CALL FOR SUBMISSION TO SINGAPORE FILM COLLECTION

(Asian Film Archive Press Release)

Singapore, 27 April 2005 – As part of its effort to preserve the film heritage of Singapore, the Asian Film Archive is launching the Reel Emergency Project to save historically and culturally significant Singapore films.

The Archive is calling for submission short films, feature films and footages shot in Singapore or by Singapore filmmakers from 1930s till today. Information on the submitted materials will be stored on an online database of Asian works that the public can access. The first deadline for submission is 7 July this year.

Boo Junfeng, up and coming filmmaker who has 2 films (A Family Portrait and Stranger) shortlisted for the Silver Screen Awards in the Singapore International Film Festival this year said, “I was excited when I first read about the Asian Film Archive. It's especially beneficial for budding filmmakers who can only afford to make short films. An online database will not only preserve, but maximize the exposure of our works.”

Tan Bee Thiam, Executive Director of the Asian Film Archive, said, “The Reel Emergency Project is our commitment to nurturing and supporting the local film community. Through this project, we hope to discover once-forgotten film treasures and new talents; provide an avenue where filmmakers can preserve their works for posterity and encourage budding filmmakers to make films and contribute to the film heritage of Singapore.”

Including films and footages that are neglected and forgotten over the years is significant as they encapsulated the images and sounds of Singapore recorded over the years that are part of our collective social memory. These films will inevitably enrich our understanding of Singapore’s cultural history.

Selected films and footages will be featured in the Forum on Asian Cinema: Social Memory in Film, in Singapore in September this year. Of all the submitted materials, about ten titles will be selected for the first DVD compilation of critically acclaimed and important short films under the Asian Film Archive Collection label.

“This is a unique opportunity to preserve for posterity films and videos which can only get more valuable as time passes, we are very glad for a place to park our work,” said Singapore filmmaker Tan Pin Pin. Her award winning video Moving House was screened in the Cannes Film Festival and she recently premiered her latest documentary video, Singapore GaGa to great reception at the Singapore International Film Festival.

Film print is made of perishable plastics and would disintegrate within a few years if not maintained properly. In a tropical environment of high humidity and temperature, like Singapore, the rate of disintegration is even higher.

The Reel Emergency project hopes to rescue as many orphan films as possible - films that are critically acclaimed but lack commercial potential to pay for their continued preservation. Generally the types of films most at risk are documentaries, avant-garde and independent productions, amateur works and anthropological footage.

Said award winning filmmaker of The Secret Heaven, Sun Koh, “It is through watching films made by our own people that we are able to analyze and reflect on the ebb and flow of our collective consciousness, as a human race, as a country, as a culture, and as part of an exciting region in the world. In many ways film is a more detailed portrayal of our histories than mere words that leaves too much to one's imagination. If such records are allowed to disappear over time, our history as represented by these images and sounds disappear, too.” The Secret Heaven was winner of Best Director in the Silver Screen Awards (Short Film) and the Silver Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival.

If you were like to support the Reel Emergency Project and help in saving these orphan films, you can contribute by donating to the Asian Film Archive. The Asian Film Archive has depended on private contributions to sustain operations. We salute the growing community that makes our work possible.

For financial donations, cheque can be made payable to Asian Film Archive Ltd and sent to the address below:
Asian Film Archive
Kent Ridge Post Office
PO Box 1084
Singapore 911103

For film donation, DVD copies marked “Reel Emergency Project” can be sent to:
Asian Film Archive (Attn: Lim Yannling, Coordinator of REP)
Kent Ridge Post Office
PO Box 1084
Singapore 911103

More details can be found on the website www.asianfilmarchive.org/collection.html.