Singapore, 7 AUG -- Viddsee has today launched an anthology of short films by four acclaimed local filmmakers which explores how all of us, regardless of background and where we come from, have more in common than we think. Named Project RED, after the colour of the Singaporean flag that signifies universal brotherhood and equality of man, the anthology challenges Singaporeans’ commitment to that statement through thoughtful present day conundrums.
“Project RED is a timely series that addresses the challenges of social integration with empathy and thoughtfulness, but pulls no punches in compelling the viewer to reflect on their own attitudes towards other cultures,” said Kenny Tan, the head of Viddsee Studios and executive producer of the series.
“Stories have a powerful way of addressing important issues by provoking a reaction and inspiring change. And launching them in conjunction with Singapore’s National Day reminds us that we are a nation built on the values of hard work, unity and mutual respect, regardless of where you come from,” he added.
Viddsee conceptualised the four films and worked with the filmmakers, who scripted and directed each episode. The series comprises ‘Singapore Flying’ (directed by K. Rajagopal), ‘The Dispute’ (Daniel Yam), ‘Merging Lanes’ (Kat Goh) and ‘Common Ground’ (M. Raihan Halim). The films will be available to watch on Viddsee.com, as well as Viddsee’s YouTube and Facebook channels.
Each episode tackles the issue of social integration through fictional and relatable scenarios. In ‘Singapore Flying’ (directed by K. Rajagopal), two couples are forced to confront about how they feel about job security and each other while on a ride on the Singapore Flyer; ‘The Dispute’ (Daniel Yam) depicts how a fight between two schoolboys escalates to a heated squabble between their protective mothers from different countries; in ‘Merging Lanes’ (Kat Goh), two strangers from different background share more similarities than the paths they cross on a regular basis; and ‘Common Ground’ (M. Raihan Halim) sees a minor misunderstanding at a hawker centre escalating to a full-on argument that belies a person’s biases.
Going Beyond RED with on-ground experiential activities
In addition to the four films, Viddsee also produced Beyond RED, a series of four behind-the-scenes clips and interviews with the directors on their journey in filmmaking, and how the films relate to their personal views on social integration. Each episode will be launched every Monday, starting August 12, and will be available to watch on the same channels.
Project RED will also be complemented with on-ground experential activities executed by Stand Up For Our Singapore to reinforce the anthology’s message. One such activity is the ‘60 Second Cinema’, in which 60s film clips will be used as a starting point to engage with Singaporeans to talk about social integration. Together with other activities such as fun house mirrors, puzzles and interesting questions, they hope to unlock personal stories that make us stronger as a community. These on-ground events will take place within the first two weeks of August.
The series of short films and on-ground engagements by Viddsee and Stand Up For Our Singapore was created in collaboration with Gov.sg. Viewers can also catch the full films on Gov.sg’s YouTube channel.
About Viddsee
Viddsee is a leading video entertainment platform for short premium content. With over 1 billion views powered by data insights and a trusted community, we empower storytellers by enabling the creation of films and amplifying stories to targeted audiences.
Media contact
John Lim john@viddsee.com
About the filmmakers
K. Rajagopal is a veteran filmmaker whose films ‘I Can’t Sleep Tonight’, ‘The Glare’ and ‘Absence’ were featured at international festivals in Hong Kong, Macau and Los Angeles. He is also the recipient of the MDA / Singapore Film Commission Feature Film Grant 2012, and the winner of the Special Jury Prize, Singapore International Film Festival, for three consecutive years. He directed a segment in the Lucky 7 project with six other prominent Singaporean directors, and was commissioned by the Singapore National Museum to create ‘The New World’ and ‘Timeless’, the latter of which won Best Cinematography and Best Editing at the Singapore Short Film Awards 2011.
M. Raihan Halim is known for his award-winning television dramas, his telemovies ‘Yazid Wears Diapers’, ‘Mr Perfect’, and ‘Anak Bulan’, which garnered the Best Special Drama award in a local television award show. In 2018, Raihan won the award for Best Original Screenplay at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for ‘SR115’. In 2014, he wrote, produced, and directed the feature film ‘Banting’, which was also screened at the 34th Hawaii International Film Festival.
Daniel Yam is an award-winning filmmaker whose heart warming and sentimental works have been seen by millions worldwide. One of Daniel's works - ’Ripple; has won the hearts of over 400 million viewers worldwide and ranked 1st on JudgeAd 2016 beating other entries from Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Another of his short film, ‘Gift’ has over 50 million viewers.
Kat Goh is a director with Boku Films. In 2004, she made her television directorial debut with the highly rated comedy series ‘Durian King’, and in 2008, Kat’s first short film, ‘Swimming Lesson’, won the Best Short Film and Best Director Awards at the 2009 Singapore International Film Festival. In 2011, she produced the blockbuster ‘It’s A Great Great World’ and in 2012 she made her feature film debut with ‘Dance Dance Dragon’. She also produced ‘The Faith of Anna Waters’ which was released internationally in 2016.
