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Films, content, pop culture, TV - Make it here
HIGHLIGHT EVENT

10th Singapore Media Festival

Celebrating 10 years of discovery, content, and connections made for Asia’s future.

Date and time
LocationVarious locations
Link to Festival Guide Check out the Festival Guide now

About Singapore Media Festival

Make It Here
 

Whether you’re a filmmaker, film-lover, content creator, or pop culture fan, the Singapore Media Festival (SMF) is the place to be with our exciting lineup of events - Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), Singapore Comic Con (SGCC), along with this year’s new additions, Nas Summit Asia and Creators Con (a new segment of Singapore Comic Con).

The 10th edition celebrates the last decade of Asian storytelling as we inspire the next wave of media talent to make it big with new and emerging trends, innovations, and creative possibilities.

Discover the best Made-with-Singapore creations, made for the world; explore the diverse array of new media capabilities the industry has to offer; and get connected with the right deals to bring your vision to life at the Singapore Media Festival.

Key attendees

In celebration of SMF turning 10, we would like to highlight these 10 individuals who are Making It at SMF:

Photo of Jow Zhi Wei

Jow Zhi Wei

Filmmaker

Jow Zhi Wei is a celebrated filmmaker whose debut feature 'Tomorrow is a Long Time' made its mark at the Berlin International Film Festival as the first-ever Singaporean feature film in the Generation 14plus section. He is a Cultural Medallion holder and has showcased his work at prestigious film festivals worldwide.

#MakeItHere at SGIFF: Jow’s debut feature film ‘Tomorrow is a Long Time’ will be screened at SGIFF, and is in competition for the prestigious Asian Feature Film Competition at the SGIFF Silver Screen Awards. 

Photo of Nicole Midori

Nicole Midori Woodford

Director, Writer, and Editor

Nicole Midori Woodford is a multi-talented Director, Writer, and Editor. Her debut feature film project – ‘Last Shadow At First Light’ – has had the support of the TorinoFilmLab Feature Lab, SEAFIC Lab, SGIFF, and Talents Tokyo since its early stages of development. After its world premiere at the prestigious San Sebastián International Film Festival, it was also nominated for two awards at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

#MakeItHere at SGIFF: Woodford's debut feature film ‘Last Shadow at First Light’ will be screened at SGIFF, and is in competition for the prestigious Asian Feature Film Competition at the SGIFF Silver Screen Awards.

Photo of Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee

Head of Development, Beach House Pictures

Jessica Lee is the Head of Development at Beach House Pictures. She plays a pivotal role in selling premium content and programs on Netflix, Curiosity, Amazon Prime, and more. Some high-profile series include Emmy-nominated ‘Mind Your Manners’, ‘The Raincoat Killer’, ‘Best Dog India’, ‘Evolve’, and ‘Otter Dynasty’.

#MakeItHere at ATF: Beach House Pictures is the first local company to anchor a pitch at ATF, and Lee will be on the jury for the ATF x Beach House Pictures Unscripted Pitch.

Photo of Jacen Tan

Jacen Tan

Film director

Jacen Tan is an experienced film director whose award-winning portfolio includes local horror thriller ‘Zombiepura’ which was awarded the New Talent Feature Grant by the Singapore Film Commission. The film has taken the title of top iTunes movie in Singapore, been featured at film festivals worldwide such as Scream Asia Film Festival 2018, New York Asian Film Festival 2019 and ASEAN Cinema Week 2019, as well as released on Disney Plus and Netflix Korea.

#MakeItHere at ATF: Making its debut screening at ATF is ‘Kungfuland’ by Tan’s production arm, Adjacent Media. It is also one of the selected projects for IMDA’s Virtual Production Innovation Call (Short Form) 2023.

Photo of Darshan K

Darshen K

Comedy, Lifestyle & Fashion Content Creator

Darshen K is a Comedy, Lifestyle & Fashion Content Creator who has one goal in mind: To make others happy. His social media platforms are meant to be an avenue for people to de-stress and feel better, and his philosophy to content creation is to not worry about pleasing everyone, and just simply be himself.

#MakeItHere at Nas Summit Asia: Darshen will be speaking at Nas Summit and sharing insights on his journey as a content creator.

Photo of Miss Tam Chiak

Miss Tam Chiak

Singapore's Top Food Blogger

Miss Tam Chiak - as she’s affectionally known as - is actually Maureen Ow, a former journalist and TV producer with a wealth of experience in food writing, photography and styling. She started her website as a blog in 2007 to explore and celebrate all types of local Singapore dishes, and share her love of food and travel with the world. Today, she’s one of Singapore’s leading food personalities, and has been involved in many video projects to share interesting discoveries and recipes, as well as inspiring snippets of her life.

