TRANSLATION FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Minister for Digital Development and Information, Mrs Josephine Teo,
Council Members of the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations and Board Directors of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening and a warm welcome to everyone.
It is my pleasure to join you today at the “My Singapore Voice” Micro-Film Competition
Awards Ceremony to celebrate creativity, storytelling and our shared love for Singapore.
1. Providing a Platform for Singapore Stories
SFCCA, SCCC and Lianhe Zaobao launched this competition in 2014 to provide a platform for Singaporeans and residents to share their stories and perspectives through film and to capture the people, places and moments that hold meaning for us. Through this competition, we hope to encourage more people, especially our younger generation, to share the Singapore they see and know through their films and to tell the stories that matter to them.
2. Welcoming More Entries and Encouraging Student Participation
When we were developing the competition, we recognise its potential for discovering young filmmakers. This year, we have allowed eligible works to be submitted for both the Micro-Film Competition and the National Chinese Short Film Competition for all Secondary Schools and Junior Colleges. This arrangement has resulted in more entries from students, and we saw an increase of 62%, with 34 student entries this year.
3. An Encouraging Response and Diverse Perspectives
To support aspiring filmmakers, we also organised a seminar as part of this year’s competition. We were privileged to have three established local filmmakers and directors, Mr Royston Tan, Ms Eva Tang and Mr Yee Chang Kang to share their film-making experiences and tips on the use of sound and visual storytelling in a film to build atmosphere and emotion.
We were encouraged by the responses to this year’s competition which attracted 84 submissions from 80 participants aged 14 to 73, comprising Singaporeans, permanent residents and foreigners living in Singapore, experienced filmmakers and first-timers. The diverse profile of participants proves that everybody has a story to tell, and that the competition provides an opportunity and a platform for us to connect across generations and backgrounds, and to hear about different facets of life in Singapore.
4. Embracing New Possibilities in Storytelling
At its heart, the Micro-Film Competition is about encouraging everyone, regardless of background or experience, to share their unique stories and perspectives through film.
An encouraging development for this year’s competition was how the participants embraced new technologies in filmmaking. Close to 30% of submissions leveraged generative AI for music and other aspects of film production.
Technology, especially AI, opens up new possibilities to present stories. When used responsibly, it can complement human creativity by streamlining production processes, reducing costs, lowering barriers, expanding possibilities and more. This allows filmmakers to tell their stories more efficiently and creatively. However, what AI cannot replace is the idea behind the film, the distinctive perspective of the filmmaker, and the human experiences being shared. In other words, AI belongs to the toolbox that a filmmaker could use but it would and should never be in the director’s chair.
5. Expression of Appreciation
In closing, I would like to thank all participants for submitting your entries and for sharing your stories; to our judges for your time, dedication and expertise; and to our partners for making this competition possible.
And finally, to our Guest of Honor, Minister Josephine Teo, thank you for gracing this award ceremony.
Congratulations to all our winners and finalists, and may you continue to tell stories that inspire, connect and celebrate Singapore. Thank you.
