SINGAPORE MEDIA FESTIVAL 2018 OPENS WITH THE SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL’S SOUTHEAST ASIAN PREMIERE OF CITIES OF LAST THINGS

SINGAPORE MEDIA FESTIVAL 2018 OPENS WITH THE SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL’S SOUTHEAST ASIAN PREMIERE OF CITIES OF LAST THINGS

The  highly  anticipated  Singapore  Media Festival (SMF) kicked off this evening with the Southeast Asian premiere of the 29th Singapore International Film Festival’s opening film, Cities of Last Things, at the iconic Capitol Theatre. The opening event’s red carpet was a star-studded affair led by the film’s Golden Horse Award-winning director, Ho Wi Ding, Golden Horse Awards winner for Best Supporting Actress, Ding Ning, and fellow cast members, Stone and Huang Lu. Other acclaimed local and international industry bigwigs  who graced the event included Singaporean filmmakers, Tan Wei Keong (Director of SGIFF commissioned short film, Kingdom), Royston Tan, Craig McTurk and Alvin Lee; local actors Fiona Xie, Irene Ang, Benjamin Kheng, Alaric Tay, Adele Wong, Jimmy Taenaka, Constance Lau, Amy Cheng, Jason Godfrey, Sheila Sim; and musicians Lioncityboy, Aisyah Aziz, Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen of ARE, among others.

From 28 November to 9 December, the fifth instalment of the Singapore Media Festival will bring together leaders and talents from the global film, television and digital media industries to celebrate the best of Asian storytelling and provide a valuable platform for Asian talent from the region to network and collaborate. Hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the Festival consists of five events: the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore, the Singapore International Film Festival  (SGIFF),  SMF  Ignite,  and  the  newly-minted  Asian  Academy  Creative Awards (AAA).

Mr Robert Gilby, Chairman of the SMF Advisory Board, said, “The global focus on Asia’s  talent  and  content  is  unmistakable.  With  Singapore’s  vibrant  and  robust infocomm and media ecosystem, the Singapore Media Festival is well-positioned to nurture,  elevate  and  celebrate  Asian  storytelling.  The  Festival  offers  the  region  a proven platform to connect with like-minded industry players, discover rising talents and harness new opportunities. Asia is the place to be, and all of Asia meets at the Singapore Media Festival.”

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PHILIPPINES

Following the introduction of the Country-of-Focus programme last year, the Festival continues its efforts to highlight one country’s rich stories, talents and achievements. This year, the Philippines has been selected as Country-of-Focus.

Celebrating the centennial of Philippine cinema, SGIFF presents a robust selection of films from the country over the next 11 days. Well-known Filipino film figures will be in attendance, including Mikhail Red, Raya Martin, Shireen Seno, Sheron Dayoc, John Torres, Micah Tadena, and stars Bea Alonzo, Charo Santos Concio and Jake Cuenca.

Actors  Miguel  Tanfelix,  Maja  Salvador,  Kyline  Alcantara  and  Gabby  Eigenmann, comedian Michael V., and film and television director Theodore Boborol will lead the Filipino delegation on AAA’s inaugural gala red carpet on 7 December, alongside AAA Philippines   Ambassador,   Mr   Wilson   Tieng,   President   of   the   Motion   Pictures Distributors’  Association  of  the  Philippines  (MPDAP).  Singer/actor  MiG  Ayesa  will present a special performance at the awards ceremony, which will be broadcasted live by HOOQ across Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand.

ATF and ScreenSingapore have also lined up acclaimed industry players as part of its  “Country  of  Focus:  Philippines  at  the  Crossroads”  panel  at  the  ATF  Leaders’ Summit. Mr Carlo Katigbak, President and CEO, ABS CBN Corporation, Mr Guido Xavier R. Zaballero, Chief Marketing Officer, Cignal TV and Mr Vincent Reyes, CEO, TV5 will be sharing insights on what’s next in the  Philippine landscape, leadership roles and coopetition, as well as the impact of the digital revolution on partnerships and investment decisions. The Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market

2018 will also feature five projects from the Philippines in its Top 15 finalist line-up. At the market, the country will be represented by a pavilion with more than 30 delegates, including  independent  producers  and  filmmakers,  brought  together  by  the  Film Development Council of Philippines.

SETTING THE STAGE FOR A NEW GENERATION OF ASIAN STORYTELLERS

IMDA’s Singapore Film Commission, in cooperation with the Singapore International Film Festival, will be co-hosting the ASEAN-ROK Film Leaders Incubator (FLY) 2018 for the first time. This is part of IMDA’s mission to grow talent in the media industry.

First introduced in 2012 by the Busan Film Commission, FLY 2018 grooms aspiring ASEAN  and  South  Korean  filmmakers  and  provides  them  with  co-production  and collaboration opportunities with talent from around the region, under the mentorship of famed Asian filmmakers.

The  two-week  filmmaking  boot  camp  kicked  off  in  Singapore  last  week  and  will culminate in a graduation ceremony and public screening of the completed films on 3 December.

Of  the  22  participants  from  11  countries,  two  young  female  filmmakers represent Singapore in this year’s programme: Judith Tong, who directed Paper Roof (2017), which has been screened at international festivals like Tribeca Film  Festival,  Busan  International  Short  Film  Festival,  and  Rhode  Island International Film Festival; and Tang Wan Xin, whose film White Carnations (2017) premiered at FilmFest Munich.

DEVELOPING A VIBRANT INFOCOMM AND MEDIA ECOSYSTEM

The festival’s keystone digital event, SMF Ignite, takes place on 5 December with the theme,  “The  Convergence  of  Big  Data,  AI  and  Storytelling”,  to  explore  how  data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning could aid storytelling in small and big ways. SMF Ignite sets out to create new opportunities for Asian media companies to thrive in a digitally driven environment.

This year, the event comprises a discussion of the theme among industry leaders; an exhibition  of  companies  combining  data  analytics,  AI  and  storytelling;  keynote speeches; and a workshop.

Popular online video creator Nuseir Yassin of Nas Daily will be conducting the video- making workshop for selected Singapore content creators. He will also be sharing his personal insights on digital storytelling in the keynote, alongside three other speakers:

Mr Chen Xiao, Vice President of iQIYI, one of the largest online video sites in the world (Thoughts on the Film and Entertainment Industry under the Global Situation – Taking iQiyi As An Example);

Mr Jim Louderback, General Manager of Vidcon, the world’s largest multi-genre online  video  conference  (Beyond  Viral  –  Building  Community-based  Video Success); and

Mr Alex Smith, Area Lead (APAC) at Microsoft (Content in the Age of AI).

More details on SMF Ignite keynote speakers and exhibitors are available in Annex A.

For more details of the Singapore Media Festival and its constituent events, refer to Annex B or visit www.sgmediafestival.com.

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