Held in Singapore, the 11-day Festival will see a robust line-up of film, television and digital media events, with a strong spotlight on emerging technologies and Indonesian content and collaborations
SINGAPORE – Southeast Asia’s leading international media event, the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), kicked off this evening with the gala premiere of the 28th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF)’s opening film, Angels Wear White, held at the Marina Bay Sands Grand Theatre. Gracing the opening’s red carpet was Golden Horse Award nominee and Angels Wear White Chinese director-producer, Vivian Qu, her producer Sean Chen and actress Zhou Meijun, as well as other local and international film personalities including legendary Bollywood actress Waheeda Rehman, award-winning film directors Anup Singh, Anthony Chen, Kirsten Tan and Boo Junfeng.
Hosted by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), SMF 2017 is set to welcome over 20,000 industry leaders, game-changers, and key players from the global film, television, and digital media industries to Singapore over the next 11 days. This year’s Festival continues to be a celebration of the best of Asian storytelling, with a strong emphasis on emerging technologies, new platforms and creative innovation, as well as a spotlight on content and collaborations with Indonesia – SMF’s first Country-of-Focus. These themes thread across all SMF constituent events, which include the Asian Television Awards (ATA), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), ScreenSingapore, Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), and SMF Ignite.
Mr Robert Gilby, Chairman of the SMF Advisory Board, said, “With our industry rapidly propelled by the convergence of media and technology, the need for a platform like the Singapore Media Festival has become all the more crucial – to gather media players to create and explore new opportunities and possibilities, working as a community to place Asia at the global forefront of innovative storytelling. Through the robust line-up of festival programmes, I hope festival-goers come away invigorated and equipped to thrive in this ever-evolving landscape, and with a memorable experience at SMF 2017.”
A celebration of Asian storytelling
Running from 23 November to 3 December, the Singapore International Film Festival will see the presentation of over 100 screenings and public programmes as it explores the Future of Cinema. As Southeast Asia’s leading international film platform, SGIFF will be introducing its inaugural Southeast Asian Producers Network, bringing together commissioners and producers from the region to share their wealth of knowledge with one another in an open exchange of ideas. The festival will also be recognising the outstanding contributions of veterans in Asian cinema, Garin Nugroho and Koji Yakusho, at the Silver Screen Awards on 2 December.
Creators X SMF Ignite will be held on 28 and 29 November, and is organised in partnership with Bloomr.SG (Mediacorp Creators Network) to equip up-and-coming digital content creators with industry skills that revolve around storytelling, creativity, technology integration and market grade pitching. Registration is open to digital content creators of all ages from Singapore, who will get interact and learn from industry veterans over the two-day event.
VR X SMF Ignite will put a spotlight on emerging technology trends, with a one-day conference on 29 November bringing together technologists, creators, developers and users to exchange insights on the VR ecosystem, and to discuss how this new paradigm can create opportunities for businesses in media. Participants can look forward to hearing from international industry professionals including Mohen Leo, Creative Director and Visual Effects Supervisor at Lucasfilm’s new ILMxLAB (USA), who will deliver the keynote on the future of storytelling for immersive entertainment; as well as Salar Shahna, CEO of the World VR Forum (Geneva), sharing key insights on trends and latest developments in the global VR landscape. A VR Exhibition will also be located within ATF and ScreenSingapore’s market floor from 29 November to 1 December, showcasing the region’s latest immersive media technologies and the innovative use of VR for entertainment and enterprise solutions. Participants can look forward to showcases by Discovery, who will present a VR experience of swimming with sharks, together with MythBuster Adam Savage; Singapore-based Kaiju Den, with demos of VR games and educational simulations; and Hiverlab’s environment conservation, crowd-sourced stories, with immersive documentation of natural spaces in Singapore, Maldives and Indonesia; among other highlights.
The Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore kicks off with a pre-market ATF Leaders’ Summit on 28 November, with a key focus on big data, a key tool for uncovering audience behaviours and preferences. Connecting the global content industry with the burgeoning Asian market, the ATF market, conference and networking events will run from 28 November to 1 December, with new talent and content ideas to be discovered at the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market, the ATF Formats Pitch, and the inaugural ATF Animations Pitch. Industry thought leaders have been scheduled to deliver more than 20 conference sessions over the 4 days, including a fireside chat with Sana Amanat, co-creator of Marvel’s first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan (also known as Ms Marvel), to discuss Creative Thinking and Storytelling; a ‘Directors’ Collective’, with a panel discussion on present-day movements and film partnerships in Asia by acclaimed Asian directors, Ho Yu Hang, Joko Anwar and Lee Sang-woo; and sessions spotlighting strategic opportunities amid dynamic market conditions in China, South Korea, India and Indonesia.
The Asian Television Awards, the Asian TV industry’s most significant and celebrated event, will take centrestage on 30 November and 1 December. Alongside the announcement of winners across the Awards’ 42 categories, ATA will be presenting the ‘Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Television’ to the founder of Indonesian broadcasting companies, Trans TV and City Corp, Mr Chairul Tanjung, for his significant contributions to the region’s television industry. The live-telecasted show on 1 December will also see a star-studded list of international performers take the stage, including award winning Indonesian pop-singer and actor, Afgansyah; Singapore’s Sing! China finalist, Joanna Dong; Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor, Bii; Vietnam’s latest boy group, The Air; Korean singer-actor and Running Man host, Kim Jong-kook; and renowned international electronic artist, GG Magree.
A Festival for all
From 1 to 3 December, Clarke Quay’s iconic Read Bridge is set to transform into the SMF Festival Village, where an exciting slate of fringe activities will bring the festival experience closer to the public – these include outdoor film screenings, performances, fun tech and immersive media demos and games, as well as the ‘live’ streaming of the Asian Television Awards (on 1 Dec). Festival-goers will also be treated to exclusive dining offers at participating F&B establishments around Clarke Quay, and are invited to take part in the inaugural SMF Pub Crawl experience on 29 November.
The fourth edition of the Singapore Media Festival runs from 23 November to 3 December 2017 and brings together established events, including the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asian Television Awards (ATA), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), ScreenSingapore and SMF Ignite. SMF 2017 also welcomes a new associate event by Beach House Pictures.
For more details of the Singapore Media Festival, visit www.sgmediafestival.com.
