'Cannot think of a better community of storytellers to tell our story': Local content announced to celebrate 'Singaporean-ness' for SG60

In celebration of Singapore's 60th birthday, local media and content creators will be releasing a suite of local content to tell the stories of the nation.

Speaking to reporters at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) yesterday (April 9), Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How said that SG60 is more than an anniversary to mark the nation's independence, it is also an opportunity to reflect and celebrate on how far Singaporeans have come.

He said: "All of us feel 'Singaporean-ness' differently. Some people could resonate with the ideals that we founded Singapore on, the pledge that we recite every day in school: 'regardless of race, language or religion'.

"For some, it's a sense of home when you arrive back from a long overseas trip and touch down at Changi Airport or just a sense of familiarity as you walk past the kopitiam… What does it mean to be Singaporean? I think there are many ways to interpret it and I cannot think of a better community than all of you, the veteran experienced storytellers and the young energetic new talents, coming up to tell our story."

Tan added that the future of the local media industry lies in "embracing innovation and nurturing new talent" and IMDA will continue to support local creators to push boundaries.

"Today's veterans were once newcomers, and today's young creators will be tomorrow's leaders and mentors," he said.

During the event, local filmmakers, media and content creators presented their projects to celebrate the nation's birthday.

Movie anthology Kopitiam Days recounts heartwarming stories by 6 local filmmakers

Local filmmaker-producer Eric Khoo was inspired to create film anthology Kopitiam Days while visiting a coffee shop — a place many Singaporeans are familiar with — for breakfast one day last year.

Eric then invited six local directors — Don Aravind, Ong Kuo Sin, Raihan Halim, Shoki Lin, Tan Siyou and Yeo Siew Hua — to "tell a story from [their] hearts".

He also shared that the lensing ceremony for the anthology was held yesterday morning with filming beginning later this month.

The six short stories told in Kopitiam Days are:

• One Last Song — Inspired by the 1986 Hotel New World disaster as recounted by Don's father, the film tells the story of everlasting love that persists after the tragedy.
• The Morning Call — Kuo Sin's film portrays the blossoming relationship between a girl and her grandfather.
• iZ-1 — Raihan, who attributes the film as a "love letter" to his mother and grandmother, directs this story featuring a makcik and an android named iZ-1 programmed to help her.
• Meet Me at the Pavilion — Inspired by Shoki's Hainanese background, the film celebrates a woman's diverse identity as a Singaporean through Hainanese opera.
• Red Plastic Chairs on Sticky Floor — Siyou's film chronicles the homesickness of a young woman working abroad.
• Dragon Gate Assembly — Siew Hua directs this action-packed love story that serves as a tribute to the wuxia genre and ode to the heartland uncles and aunties.

Kopitiam Days will be released from July with community screenings and subsequently on streaming platforms.

AsiaOne recounts Singapore history in series Year After Year

Year After Year is a series by local online news media AsiaOne that chronicles the history of Singapore in both its happy and challenging times.

The 60-episode series is presented by four local hosts, including performer-educator Nadya Zaheer. In each episode, they would revisit two to three key events that happened in the country since 1965.

Speaking at the event yesterday, Nadya shared her favourite part of hosting the series.

She said: "I really like how when we talk about each year, sometimes we celebrate Singaporeans' achievements as well. These are achievements that I didn't even know about, like we talked about the first Singaporean team that climbed Mount Everest and Miss Singapore Universe's Marion Nicole Teo who was in the top 10 [finalists of the pageant]."

She added: "I learnt that so many decisions were made before and so many people fought for our country for it to be the way it is today."

Year After Year will be released in June.

Mediacorp celebrates success of Emerald Hill and releasing microdramas

Mediacorp drama Emerald Hill — The Little Nyonya Story is the current talk of the town after its release in March.

The series topped Netflix Singapore's drama chart shortly after its premiere, making it the first Chinese drama from the broadcasting company to do so.

Producer Loh Woon Woon shared that they started planning the series in September 2023, and took months to decide on the cast, consult a Peranakan expert, conduct research, and film the drama to ensure accuracy.

"The success of (the 2008 local drama) The Little Nyonya did bring a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations from audiences in Singapore, but along with it was also a way to motivate the team to do better. We just don't want to screw it up," she added.

Rita Seow, Lead of Audience and Content in Mediacorp, also shared that with the success of microseries Sunny Side Up: Break The Silence (2024) and Falling For The CEO's Son (2025), the broadcaster will be rolling out more series of the genre from August.

Content creators introduce Singapore through learn-and-play and storytelling

Local actress-host Xixi Lim, who presented local YouTube game show Outcasts, shared that she and her team will be expanding their series to hit the streets and learn Singapore culture with Singaporeans in a series called Outcasts' Cast Out!.

The 37-year-old said: "Doing this series actually got me closer to my country because I feel that I knew more things while doing and hosting this programme and we got closer connected as one. I feel really proud to be part of Singapore."

President of the Association of Independent Producers Singapore Jeevan Nathan shared that they will be leading an industry collaboration called Our Singapore, Our Stories to create up to 150 multi-language short-form videos for social media throughout 2025.

"It's going to reignite that creative spark between our close friends, the technical crew, our actors, writers and producers… We hope to recapture that Singapore spirit," he said.

The call for proposals will be released soon.

Mm2 curates 2 exhibitions to experience Singapore history

Local production company mm2 will be presenting two exhibitions SingaPop! and VR60: Experience Singapore's Timeless Story in the second half of the year.

SingaPop! is a multi-thematic exhibition curated by songwriter-playwright Dick Lee which showcases the pop culture of the nation for the past 60 years, including iconic fashion, food, multi-cultural heritage, Singlish, national icons, cinemas and television and more.

The exhibition will be held at the ArtScience Museum from August to December.

VR60: Experience Singapore's Timeless Story is an immersive exhibition featuring a 4D virtual reality and 360-degree sensory experience which brings to life significant moments in Singapore's history from independence to present-day.

Mm2 Chief Content Officer Ng Say Yong shared some of these experiences including the heavy downpour during the 1968 National Day Parade, the collapse of Hotel New World in 1986 and the racial riots.

He said: "Each of these historical signposts is for people to experience the kind of struggles that we went through and make us who we are today."

While the location of the exhibition is currently unavailable, it is expected to be presented from September to December.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com

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