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VIRAL EXCLUSIVE
Sept. 5, 2023
Young Filmmakers are Redefining Singaporean Cinema
Continuing its vision of nurturing young filmmakers, the 9th National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) handed out awards to 20 recipients, in addition to rewarding them with opportunities for further industry development. With a new wave of filmmakers emerging in Singapore’s film industry, how do their distinct filmmaking style and unique perspectives shape Singaporean cinema? By: Theng Min Yee
Last Thursday, NYFA celebrated the craft of filmmaking and the unique stories told by today’s youth. Steeped in a sense of immediacy and nowness, the fresh voice of young filmmakers spoke to sentiments, anxieties, and beliefs of our current time. Recent years have witnessed Singaporean cinema venture into new territory, with films being more experimental or bold with their subject-matter and cinematography. Works like Lei Yuan Bin’s queer film Baby Queen (2022) and Calleen Koh’s Sexy Sushi (2020) are part of a new cinematic wave in Singapore that is unafraid to explore provocative themes. How are these emerging filmmakers transforming Singaporean cinema, and are there sufficient avenues for them to forge their way in the industry?
Pushing the Envelope
Film entries in this year’s NYFA were honest portraits of youthhood, grappling with issues surrounding self-identity, mental health, familial estrangement, and more. Instead of making broad-brushing social commentary about various issues – a style found in many of Jack Neo’s satirical comedies – young filmmakers are crafting their films through a personal lens, presenting more nuanced narratives.
When we asked about her film Ah Fen, which won the “Most Promising Award”, Leong Yong Jia, Tiffany spoke candidly of her past struggles with mental health that served as inspiration for her film. Hein Htut’s film Grandfather’s Son, which won the “Best Director Award”, also stemmed from individual experience. “It was a personal story of mine that I just wanted to share,” Hein said.
The winning films also abandoned black-and-white narratives, opting for more layered and complex stories. This was evident in Angeline Klarissa’s Dragonflies, which depicts Yu Qi, a young secret society member, who finds herself at a crossroads between her estranged mother and her blood-forged family of secret society members. Till the end, the film doesn’t take a clear stance on the “blood is thicker than water” debate. It ends off on an ambiguous note, letting its viewers simmer in the entanglement. This ambiguity is equally witnessed in Grandfather’s Son, where the protagonist is left to grapple with a conflicting self-identity. Departing from simplistic and binary narratives that were common in Singapore’s first cinematic wave, young filmmakers are unafraid to acknowledge the impossibility of coming to a clear resolution.
The bold approach taken by young filmmakers also sets them apart from their prior counterparts. Alvin Lee, Angelina Bok and Chew Pei Yi’s film Smoke Gets In Your Eyes delves into the realm of funerals and death – a subject-matter traditionally deemed as taboo in many Asian societies. Exposing the hypocrisy surrounding the ceremonial act of funerals, their film is one that questions the status quo.
Being a Young Filmmaker in Singapore
Beyond putting a spotlight on these films, NYFA has been actively bolstering the youth in their creative pursuits, supporting more than 4,000 youths, and receiving over 2,800 short films over the years. Through programmes like the “Film Critics Lab” and “NYFA Mentorship”, alumni of NYFA have gone on to receive accolades on other regional and international film awards. Besides NYFA, the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) has been equally committed to nurturing local talent, through mentorship programmes, masterclasses, and dialogue sessions. These initiatives that support the arts and culture are of importance, especially in a nation known for its emphasis on STEM sectors.
To gain better insight into Singapore’s film industry, we spoke to the three winners of the “Best Short Film”, who told us about their experience as young filmmakers in Singapore.
“As a director, filmmaker in Singapore, you kind of have to create your opportunities,” said Alvin Lee, director of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. “You have to go knocking on doors, opportunities don’t come to you, you have to fight for it,” Chew Pei Yi, a producer of the film, chimed in. Angelina Bok, also a producer of the film, echoed their sentiments: “Passion is not enough, you have to have this inexhaustible drive for filmmaking and cinema as a whole.”
Though the filmmaking industry remains a tricky terrain to navigate, the magic of storytelling continues to compel a new generation of young filmmakers, who are in the process of redefining Singaporean cinema.
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