World Class Media Cluster
Film and animation for Singapore
and beyond

In 2011, Singapore filmmakers kept cinema goers engaged with 10 new local feature films.

From comedy (It’s A Great, Great World, directed by Kelvin Tong) to horror (23:59, directed by Gilbert Chan) to an animated feature (Tatsumi, directed by Eric Khoo), Singapore filmmakers produced an eclectic mix of film genres while continuing to present more depth in their craft.

Indeed, 2011 was a watershed year for the local box office. The top five grossing local films of 2011 pulled in approximately $7.6 million at the box office, 64 per cent better than 2010.

Independent filmmakers also did well in 2011. Titles released included documentaries like Ignore All Detour Signs, directed by Helmi Ali and Razin Ramzi, and fictional films such as Echoing Love, directed by Edmund Chen. There were also films that blurred the line between documentary and fiction, like Eclipses, directed by Daniel Hui.

At international film festivals, Singapore directors made waves. For seven consecutive years, Singapore had been represented at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. In 2011, Eric Khoo’s Tatsumi premiered at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. The renowned director was also at the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market in March 2012, as a Jury President for the 6th Asian Film Awards, where he led 11 judges in deciding the best of 32 films from 11 countries and regions.

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Support for local filmmakers
MDA has consistently backed the development of Singapore films. Programmes such as the New Feature Film Fund enabled filmmakers to break through into new genres.

Started in 2008, the New Feature Film Fund was aimed at nurturing aspiring film talent looking for their first big break in feature film directing. Local filmmakers who have benefited from the scheme include Royston Tan (4:30), Boo Jun Feng (Sandcastle), and more recently, Ho Tzu Nyen (Endless Day), Anthony Chen (Ilo Ilo) and James Leong (Camera).

In line with MDA’s efforts to streamline its schemes, the New Feature Film Fund was superseded by the New Talent Feature Grant in May 2012.

Collaborating for success
It was a busy year on the international front where MDA helped build ties with other countries and promoted Singapore-made films.

One such event was a business matching and networking session held by MDA and Malaysia’s International Film Development Corporation in January 2012.

A delegation of 30 media and entertainment companies led by MDA, visited Kuala Lumpur’s film studios and broadcasters and attended a series of workshops and match-making sessions. The trip was part of the two countries’ efforts to pool together talents and resources to co-produce for the global market.

At the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market 2011, 33 Singapore companies housed under the 90 square-metre national pavilion provided a glimpse of the capabilities of homegrown filmmakers. Besides Jack Neo’s heartwarming feature We Not Naughty, TV programmes on Asian cuisine, art and culture made a strong showing at the market.

MDA also took the opportunity to announce that ScreenSingapore, an MDA-supported film event, would be co-located with the Asia Television Forum in December 2012.

The inaugural ScreenSingapore 2011 drew more than 1,100 attendees and strong international participation. In 2012, the revamped event will see the participation of six additional Board members. These additional board members from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore bring with them considerable film expertise, and knowledge of Asia as a market.

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Animation, a rising world class cluster
Singapore’s animation industry gained further worldwide traction in the year of review, as local animation studios partnered established names in the business to co-produce long-form animated series for international broadcast.

Among these international partners was Turner Broadcast Asia Pacific, which worked with local animation studio Tiny Island Productions on the television movie Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens, as well as Japanese companies Bandai Visual, Baku Enterprise and Duckbill Entertainment which partnered homegrown company Sparky Animation on One Stormy Night.

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MDA-supported animated series Rob the Robot, a co-production between Amberwood Entertainment (Canada) and Singapore’s One Animation, made its way into Latin America through the Discovery channels in 2011. Rob the Robot was also sold to France, Korea, Norway, Sweden and the Middle East.

In June 2011, Cartoon Network announced a joint agreement with MDA to launch SNAPTOONS (Short New Asia Pacific Cartoons), which called for creative pitches for original series from professional and budding animators, connecting Cartoon Network with local creative talents.

Singapore animation series also won awards internationally. Pizza Mayhem by students of 3dsense Media School was one of the winning works at the 2012 CG Animation Awards in Tokyo.

As local animation companies moved up the value chain, they also focused on exploiting IP rights through licensing and merchandising. Titles such as Dinosaur Train, Mr Moon and Nanoboy extended their popularity in the form of toys, apparel and other merchandises in Asia and the US.

In February 2012, local Web portal xinmsn partnered Singapore’s Scrawls Studios to launch its first original animated web series, Blk 88. Blk 88 made its debut not on television but on a web portal, to positive reviews from viewers.