Hopefully, 2013 will be a year to convince local audience that it is time to wake to local films. Indeed, after a year of a bottleneck in film crew supply, it only means the production pipe-line is well-packed.
No less than 13 new films will hit the market, and these are local commercial films, not counting independent films which never fail to add colour to the film landscape. The 13 new Singapore films are The Wedding Diary II; Ah Boys to Men II; That Girl in Pinafore; Ghost Child; Mister John; Menstrual Man; Taxi Taxi; Wa is for Wayang; 3 Peas in a Pod; Afterimages; 3.50; Red Numbers and Pickles.
The Wedding Diary II
Soon after marriage, Weijie and Zhixin face pressure to conceive. When it finally happens, the couple realise that having a child is not a matter concerning only them, but actually involves their families too. Will parenthood be a bed of roses? Or does the arrival of their baby mark the start of many challenges to be faced by the young couple? Directed by Adrian Teh
Ah Boys to Men II
This army story depicts the enlistment of young boys, who have lived a sheltered life. In the army, life is no longer a bed of roses. It's a place where boys undergo harsh military training and face life's challenges, such as in their relationship with family, friends and bunkmates. The boys learn to be responsible, and their enlistment marks their transition to manhood. Directed by Jack Neo
'That Girl in Pinafore' revolves around four teenagers - Jiaming, Xiaopang, Haoban and Caogen. The story follows the teenagers' efforts to bring business back to a struggling folk music pub, and the blossoming love between Jiaming and May, an ardent fan of Singaporean folk music. Directed by Chai Yee Wei
Unable to come to terms with death of her mother, 15-year old Kim suddenly has to deal with a new mother in her life. Na, her stepmother hails from a remote village in Indonesia. A series of mysterious and strange incidents starts to occur at the family home when she arrives in Singapore. Directed by Gilbert Chan
An Irishman whose marriage is in crisis travels alone to Singapore after the sudden and suspicious death of his estranged brother, and soon finds himself immersed in the daily life of this man he never truly knew. Directed by Fran Borgia
There are men who squirm at the mention of a woman's period. And then there's Muruganantham, a man who went as far as to analyse strangers' used pads in his quest to produce low-cost sanitary napkins for India's poor. In telling Muruganatham's inspiring story, "Menstrual Man" underscores the role of social entrepreneurship in combating poverty, and highlights the importance of economic empowerment of women to enable a better world. Directed by Amit Virmani
'Taxi! Taxi!' follows the trials and tribulations of a retrenched microbiology scientist, Professor Chua, as he turns to taxi driving after several failed job attempts. He befriends a veteran driver, Ah Tau. The two men, polar opposites of each other, from educational level, personality, attitude towards life and even the languages they speak, eventually find themselves interdependent and influencing each other in positive ways. Directed by Kelvin Sng
'Wa is for Wayang' is about an immigrant boy from India who gets caught between a clumsy teacher who vows to preserve a fading cultural art and an obsessive school principal who strives to rid the aged old tradition. Discover the new family comedy about hope, values and harmony that is told through a misfit Indian boy and the mystical Chinese Opera. Directed by Raymond Tan
'3 Peas in a Pod' is a story about friendship, love and obsession. Three university students from three different countries are good friends whose love lives are intertwined with one another's. Just before they graduate and go back to their respective countries to embark on their working lives, the three friends decide to go on a road trip in the country they've been studying in for the last 4 years: Australia. Little do they know, this farewell holiday is a trip that will change their lives forever. Directed by Michelle Cheong
'Afterimages' is about a group of artists who burn cameras as offerings to the dead, and in return, receive a collection of footages from hell in the form of short horror movies. Directed by Tony Kern
Red Numbers
'Red Numbers' revolves around a guy, who, according to a fengshui master, only has three lucky minutes in his miserable life. His fortune is wrapped up with a greedy family whose grandfather holds the key to the winning combination in the 4D lottery. Directed by Dom Ow
When a young Cambodian girl is abducted from her village, a brash American documentary filmmaker ventures deep into the underbelly of Phnom Penh to rescue her, and crosses paths with various other lives affected by the city's harsh rules of survival.
Directed by Eshyam Ali and Chhay Bora
Five unlikely characters form a film company to achieve their individual dreams. Arvind, a metrosexual male, who dreams of becoming a great filmmaker starts forming his team. There's Sruthi, his childhood friend; Walter, a James Cameron wannabe director; Thanes, the ruthless dictator; and finally, Kaly the village playwright. Clueless about filmmaking, this team of misfits attempt their childhood dream of producing a film. Directed by JK Saravana