The sixth edition of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF) opened on 21 November with the highly-anticipated Singapore premiere of the 30th Singapore International Film Festival’s opening film, Wet Season. Held at the iconic Capitol Theatre, the opening event’s red carpet was led by award-winning Singapore filmmaker Anthony Chen, along with cast members Yeo Yann Yann, Yang Shi Bin, and rising star Koh Jia Ler. They were joined by international industry personalities like Stone, as well as local personalities like Constance Lau, Chen Tian Wen, Joanna Dong and Benjamin Kheng, among others. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Heng Swee Keat, graced the occasion as Guest-of-Honour.
From 21 November to 8 December, the Singapore Media Festival will gather thought leaders, content creators and talents from the global film, television, digital media and pop culture industries to celebrate the best of Asian storytelling. Hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Festival consists of the:
- Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF),
- Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore,
- Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA),
- Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) – this year’s new addition
- VidCon Asia Summit – a two-day event held in conjunction with SMF, and
- Festival Village at Armenian Street, an outdoor rain or shine event
Over 50,000 thought-leaders, creative professionals, and members of the public from Asia and around the world are expected to be part of the festival this year, more than double the number last year.
Mr Robert Gilby, Chairman of the SMF Advisory Board, shared, “This year’s edition of SMF has expanded in scale, depth and breadth, reflecting the dynamic and rapidly growing Asian media ecosystem. As a unique blend of marketplace, showcase for content and talent, and hub for commercial and creative collaborations, SMF is now, more than ever, the best platform in this region to drive the future of Asian stories and talent forward. Over the next three weeks we’ll welcome a huge gathering of traditional media players from film and television, alongside a new wave of content creators from digital media. We look forward to spotlighting the incredible new ideas, opportunities and talent.”
A Celebration Of Media For All
This year’s Festival will be complemented by an array of exciting programmes at the SMF Festival Village on Armenian Street with something for everyone, from families, film buffs to media students and professionals. The event will also showcase local talents including Peter Draw, the creator behind his character brand, Ai. Another local talent and a former Singapore Digital (SG:D) Scholar, Vicki Lau, will also be sharing her experience working on visual effects for Aquaman. The Festival Village will provide opportunities for members of the public to learn about topics such as 360 content creation, media entrepreneurship and various career opportunities in the media sector.
The Festival will take place over six exciting days in two action-packed weekends (22 – 24 November and 29 November – 1 December). Members of the public can look forward to a slew of 23 film screenings, 34 workshops, talks and masterclasses, as well as immersive VR showcases, live entertainment, and can expect 20 yummy treats from six F&B partners – all under the stars. Highlights include:
- International films like SuckSeed by Chayanop Boonprakob; Rent-a-Cat by Naoko Ogigami
- Local films like 3688 by Royston Tan and ZombiePura by Jacen Tan
- HBO Asia Original anthology drama series, Food Lore, will see its India episode titled A Plate of Moon make its festival debut on 24 Nov – this episode was directed by Singapore filmmaker Don Aravind
- In Conversation sessions with, Naoko Ogigami (Rent-a-Cat), and Beatrice Chia, Michael Chiang and Chua En Lai (Mixed Signals), presented in collaboration with SGIFF
- Power Rangers and 501st Legions Cosplay Parade, presented in collaboration with SGCC, along with an SGCC pop-up stall retailing exclusive merchandise
- Meet-and-greets with the cast of Mediacorp’s KIN, 《致胜出击》The Good Fight, as well as the winners of Star Search 2019
More information and a full schedule of SMF Festival Village programmes are available here.
For more details of the Singapore Media Festival and its constituent events, refer to here or visit www.sgmediafestival.com.
