CANNES may be the star of the international film festival circuit, but Singapore is making a bold play to steal the show in the 3-D scene.

The country is staging the world's first 3-D film festival later this year in a timely move to cash in on what is becoming an increasingly popular film format.

The five-day 3DX festival starting on Nov 19 will feature screenings of films like Journey To The Center Of The Earth, starring Brendan Fraser, and Fly Me To The Moon, voiced by actors Nicollette Sheridan and Tim Curry.

There will also be seminars by industry experts and an exhibition of 3-D software and hardware.

Film-makers from Russia, Germany, China and the United States are all keen to showcase their 3-D products in Singapore, said Mr Jim Chabin, the spokesman for the festival organisers, 3D Partners.

Besides the 'hundreds' of trade visitors expected, he also reckons plenty of 3-D fans will flock to the Republic to catch their favourite movies.

The volume of online chatter generated by the announcement of the event earlier this month indicates that there will be no shortage of interest.

Mr Chabin, who is based in the US, said Cannes and Sundance - two famous film festivals - each has space for only one 3-D film, which means there is an opening for a specialist event dedicated to the format.

'There are countless film festivals around the world, but none dedicated to 3-D movies,' he added.

And the first festival to stake its claim has a good chance of becoming the Cannes of the 3-D scene.

There has been much talk within the global film industry about the need for such a festival, so 'if Singapore does not do it now, someone else will', said Mr Chabin.

Singapore already has a major advantage in that it is one of the few places in the world with the digital infrastructure capable of supporting such an event.

Special equipment is needed to show 3-D movies, and there are nearly 30 such cinemas in the Republic, the densest concentration in the world.

While 3-D technology is not new - Jaws 3-D was made in 1983 - there has been renewed interest in this area, as movie studios look for ways to get audiences into cinemas.

And one way to do this, said Mr Chabin, is by giving movie fans an experience not possible on their home entertainment systems.

He added that this was why there would be 'eight to 10' 3-D films released by Hollywood studios this year, up from just one five years ago.

By next year, the number of 3-D releases is expected to rise to over 20, including acclaimed director James Cameron's much-anticipated science-fiction blockbuster Avatar.

The Media Development Authority (MDA), Singapore Tourism Board and Star Movies are among the backers of the festival.

Besides the expected tourism spin-offs, MDA chief executive Christopher Chia said the festival could also help showcase Singapore's budding interactive media industry, and excite young Singaporeans about the possibilities of the media sector, in a way that cannot be achieved via traditional campaigns.

The media industry is one that the Government is keen to grow.

'After a 10-year-old comes out of the cinema from watching a 3-D show, his parents will be hearing the words '3-D' around the house a lot,' said Dr Chia.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jun 3, 2008