Film Sector

The Singapore Film Commission (SFC), part of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), is charged with developing Singapore's film industry and nurturing film talent. It is advised by a committee comprising members from the film, arts and cultural community. Since 1998, the SFC has supported more than 800 short films, scripts, feature films, as well as film-related events in Singapore that showcase homegrown talent and works.

To propel Singapore's film industry towards the next stage of growth, SFC will focus on three strategic thrusts - Talent Development, Internationalization, and Audience Cultivation.

Find out more through a review done for SFC's 20th anniversary (14.60MB).

Singapore’s potential for developing exportable media content is supported by its rich cultural backdrop, inspiring creative output with international appeal. Attesting to this is Singapore’s growing success in the worldwide film industry, with films like A Land Imagined and Pop Aye receiving accolades at acclaimed film festivals such as the Locarno International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival.

Expanding collaborative efforts between local and international film companies have united resources from co-producing countries, enabling Singapore filmmakers to participate in projects of international standing. International film production and service companies have also set up locally to harness our creative expertise and talents.

MIPCOM will take place from 16 to 19 October 2023, at Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France and IMDA will be leading a delegation in attendance.

The Singapore Film Commission (SFC) is the official submission body of Singapore for the Best International Feature Film category, under the 96^th Academy Awards (Oscars).

The selection committee would consist of members of the SFC Advisory Committee, who will vote on the final film to be submitted as Singapore’s entry to the abovementioned category.

The Call for Submissions for eligible films is open from now till Friday, 18 August 2023, 2359 hours (SGT). All eligible films should be submitted to sfc@imda.gov.sg by the deadline, along with the appropriate screeners in the form of a high quality secure online video link or downloadable file of your film (with small watermark). Please note that online links and passwords must remain valid until at least 31 October 2023.

For the specific eligibility criteria, please see the rules published on the Academy Awards website here, also appended here (53.29KB). This has been appended below for easy reference.

• The country-selected film must be first released in the country of origin no earlier than December 1, 2022, and no later than October 31, 2023, and be first publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater for the profit of the producer and exhibitor. In order for films to more easily meet theatrical exhibition requirements, the Academy will allow films to qualify outside the country of origin, provided the film is theatrically exhibited outside of the United States and its territories for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater for paid admission.

• Submissions must be in 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to ST 428-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the “SMPTE DCP” format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2:2020 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)

• The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio. The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Center, Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream.

• The discrete audio data shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 429-3:2007 D-Cinema Packaging – Sound and Picture Track File, SMPTE ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and SMPTE ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification and SMPTE 429-18:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – Immersive Audio Track File and packaged in conformance with SMPTE 429-19:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints for Immersive Audio.

• The film must be advertised and exploited during its qualifying theatrical release in a manner considered normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices. The film need not have been released in the United States.

• Films that, in any version, receive a nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution before their qualifying theatrical release will not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:

  • Broadcast and cable television

  • PPV/VOD

  • DVD distribution

  • Inflight airline distribution

  • Internet transmission

• The recording of the original dialogue track as well as the completed picture must be predominantly (more than 50%) in a language or languages other than English. Accurate, legible English-language subtitles are required.

• The submitting country must confirm that creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens or residents of the submitting country.

SFC nurtures high potential talent and collaboration of top talent in Southeast Asia for a strong brand of "Made-with-Singapore" content that would be recognized locally, internationally, and raise the profile of Singapore's media sector.

The Call for Proposals for feature films and short films are open once a year.

The Overseas Development Grant is open for application all year-round. Complementing the grants is a Singapore on-screen fund to incentivise international media and entertainment companies with global or regional reach to collaborate with Singapore media talent and enterprises to produce feature films or series highlighting the unique culture and landscapes of Singapore.

• Call for Proposals for feature and short films

  This page contains detailed information for the IMDA Call for Proposals for feature and short film grants.

• Filming in Singapore

  This page contains information on guidelines and important notes to filming/shooting in Singapore, including the Content Production Safe Management Measures during the COVID-19 period.

• Film Directory

  This online film directory serves as a repository on Singapore cinema, listing feature films released or produced by Singapore filmmakers, producers and/or companies since 1991.

• Film Brochure

  This e-brochure lists Singapore feature films, including recent releases from the past two years, upcoming releases, projects in development, and notable titles with critical acclaim over the past decade.

• Data on Singapore Cinema

  This page contains key statistics on the Singapore cinema industry.

• Film Community

  This list contains organisations/companies that offer film-related programming and/or activities aiming to grow the audience in the appreciation of Singapore films and talent.