Open-air thrills

SINGAPORE - Nostalgia for the good old days has prompted a recent revival of outdoor film screenings here. Reminiscent of drive-in cinemas of the past, the relaxed, family- friendly vibes of alfresco movie outings are attracting film buffs and neophytes alike.

Two outdoor film festivals - Films At The Fort in Fort Canning Park and Art-in-Film Festival At Dusk in Sentosa - were held last year, in addition to about 10 ad-hoc public screenings at places such as Marina Barrage, Fort Canning Park and myVillage in Serangoon Gardens.

At least three more, including a return of Under The Banyan Tree at the National Museum of Singapore, are being planned.

Another is Encore @ Fort Canning Park, a three- night screening of movie musicals Mamma Mia! (2008), Grease (1978) and A Hard Day's Night (1964) from March 28 to 30. About 1,000 tickets, at $25 each, are available a night. About 70 per cent of the tickets have been sold so far.

Ms Adela Teo, 35, director of organiser Sirens Network, says: "Many classics from the Golden Age of cinema have to be experienced on big projection screens and many people may not have had a chance to see them on the big screen with full 5.1-digital surround sound. We thought it'd be nice to bring the large-screen experience to a new generation of film-lovers."

Set up last year, events company Sirens Network is an offshoot of Factory Communication, which rents out projection and sound equipment and specialises in projectors for outdoor screenings. It plans to hold regular outdoor movie screenings that tie in with themes such as romance in February and sci-fi and fantasy during the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention to be held around August.

"Hopefully, we would be able to hold workshops or talks by film-makers at these events," adds Ms Teo.

Factory Communication is usually hired to organise outdoor film screenings by private groups and companies as well as community centres and grassroots organisations a few times a year.

One such screening is taking place from tonight to Sunday night in Bukit Batok Central, where four movies, including Despicable Me 2 (2013) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), will be shown.

Ms Teo says the company has seen "stellar" turnouts at its outdoor film events, with the number of attendees jumping by 50 per cent in the past three years. "From about one request for information a week three to four years ago, I now get about five to six serious inquiries a week because people have seen how the events work and are interested in holding their own," she adds.

"Outdoor movie screenings are probably the last vestige of a part of Singapore life where families, friends and neighbours would get together after work or dinner to watch movies. That's something you just can't get from a traditional cinema hall."

One such popular event was Films At The Fort, a four-day outdoor film festival for which Factory Communication provided the sound and screen equipment.

Organised by Groundswell Events, a boutique events company, it took place in Fort Canning Park last August, with food from tapas restaurant Sabio and steak and frites from L'Entrecote restaurant.

All 6,000 tickets to the event were sold and Groundswell Events plans to expand it to a 10-day festival in August. Of its popularity, Mr Ben Williams, director of Groundswell Events, says: "It offers the audience the chance to eat gourmet food and enjoy a glass of wine or beer with friends while the sun sets, followed by a film on the big screen under the stars. What's not to like?"

Open-air cinemas are popular in Europe, North America and Australia, where they often herald the arrival of summer, he adds. Singapore has a history of outdoor cinema too.

Mr Warren Sin, assistant manager of audience development and partnerships at the National Museum of Singapore, says travelling film exhibitions used to make their way through the kampungs.

The Jurong Drive-in cinema, Singapore's only open-air drive-in cinema in Yuan Ching Road, which opened in 1971, saw thousands of visitors a night at the height of its popularity in the 1970s. It was torn down in 1985 because of poor attendance.

Mr Sin says: "Singaporeans of a certain age will remember the golden days when a screen was set up in their neighbourhood by a travelling projectionist and everyone would partake in the enjoyment of movie-watching under the open sky."

After a two-year hiatus, the National Museum is bringing back Under The Banyan Tree, its popular outdoor film screenings which started in 2007.

At least 400 people attended the free screenings on the last Friday and Saturday of each month, when a film would be shown under the large banyan tree in front of the museum. The programme took a break in 2011, though it made occasional appearances as part of other museum programmes, such as the Night Festival and Children's Season. The monthly screenings will resume in July.

Mr Sin says: "Under The Banyan Tree has always been one of our most popular programmes. Outdoor screenings are more casual and spontaneous.

"They play a prominent part in the history of film exhibition and we feel this tradition should be sustained. We hope that, through them, audiences will continue to discover that magical quality of cinema."

Singaporean film-maker Wee Li Lin, 40, is one who is happy with the growing popularity of outdoor cinemas. "These screenings are bringing the community-bonding experience back. They are romantic and fun," she says.

A few of her own films, such as Gone Shopping (2007) and Forever (2010), have been shown in outdoor screenings. Though she admits outdoor film experiences can be distracting, with people often talking or walking around, she feels there are more pros than cons.

