JOINTLY ISSUED BY NEA AND VIDDSEE

Singapore, 22 November 2022 – Ever wondered how food waste reduction can be fun and easily achievable? Imagine if the trash you throw away had feelings, or the possibilities it could have if you gave it a new lease of life. These were the concepts behind the three winning films for the #RoadtoZero Youth Sustainability Film Programme that premiered today at the Temasek Shophouse. The programme supports young filmmakers in the creation of meaningful films centered around zero waste and the pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle.

2 Through these stories captured through the lens of the youths, the programme aims to spark conversations and encourage advocacy on the topic of environmental sustainability in Singapore. The premiere was graced by Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment, and form part of a nationwide effort to drive youth advocacy for our environment through film.

2 The winning concepts – “How To Have Fun While Reducing Food Waste!’’ by Chantelle Ng, “Left Wandering” by OKJ, and “The Second Life of Secondhand Objects” by Chuah Weiqi, were selected from a total of 85 submissions following a pitch callout in April. The top three film concepts were awarded a production budget of $8,000 and a cash prize of $4,000 to turn their film ideas into reality.

3 “How To Have Fun While Reducing Food Waste!’’, a film about food waste reduction, follows a passionate individual on her quest to save ‘ugly’ food. “Left Wandering”, a film about the discarded items and trash, provides a humorous, satirical take on these items as ''wildlife'' to encourage viewers to reflect on their actions towards the environment. “The Second Life of Secondhand Objects”, a film about upcycling, presents the transformation of an old bookshelf into a cat tower to show how sustainability could be supported through originality and creativity.

4 The films and relevant content will be available progressively on roadtozero.viddsee.com as well as Viddsee and Clean and Green Singapore’s social media platforms from 23 November 2022 onwards. For more details on the films, please refer to Annex A.

5 The National Environment Agency (NEA) and Viddsee were supported by several partners to bring the programme to fruition and enrich the learning experience of our young filmmakers. FairPrice Group is a key collaborating partner, who supported the mission of driving youth advocacy through providing sponsorship and guiding filmmakers on sustainability issues through an educational tour held at FairPrice Xtra @Kallang Wave Mall. The filmmakers then gained behind-the-scenes insights into waste management in Singapore through visits conducted by Chye Thiam Maintenance Pte Ltd and Sentosa Development Corporation. To further enhance and excite their learning journey, NEA also hosted the young filmmakers at the Tuas South incineration plant.

6 The young filmmakers were mentored by Viddsee Studios and three experienced local documentary filmmakers, Eileen Chong, Kenneth Cheong and Kenneth Chan, who provided guidance through the development and production of their films. A behind-the-scenes video capturing the learning and filmmaking journeys of all three filmmakers with their mentors was screened at the premiere. In the video, the filmmakers shared their key takeaways about sustainability and how the community can do their part in a zero waste journey.

7 “Viddsee is eager to support young storytelling talents and we’re excited to launch the stories by three filmmakers who are passionate about zero waste and sustainability. This campaign is spearheaded by our Viddsee For Good initiative, which will provide a good stepping stone for young filmmakers to discover and learn more about impactful storytelling”, Derek Tan, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Viddsee.

8 This programme is launched under NEA’s Youth for Environmental Sustainability (YES) movement, and supports the Singapore Green Plan and Clean & Green Singapore. For more information on the #RoadtoZero youth sustainability film programme, visit roadtozero.viddsee.com

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For media queries, please contact:

Regina Goh (Ms)

Executive Manager, Corporate Communications, National Environment Agency

DID: 9799 3154

Email: regina_goh@nea.gov.sg              

Nurul Syahira (Ms)

Senior Executive, PR and Communications, Viddsee

Tel: 8198 0464

Email: syahira@viddsee.com

About the National Environment Agency

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is the leading public organisation responsible for ensuring a clean and sustainable environment for Singapore. Its key roles are to improve and sustain a clean environment, promote sustainability and resource efficiency, maintain high public health standards, provide timely and reliable meteorological information, and encourage a vibrant hawker culture. NEA works closely with its partners and the community to develop and spearhead environmental and public health initiatives and programmes. It is committed to motivating every individual to care for the environment as a way of life, in order to build a liveable and sustainable Singapore for present and future generations. For more information, visit www.nea.gov.sg

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About the Youth for Environmental Sustainability (YES) Programme by NEA

The YES Programme supports youths’ interest in environmental sustainability and supports the Singapore Green Plan 2030’s Sustainable Living pillar by encouraging active green citizenry in youths. It aims to build strong knowledge on environmental sustainability issues among youths, develop future environmental leaders and engage youths more effectively for sustained and meaningful impact. For more information, visit Youth for Environmental Sustainability (YES) | Clean & Green Singapore (go.gov.sg/yes)

About Viddsee

Viddsee is a storyteller platform for short premium content, with over 2 billion views and more than 3,000 strong storytelling community. With the mission of empowering storytellers through our ecosystem, Viddsee provides high-quality content to audiences through its data-driven creative studio and multi-platform network.

Powered by AI, Viddsee connects independent storytellers with digital-native audiences, brands, and partners to produce and market films and series built upon its storyteller community. Its strong talent database and expertise in production, creative, and marketing help brands amplify content to greater value.
Passionate to support the entire storyteller journey, Viddsee launched Viddsee Labs, an IP Incubator to develop Intellectual Property (IP) rights and ownership at each stage of filmmaking. It expanded into IP development to strengthen relationships and further facilitate the growth of Asian storytelling. For more information, please visit http://www.viddsee.com.

ANNEX A

Synopsis of Winning Films

How to Have Fun While Reducing Food Waste by Chantelle Ng

The documentary is centred around Yen-ling, someone who's passionate about protecting the environment. We follow her as she navigates the topic of food waste and shows that blemished ingredients can still be cooked aesthetically and consumed safely, instead of going directly into the bin. Will she succeed? Watch on to find out! The film encourages the community to (re)imagine food waste reduction as an activity that can be a fun and social one, and to reflect on how they can do their part in reducing food waste.

Left Wandering by OKJ

A short comedic documentary that spoofs the epic yet intimate tone of David Attenborough’s nature documentaries by replacing animals with waste. Set in Singapore, a city in nature, audiences will follow the journey of the trash that humans waste as they wander about with no control over their fate. The message of this work engages audiences to reflect and learn about the implications of human behaviour to our environment, and through laughter, take more responsibility towards a zero waste journey.

The Second Life of Secondhand Objects by Chuah Weiqi

How does a piece of furniture go from living out its final days waiting to be thrown out, to gaining a new lease of life in a freshly furnished home?

We follow the journey of an old shelf on its last legs as it waits to be rescued by a new owner, and watch as it transforms through a crafty makeover to find a new purpose in its new home.

Both an introduction into the art of upcycling, as well as an exploration of sustainable habits that can help reduce waste, this film takes the audience and filmmakers through the process of what it means to reuse and reduce as individual consumers.