Singapore, JUN 20, 2018 – Ten imaginative and insightful stories have been selected as the finalists for the inaugural Viddsee Juree Singapore, a festival of short films that celebrates and supports filmmaker communities in Asia.
The nominated films were submitted by a diverse range of independent filmmakers, as well as upcoming talents from different schools such as Temasek Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, LASALLE College of the Arts, and the School of Art, Design and Media of Nanyang Technological University.
The films cover a wide range of genres and subjects that examine the complexity of family relationships, mortality and love – a dark comedy about an undertaker’s job (‘Such is Life’), a thriller of a child kidnapper atoning for his sins (‘The Greater Monster’), and the strained relationship between a father and son (‘The Drum’) are just some of the films that made the list.
“All top ten films were made by captivating storytellers who each gave us a glimpse into local cultures and traditions. Be they a dark comedy, family drama or thriller, the films present an array of experiences from family struggles to deeply rooted societal issues,” said Viddsee’s Head of Content, Nikki Loke.
“Furthermore, the fact that more than half of the finalists are new to Viddsee’s platform shows that Singapore has many up-and-coming talented filmmakers, which can only point to a bigger and brighter future for the local film industry,” she added.
The winners will be announced at the close of the Juree Singapore Awards Programme on August 18-19 at The Projector, and will feature a number of activities including workshops, talks, and screenings that are open to the public.
Two top entries will be named Gold and Silver winners, who will be picked by an international panel of judges that comprises Elvert Bañares, the Filipino festival director of CineKasimanwa: Western Visayas Film Festival; Singaporean screenwriter and director Don Aravind, whose award-winning work includes ‘Sakkarangal’ and ‘Ren Shao’; and Bastian Meiresonne, the artistic director for the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema in France.
Gold and Silver winners will be awarded film production grants worth SGD$8,000 and SGD$4,000 respectively, along with audio equipment provided by RØDE Microphones. The Gold winner will also win a five-day Global Film & TV Program in Los Angeles sponsored by the Motion Picture Association. All ten finalists will receive a 12-month Creative Cloud All Apps subscription worth US$560 each from Adobe.
The Juree Awards initiative began with Juree Indonesia in 2016, followed by Juree Philippines in 2017. This year marks the first time that the Juree Awards will be held across Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines. Find out more about the Juree Awards at https://www.viddsee.com/channel/juree.
The public can learn more about the Juree Singapore Awards Programme, as well as watch all nominated and other out-of-competition films for free on https://www.viddsee.com/channel/juree/singapore2018
Media contact
John Lim: john@viddsee.com
