Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Local Filmmakers Rejoice Again!


Oh well, it's one of those work days where I get bogged down and can't go party at the Singapore Film Commission's (SFC) 10th Anniversary bash.

But personal grouses aside, the big news coming out of the decade old milestone, is this announcement reported by ChannelNewsAsia - There's gonna be a new S$250,000 fund by the SFC to nurture young filmmakers, and that will also include having a marketing component to promote the film both at home and overseas. PLUS a guaranteed screening in local theatres, which to date I believe no other local film funding programme has come up with.

As the report puts it,

The Singapore Film Commission hopes to change that by providing up to S$250,000 in production budget. An additional 10 percent or up to S$20,000 will also be given to help first-time directors reach out to local audiences.

What makes this scheme different is that films will get guaranteed screening at cinemas, something new directors have had difficulty achieving.

Cinema operator and distributor Golden Village has also been roped in to screen the finished film on the big screen. The commission will also negotiate with overseas distributors to take the movie overseas.

The same scheme also has a component where the filmmakers may get a cut of revenues once the film has recouped its investments.

You can read the full details of the report here and although the official SFC website doesn't carry the report nor has details of the scheme at the moment, do keep tabs on it as I believe the nuts and bolts of the scheme should be released soon.

Do I hear applause from budding filmmakers?

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