#MakeItHere at Nas Summit Asia: Miss Tam Chiak will be making a keynote speech to share about what it takes to stand out in a competitive market.

Photo of Ng Kai Yuan

Ng Kai Yuan

Co-founder, UNFOLD Asia

Ng Kai Yuan is the co-founder of UNFOLD Asia, a media group that seeks to entertain and educate Southeast Asian audiences through creative storytelling. UNFOLD Asia houses a collective of media brands including Our Grandfather Story, Ribbit.FYI, nOm and 呼呼Call, reaching over 10 million viewers monthly.

#MakeItHere at Nas Summit Asia: Ng will be a speaker at Nas Summit, shedding light on the different ways to bring stories to life in the ever-changing media landscape. 

Photo of Stanley Artgerm Lau

Stanley Lau

Co-founder, Imaginary Friends Studios

Stanley Lau (@artgerm) is the Co-founder of Imaginary Friends Studios. He is a digital art maestro known for blending Eastern & Western aesthetics in his masterpieces. Notable contributions include his work with Capcom and contributions to the community as he leads a Digital Design & Illustration diploma course at 3dsense Media School Singapore.

#MakeItHere at SGCC: Artgerm is a special guest at SGCC where he will be meeting fans, signing autographs, and is involved with panel talks at the W.I.P. Lab.

Photo of Jessica Lee

Samara Gan

Comic Artist

Samara Gan is a Comic Artist who has gone from cosplaying attendee to best-selling author. Her Work In Progress (W.I.P.) Programme entry – ‘How to Date a Dozen Men’ – didn’t just win the hearts of comic-lovers. It also won over publisher – Epigram Books – which subsequently propelled this witty semi-biographic story to the top of Books Kinokuniya’s best-seller charts.

#MakeItHere at SGCC: Gan is a W.I.P. Programme alumni and exhibitor at SGCC.

Photo of Melissa Wong

Melissa Wong

Chief Operating Officer, Mighty Jaxx International

Melissa Wong is the Chief Operating Officer at Mighty Jaxx International – a key player in the pop culture scene. She has seen the company grow from an underdog to a $200 million powerhouse and continues to play a crucial role in redefining the collectors’ experience.

#MakeItHere at SGCC: Mighty Jaxx has been an exhibitor at SGCC since the event’s early days and has grown to be the key sponsor in the last two years.

Singapore Pavilion at ATF

Ready to open doors and close deals on your next hit series? Head on over to the Singapore Pavilion at ATF, part of the 10th Singapore Media Festival this year.

Location: Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Booth F06 & H06
Date: 05 - 08 Dec 2023

Discover the frontiers of emerging technology and its infinite possibilities with A Virtual Production Afternoon and Generative A.I. panel session. On top of that, don’t forget to check out the best of Made-with-Singapore content at the Singapore Pavilion, where over 70 companies (141.24KB) will be showcasing hours of compelling stories from Singapore and Asia across more than 180 titles!

Singapore Pavilion at ATF highlights

Panel: A Virtual Production Afternoon

Date and time

06 Dec 2023, 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Singapore Pavilion Screening Room

Summary

Dive into the world of virtual production (VP), with a showcase of various VP projects that IMDA has supported over the past year. Discover how local talents have used VP tech to realise their visions, as supported through the Virtual Production Challenge 2023 held in collaboration with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine trainers, and the Virtual Production Innovation Call, then catch the debut screening of these projects! The segment also includes a panel discussion on the game-changing role of VP. 

Panel: Producing & distributing remakes in the OTT era

Date and time

07 Dec 2023, 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Singapore Pavilion Screening Room

Summary

Facing the need to supply more and more original content to the many existing VOD platforms and services, film and series remakes have become a key product, often designed from the outset to be adapted to different countries.

In this discussion we’ll learn from the success stories of remakes in SEA and discuss with IP owners, distributors and producers: How to produce a successful remake that fits with local audience? Are remakes a safe bet for all parties involved? How has streaming transformed the approach to film and TV remakes?

Panel: A Generative A.I. Afternoon

Date and time

07 Dec 2023, 2.30pm - 3.30pm

Singapore Pavilion Screening Room

Summary

The segment will feature a panel discussion focusing on the impact of Generative A.I. in the Media sector. The speakers will share their views from the perspectives of individual creators, enterprises and legal experts, as they discuss the potential of Generative A.I. as transformative force and the ethical considerations behind its use.

Networking: Singapore Hour

Date and time

06 & 07 Dec 2023, 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Summary

Join us and network with local media companies and regional partners over drinks.

Participating events