The Freedom Film Festival in Singapore has been bringing us films that inspire critical thinking about our lives and existence beyond being mere economic units. You don’t need to be an ‘activist’ to enjoy what this festival brings. Since its first edition in 2012, the festival has brought many thought-provoking films from the South East Asian region and beyond to Singapore. Films that are accomplished artistically as much as they are culturally, socially and politically relevant.
The film festival originated in Malaysia in 2003 and was started by KOMAS, an NGO in Malaysia. Festival screenings have been held in several key cities in Malaysia, and with the co-operation of regional partners, a selection of the films have also travelled to Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. Its local organiser partner in Singapore is Function 8. Just like the F8 key in computers represents a “safe” and basic mode for troubleshooting, Function 8 is an non-profit organisation that seeks to generate meaningful conversation about human dignity and freedom through seminars, talks, workshops, discussions and reflections.
Photos courtesy of Function 8 - photos from the 2016 Freedom Film Fest
This year, Function 8, is proud to announce the establishment of a new programme called Citizen Cinema, and call for entries as part of Freedom Film Festival Singapore. The programme will feature creative, critical and thought-provoking films on Singapore to be screened during the festival at The Projector on 12 November 2017.
Citizen Cinema aims to showcase and foster the production of films which highlight social, cultural, political and environmental issues in Singapore, and is open to entries from established filmmakers, first-time filmmakers, students, video bloggers, and citizen journalists.
A collection of selected films from the entries will be screened at the event, and 3 of the most notable films will be awarded $500 each.
Submission Guidelines
Entries of all lengths and genres will be accepted, including narrative films, documentaries, music videos, animated or experimental films. Films may be produced by individuals or groups. They may also be shot on any device, from Digital Camcorders to DSLRs to mobile phones. The films can be as short as 1 minute or as long as 45 mins, so long as the subject matter of the film remains relevant to issues in Singapore that you think need to be documented, discussed, and addressed.
There is no submission fee to Citizen Cinema and each applicant may submit multiple films. To be eligible, your film/s must have been completed after January 2015.
The closing date for entries is 30 September 2017 and successful entrants will be notified on 6 October 2017.
How to Submit
Submissions are only accepted via online transfer (eg. Google Drive, Vimeo, Mega.nz). Links to download your film can be included in the online submission form. If you are submitting multiple films, each individual entry will require a separate form. The completed form/s should then be emailed to info@function8.org.