Asian Storytelling Reimagined At The Singapore Virtual Pavilion

SINGAPORE – 01 DEC 2020

Singapore brings diverse and fresh content to the global market at ATF Online+, with works from over 50 local media companies to be showcased under the Singapore Virtual Pavilion. Presented by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), the robust selection includes over 730 hours of stories from Singapore and Asia, spanning over 135 titles and genres such as animation, documentaries, mystery thrillers, children programmes and feature films. ATF Online+ is part of the on-going Singapore Media Festival, and runs from 1 - 4 December 2020.

New titles and genres slated for a 2021 release

• Look forward to an exciting line-up of feature films by mm2 Entertainment that delve into the supernatural:
  
  • Shadow pits a psychiatrist with the power to enter the subconscious mind against a serial killer with the same ability, as she faces her traumatic past and overcomes her inner demons.
    
    
  • With a looming threat to the balance of Singapore’s feng shui (Chinese geomancy), five chosen individuals must put their differences aside and unite to save the country in The Fatekeepers.
    
    
  • Hell Hole is a tale of revenge horror spanning several decades, where a loving mother makes a death pact with a spirit, sacrificing herself to save her son, though he still meets a gruesome end. Years later, the vengeful spirits of mother and son reunite to exact revenge on those who have wronged them.
    
    
• Circle Line, Singapore’s first monster flick by Taipan Films, is set against the backdrop of a faulty underground train system, a despondent mother and a group of strangers on the last commute band together against all odds to survive against an unknown creature. The film is projected for release in the second-quarter of 2021.

• Travel to Japan with Singapore’s dessert queen, Janice Wong as she takes viewers on a journey of delicious proportions in a new series, Sweet Art with Janice Wong. A co-production by Singapore-based Bomanbridge Media and Mago Films Australia, the show follows Janice as she inspires her creative sweet tooth. Explore the immersive pieces of edible art she invents, inspired by places and people she meets, the world she sees, and the stories she hears.

• Originally a successful Singaporean short film on Viddsee, Lying Theory will be refreshed in the form of a 5-episode drama series by the film’s original creators and Viddsee Studios. The story follows Claire, who gains the ability to know when someone is telling a lie, following a birthday wish she made when she turned twelve. Wielding this truth-discerning sight, Claire grows into a lonesome misanthrope, until she meets Larry, who has never lied before. 

• Action thriller Dualiti plunges into a twisted virtual reality world reuniting 6 hikers whose companion had perished during a trip years ago, with the objective of finding the culprit behind her death. An original IP developed by Adara Pictures, this is the first content in Malay to be featured on meWATCH’s Original Series.

• A diverse library of fresh in-development content catered for young audiences of all-ages:

  • Emmy Award-nominated studio One Animation present with a brand-new series, Future Bros. Picked as one of Kidscreen’s Cool New Shows for MIPJr 2020, Future Bros is a charming, thoughtful comedy involving an 8-year-old boy genius who finds himself face-to-face with his 15-year-old self, asking some of life’s existential questions in a totally original way.
    
  • The Moving Visuals Co participate with Hello, Big Shots! that revolves around six children who receive a unique opportunity to interview famous Singaporean personalities from all walks of life to sate their curiosities. From a doctor, artiste, chef to a Minister, nothing is too outrageous to ask!
    
    
  • Award-winning animation studio Omens Studios returns with a new teen action comedy series Dragon Lizzardo, which sees the titular warmonger extraordinaire being transported into a futuristic city moments before his demise, where he is given a new lease on life

Singapore content making waves internationally

• Clinching the Best Asian Drama category at the Asia Contents Awards, Last Madame is an exciting story of past and present that tells the tale of Singapore’s last brothel owner in the 1940s. In 2019, banker Chi Ling returns from Hong Kong to settle an inheritance from her great-grandmother, Fung Lan – only to discover that therein lies deeper and controversial histories behind their house.

• Having won the Best Factual Programme prize at the ContentAsia Awards 2020, The Great Migration: First Steps details the Jurong Bird Park’s big move to the Mandai precinct after almost 50 years. Produced by Beach House Pictures, this is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the keepers tasked with planning the move for almost 4,000 birds, and the designers and engineers endeavouring to build them a one-of-a-kind home.

• The Multiverse At 13 Hill Ave is a collection of unrelated stories involving three individuals across different universes, whose paths cross when a doorway appears and connects their disparate lives. A Viddsee Original, the web series has been nominated at WebFest Berlinfor the Sci-Fi/ Fantasy category, as well as at Melbourne WebFest 2020 for Best International Drama, and Best Visual/Special Effects.

Local companies take Asian storytelling to new platforms

• 7 Steps Productions recently announced an MOU with BattleBrew Productions - an award-winning game studio in Singapore - to collaborate to explore the development of an animation series based on BattleBrew Productions’ popular video game, BattleSky Brigade. Targeted for release in 2022, the series will offer fans the chance to explore the fantastical airborne island town and see their favourite characters beyond the game.

• Asian Esports and tech-centric entertainment channel TechStorm marked its inaugural launch in Taiwan last week, through partnerships with Taiwan’s Portico Media and ONLINE MEDIA. Currently available across 96 platform partners, this launch marks the network’s ninth country launch, following a series of meteoric traction across Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka.
  
  
• Cinewav is a new mobile app intended to enhance the film-watching experience in a time of social distance. Developed in Singapore by local filmmakers Jason Chan and Christian Lee (BananaMana Films), its world-first technology allows multiple users to watch movies on a big screen while listening to perfectly-synced, high quality audio via their mobile device. With this, the app eliminates noise pollution in large screening venues (e.g. outdoor cinemas), and also better allows for the activation of novel movie venues. The platform will also include a library of DRM secured films that allows film rights owners to upload their titles for non-theatrical screenings by film festivals, event organizers and venue owners globally.

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Related Resources

Annex A: Participating Singapore Companies at ATF Online+ (129.61KB)

Annex B: Information on the Singapore Media Festival and its partner events (291.12KB)