HE was rejected by one of our polys, went to the US to continue his studies and now, his first film has been sold to 25 territories worldwide (excluding Singapore and its neighbours).

Plus, Faye Dunaway and Bai Ling appear in it.

Pearry Reginald Teo, 29, claimed: 'Iwas rejected by the polytechnic (for their film and media studies course).

'I qualified, right down to the interview, and they said to me, 'You sure you want to do this?' and then I didn't make their list.'

DEVASTATED

Teo later said he was devastated by the rejection because he 'really really' wanted to get in.

'To add insult to injury, they informed me that I could qualify for business school with my grades alone. I declined that offer,' he said.

'Console' is not the right word, but just in case it made him feel better, I told him what some would say, that he probably didn't fit in with the robotic Singaporean mould, that he should feel fortunate, this means he's genuinely creative.

The Singapore-born-and-bred NSman has been based in Los Angeles for two years, and 'somehow found myself thrown into film'.

He completed his studies in Tucson, Arizona, taking a film-making course in Pima Community College.

Teo has since produced three award-winning short films.

His first short film - horror flick Liberata Me - was shown in Cannes and also won Best Horror at the New York International Film Festival 2002.

STRICT PARENTS

Not bad for a kid whose parents were so strict, he wasn't allowed to watch TV as a child.

'They were both religious and the idea of TV for their generation was very taboo,' said Teo, whose parents have since divorced.

'They believed it was... evil.'

He added that he didn't see the inside of a cinema till he was a teenager. (It was showing Top Gun).

I ran into Teo in Cannes, as he was returning to LA, his sales agent having inked deals for his movie, The Gene Generation.

Its tag is: 'Death is just an upgrade.'

'The science-fiction movie is based on my comic book,' said the cool and youthful Teo.

Wow, a one-man-show - he wrote, produced, and directed it all in Hollywood?

Mr Teo's acclaimed comic book series is The DNA Hacker Chronicles - quite a mouthful for a graphic novel.

He made the film in 2006 for US$2million ($2.72 million - needless to say, overseas funding).

'And then the special effects took me into 2007,' said Teo.

The movie is set to make its world premiere at a San Francisco film festival on Thursday.

It is set in a futuristic world, where the gene code has been cracked and one assassin stands between peace and total genetic war.

This elite killer has no one to fear until her brother crosses the line. How far will she go to protect her family and save the future?

That is Bai's quest and dilemma.

He got the US-based Chinese actress (The Crow) interested in sci-fi and she co-stars with Alec Newman (Dune) and Parry Shen (Hatchet).

The film is co-produced by Kim Winther, who has worked on films like The Day After Tomorrow and Mr and Mrs Smith, and is partly bankrolled by 20th Century Fox.

That's not all.

Academy Award winner Faye Dunaway has a cameo in Teo's movie. And working with the legendary actress was an experience he says he will never forget.

STRONG-WILLED

'It takes a very gutsy person to work with someone as strong-willed as her,' he said.

'I admire her courage and her will to stand up for herself immensely. While some people may see her as over-bearing, I like to see her as a person who knows what she wants and how to get it. I think people could learn a lot from her.'

And how does a Singaporean boy snag such a grand dame like Dunaway for his first epic pic?

Teo said: 'Faye Dunaway happened to visit the set and was so totally impressed she actually said 'I wouldn't mind being in it', who am I to turn down Faye Dunaway?'

Hmm... Singapore turned him away.

This article was first published in The New Paper on June 1, 2008.