泪。
今年六月，这部动画电影荣获法国著名的安纳西国际动画电影节最高奖项——水晶奖（Cristal for a Feature Film）。
NDR事件迅速在网络上走红，将韩变成了“哭泣的男人”表情包。
但这位51岁的男子坚称自己根本没有哭。
9月2日，在维多利亚音乐厅举行的《小提琴家》新闻发布会后，他告诉《海峡时报》，他患有畏光症，也就是对光线敏感。他说，在国家广播电视台（NDR）面对一块巨大的、刺眼的LED屏幕近两个半小时后，他的眼睛已经泪流不止。
然后是特写镜头。
“他们直接把那台大摄像机怼到我脸上，”韩回忆道。“当然，我当时情绪激动。怎么可能没有情绪呢？但看起来可能比实际情况更戏剧化。”
不过，他似乎并不急于摆脱这个新获得的绰号。
历经近十年制作，《小提琴家》将于9月17日在新加坡影院上映，韩认为任何宣传都至关重要。
“如果这个梗传播开来，有助于提高曝光率，那就没问题，”他说。“叫我‘哭泣男’也行。没问题。”
在国庆日英文演讲接近尾声时，黄循财总理特别提到韩，认为他是新加坡人应对充满不确定性的未来所需要的勇气和毅力的典范。他回忆起2015年与韩的初次见面，当时韩的SG50动画短片《小提琴》让他萌生了拍摄长片的想法。
《小提琴家》导演韩永康（左）与总理黄循财出席2026年国庆群众大会。图片来源：VIOLINISTMOVIE/INSTAGRAM
《小提琴家》电影导演韩永康（左）和总理黄循财在2026年国庆群众大会上。
照片：VIOLINISTMOVIE/INSTAGRAM
黄总理指出，在接下来的十年里，韩克服了新冠疫情带来的种种困难，包括合作伙伴的退出和制作计划的改变，最终完成了《小提琴家》的拍摄。
“恭喜你，埃尔文。你为新加坡争光了。”他说。
《小提琴家》的配乐由金马奖得主新加坡音乐家何瑞奇与西班牙作曲家伊莎贝尔·拉托雷共同创作，并在6月21日至27日举行的安纳西国际电影节上荣获SACEM最佳故事片原创配乐奖。
对团队的表彰
韩先生事先隐约知道自己的心血之作会在北德广播公司（NDR）被提及。他被要求提供照片，并表示一些事实也已向他核实过，但他并不清楚节目会如何播出。
然而，黄总理的表扬却让他产生了一种熟悉的感受——冒名顶替综合症。
“我不知道自己是否配得上，”他说。
他首先想到的是多年来参与制作这部英语电影的数百名本地和国际艺术家及工作人员——包括他自己的动画工作室 Robot Playground Media、西班牙的 TV ON Producciones 和意大利的 Altri Occhi。
“这从来都不是关于我个人的事，”他说。“我真的是站在很多人的肩膀上。我的团队付出了巨大的努力。这真的是多年来的汗水和泪水。”
他认为黄英贤总理的赞扬也代表了整个团队的心声。“这部看似不可能完成的电影，正是因为他们的共同努力才得以问世。这的确是集体努力的成果。”他补充道。
韩认为，这也是《小提琴家》符合黄循财总理关于新加坡精神的观点的原因。
他说：“我们团队齐心协力，总能找到办法完成这样的项目。我们一直都是这样。”
NDR的提及还有另一层意味深长的意义。
黄总理向观众展示了一张大约 11 年前拍摄的照片，照片中他遇到了韩和其他参与 SG50 项目的本地电影制作人。
其中包括本土导演罗伊斯顿·谭，他在银幕上看到自己年轻时的样子后，便给韩发了短信。
更重要的是，正是在那段时间，《小提琴》上映，并逐渐演变成《小提琴家》，这是一部雄心勃勃的巨作，花了近十年时间才得以实现。
黄循财总理在国庆群众大会上向与会者展示了一张约11年前拍摄的照片，照片中他与韩恩文（左三）以及其他参与新加坡建国50周年纪念项目的本地电影制作人，如陈瑞生（右三）会面。照片来源：GOV.SG/YOUTUBE
黄总理向国庆群众展示了一张大约 11 年前拍摄的照片，照片中他遇到了参与新加坡建国 50 周年项目的韩艾文（左三）和其他本地电影制作人，如陈瑞生（右三）。
故事发生在20世纪30至40年代的新加坡，讲述了青梅竹马的阿飞（方荣配音）和凯（宋慧乔配音）的故事。两人都是怀揣梦想的小提琴手，战争和日本的占领使他们的生活天翻地覆。凯加入抵抗组织后失踪，阿飞开始了长达数年的寻亲之旅。音乐贯穿始终，谱写了一曲跨越数十年、关于爱、失去和记忆的动人篇章。
“看到这一切最终圆满完成，真是太好了，”韩说道。黄英贤总理在旅程之初就参与其中，十多年后，他又强调了那部小电影已经发展成什么样子。
颁奖典礼前的观众
6月30日，《星际旅行》采访韩时，安纳西电影节的胜利已经引发了人们对这部电影在颁奖季能走多远的讨论。
两个月后，他眼下最关心的问题变得更加基本：如何让人们走进新加坡的电影院观看这部电影。
《小提琴家》讲述了两位儿时好友凯和菲之间的友谊，分别由新加坡演员宋艾登和方荣配音。图片：ROBOT PLAYGROUND MEDIA
《小提琴家》讲述了两个儿时好友凯和菲之间的故事，分别由新加坡演员宋艾登和方荣配音。
图片来源：机器人游乐场媒体
不仅电影原声带将于 9 月 17 日发行，《小提琴家》也将于同一天在多伦多国际电影节举行北美首映。
随后，该片将于 10 月前往釜山国际电影节进行韩国首映，并计划在 2026 年剩余时间参加更多电影节。
然而，对于日益高涨的奥斯卡呼声，韩却不愿妄下断言。“我不敢奢望这些，”他说，“如果真的获奖，那当然很好。”
对他来说，电影节的荣誉远不如电影节能给观众、买家和发行商带来的关注重要——而且《小提琴家》这部电影有可能被新加坡以外的人们所熟知。
“它的生命力真正取决于观众的反应，而不是奖项。”
《小提琴家》将于9月17日在新加坡影院上映。
更正说明：本文已更新，以反映《小提琴家》在新加坡动画领域的正确状态。
Joanne Soh 是《海峡时报》的生活方式记者，尤其关注娱乐和流行文化。
电影节/奖项
2026年国庆集会