Spotlighting The Past

The love for cinema never dies. In celebration of SG50, MDA helped to restore, digitise and subtitle five films from the 1950s to the 1970s to give audiences a glimpse into Singapore’s rich cinema history on the big screen.

This initiative, known as Spotlight On Singapore Cinema, was led by MDA in collaboration with the National Archives of Singapore, Asian Film Archive and National Museum of Singapore Cinémathèque.

By giving these classic films a new lease of life, MDA wanted to preserve a valuable piece of Singapore’s cinematic heritage and allow Singaporeans to re-live the past through sights and sounds, some of which are now lost forever.

The films were screened at the Capitol Theatre in August 2015 and were met with an enthusiastic response from Singaporeans. This prompted extended screenings at public libraries and community centres.

Featured films in Spotlight On Singapore Cinema. Watch a recap of the event here.

• Chuchu Datok Merah (1963), a Malay-language period drama
• The Lion City (1960), a Chinese-language film
• Patah Hati (1952), an early P Ramlee drama
• Taming of the Princess (1958), a Hokkien opera
• Ninaithale Inikkum (1979), a Tamil romantic drama

Nurturing First Time Filmmakers

Besides looking back at Singapore’s rich cinematic past, MDA also empowered the nation’s current creative talents to write their own SG50 stories through the First Time Filmmakers Singapore (FTFM) initiative.

FTFM provided a unique opportunity for the filmmakers to showcase their talent and gain international exposure. In partnership with Discovery Networks, MDA commissioned the chosen filmmakers to produce 30-minute documentaries on the theme “The Singapore Story” for SG50. They also received professional training and development from Discovery Channel’s award-winning producers.

Their documentaries debuted at an outdoor screening on 11 July 2015, followed by region-wide broadcasts on Discovery Channel from 16 July 2015.

The Documentaries:

• Man Vs Birds by Kylie Tan and Priscilla Goh
• Heartland by Mark Chua and Mark Kwan
• Growing Roots by Yong Shu Ling and Lisa Teh
• Wild Cards by Gwendolin Mah
• Birth of a Marine Park by Victor Tang

LOVE LETTERS TO SINGAPORE

In this age of social media and instant gratification, letter writing is an activity that borders on antiquity. This is why for Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, MDA asked seven local directors this poignant question: If you could write a love letter to Singapore, what would it say?

The result is 7 Letters, an anthology of seven short films on identity, belonging, truth, love and loss by seven stellar Singapore filmmakers – Boo Jun Feng, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Kelvin Tong, K Rajagopal, Royston Tan and Tan Pin Pin.

Supported by MDA and the Singapore Film Commission, 7 Letters premiered at Capitol Theatre in July 2015 to a sold-out audience. Supply could not keep up with demand; tickets for the three-day premiere screenings were snapped up in under two hours.

7 Letters received widespread acclaim from film critics and audiences alike. An additional four weeks were added to its screening schedule at Golden Village cinemas island-wide and a limited edition DVD set was also released. Proceeds from all the screenings and sales were donated to the seven charities of the directors’ choice.

GOING WILD IN THE URBAN JUNGLE

Singapore is more than an urban jungle – wildlife teems where you least expect them. This was a little-known fact that Channel NewsAsia sought to showcase in the documentary, Wild City, where the spotlight shifts from the nation’s man-made wonders to its rich biodiversity.

Wild City is produced by local production house Beach House Pictures and supported by MDA through the Public Service Broadcast funding. Narrated by natural history legend Sir David Attenborough, the two-part series introduced viewers to unlikely city dwellers such as civets and otters that have also called Singapore their home.