"I like getting to see people's reactions and expressions to the films, as well as the communal aspect of seeing and speaking with friends. It's more social than a theatre and it's loads of fun," she says.

"The only drawback is the weather here. It is not very forgiving and you never know when it might rain and ruin the whole show."

While most outdoor film screenings here play classic and contemporary Hollywood favourites, Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film, which promotes and supports photography and film- making in Singapore, organises outdoor film screenings for local films as well.

Objectifs holds about two free screenings a year on the roof of its office in Arab Street, where there is room for about 60 people. It shows home-grown films such as It's A Great, Great World (2011) by Kelvin Tong and That Girl In Pinafore (2013) by Chai Yee Wei.

It also helped to organise an outdoor screening of Anthony Chen's award-winning film Ilo Ilo (2013) under the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay in January. About 2,500 people attended the screening.

It was the second time the Gardens held an outdoor screening. The first, a screening of animated film Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009), was held when it opened in 2012. Ms Leong Cheng Yee, assistant director of programming at Gardens by the Bay, tells Life! it plans to hold more of such events.

Ms Susy Ng, 37, a corporate sales manager, is looking forward to more alfresco screenings as they are a great way for her to spend time with friends.

Married with two young sons, her time is often split between work and family. She goes to outdoor movie screenings a few times a year and relishes the chance to catch up with her friends. "It is more for chilling out with my friends in a relaxed outdoor environment than for watching the movie," she admits.

Objectifs assistant manager Leong Puiyee, 27, says the laidback atmosphere of outdoor screenings is a great way to draw people to catch films they might not normally watch.

"It introduces films that people might not have seen before, perhaps because they were too young when the films came out or they missed the films at the cinema, especially local films which get such a short run. It's also a way to re-introduce classic titles and older Singapore films."

She adds: "In the cinema, you have to be quiet even when you're chewing popcorn. At outdoor cinemas, people are free to bring food and drinks and talk quietly among themselves. It is more accessible."

Ms Wahyuni A. Hadi, partner of Objectifs who has helped organise screenings of Singapore films at the Malay Heritage Centre, Fort Canning Park and Gardens by the Bay, says the key to a successful outdoor screening is matching the film to the venue.

"In Singapore, that's very hard because we are a brightly lit city and often, you can hear cars or loud sounds. Finding the right venue helps elevate the experience of watching the film," she says.

Regular moviegoer Arthur Cheng, 45, likes to catch "behind the scenes" action at open-air screenings. "At an outdoor cinema, you can see the projector, the screen and the sound system. You can even go up to the projector's technician and ask how everything works, which you can't do in a regular cinema," says the bachelor, who works in audio-visual equipment sales.

Mr Cheng, who goes to the cinema once a week, says outdoor screenings are a nice change of scenery but do not work for all films. "For action, comedy or family movies, it's fine. But you can't watch dramas outdoors because the atmosphere isn't right. You need to concentrate to hear the dialogue and feel the emotions, which is hard to do with people running around or talking."

Film-lovers see potential in outdoor screenings. For instance, Ms Hadi would like to see a wider variety of films, such as black-and-white silent movies with a soundtrack provided by a live orchestra.

Wee hopes to see the return of drive-in movie theatres, perhaps at a rooftop car park.

"I did not grow up in the era of drive-in theatres and it's something that I've always wanted to do. You could use your radio to tune in to the soundtrack. I think it would be so much fun," she says.

What to Watch

Bukit Batok Movie Nights

Organised every year since 2005 by Bukit Batok Citizens' Consultative Committees and grassroots organisations, the event is open to the public and airs a range of family-friendly movies.

Today's lineup includes The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013, starring Jennifer Lawrence, left).

You can pack your own picnic mats, food and drinks for the event, which has room for up to 1,000 people.

Where: Hardcourt beside Bukit Batok bus interchange, Bukit Batok Central

When: Tonight 7.30pm

Admission: Free

Encore @ Fort Canning

The three-night movie festival will screen a musical each night. The box-office hit Mamma Mia! (2008, starring Meryl Streep, second from right), featuring Abba songs, will be screened on March 28, The Beatles' musica A Hard Day's Night (1964) on March 29 and Grease (1978, starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta) on March 30.

Each screening will be preceded by an acoustic music set and followed by a dance party on the grass with music based on the theme of that night's movie, spun by DJ Deepak, resident DJ at Ku De Ta club.

Besides free-flow popcorn, food and drinks provided by The Brat cafe and Kronenbourg 1664 beer and wine will be sold. This is a rain or shine event.

Where: Fort Canning Park

When: March 28 to 30, 5pm to midnight

Admission: $25 a ticket, $45 a person for a three-night pass

Info: Go to www.encoreatfortcanning.com

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