SYFF Conference is designed for young and emerging filmmakers to connect, learn, and grow within the dynamic world of filmmaking. This event features a series of engaging panel talks led by industry experts who will share their insights and experiences, providing a comprehensive look at the challenges and opportunities within the industry.
Keynote speaker Brian Gothong Tan will offer insights into his creative process and reveal the transformative power of art to transcend conventional boundaries.
Register now and be part of this enriching experience!
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DREAMING IN FRAMES: THE INTERSECTION OF FILM, THEATRE, AND VISION
In this keynote, Brian Gothong Tan shares his artistic journey, reflecting on his experiences as a multidisciplinary artist. He delves into his fascination with the intricate relationship between cinema and dreaming, exploring how both mediums blur the boundaries between reality and imagination. Tan presents examples of his recent works, demonstrating how moving images and films are seamlessly integrated with other art forms to create immersive, dreamlike experiences. This presentation offers insights into his creative process and reveals the transformative power of art to transcend conventional boundaries.
| *SCAPE Gallery | 9 November 2024 | 11AM – 12.30PM | |
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Brian Gothong Tan is a multidisciplinary artist whose works intersect theatre, film and installation art. He is currently the Artistic Director for T:>Atelier under T:>Works and he was the creative director for the 2024 National Day Parade. He was conferred the Young Artist Award in 2012, and the Singapore Youth Award in 2015. Brian was the Director of Photography and Editor for PLEASURE FACTORY (2007), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Un Certain Regard. At 28, Brian directed his debut feature film, INVISIBLE CHILDREN (2008). |
PANEL 1 – BALANCING ACT: BREAD, BUTTER AND CREATIVE CORNERSTONES
Want to make waves in the film industry without getting lost at sea? Ensuring both creative fulfilment and professional security is essential for filmmakers at various stages of their careers.
Join us as we dive deep into the filmmaker’s perennial dilemma: balancing artistic passion with the cold, hard cash. From safeguarding oneself as a freelancer to preserving creative vision, we will explore how to navigate transferable skills and the preservation of creative vision and fulfilment while in the pursuit of commercial projects.
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*SCAPE Gallery | 9 November 2024 | 1.30PM – 3PM
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Rifyal Giffari is writer and director fueled by a passion to create authentic, empathy-evoking human stories. In his personal projects he often explores Malayness, oral traditions and the functions of folkloristics within the cultural context of Southeast Asian identity. Rifyal is an alumni of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival’s Fantastic Film School, the ASEAN-ROK FLY (Film Leaders Incubator) programme as well as the Singapore International Film Festival Youth Jury and Critics Programme. He is also the recipient of the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award. |
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Tan Jia Min is a producer with narrative works across short and long form mediums. She was a participant at the 2022 Rotterdam Lab and Full Circle Lab. Presently, she is a co-founder of the collective Extraordinary Moviemaking Division (EMD), with the goal of bringing together new generations of cinema goers, while seeking out fresh methods of distribution and marketing. She is currently in post-production for WE CAN SAVE THE WORLD, a Singaporean comedy feature film. |
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[MODERATOR] Nicole Midori Woodford is a film director and writer. Her debut feature film LAST SHADOW AT FIRST LIGHT, made its world premiere at San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2023. It was nominated for multiple awards at Asian Film Awards, Asia Pacific Screen Awards and won four awards at Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival including the Jury Prize. She is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, Asian Film Academy, Torino Film Lab and Talents Tokyo. Nicole was a recipient of the NAC Young Artist Award in 2020 for her achievements in filmmaking. |
PANEL 2 – BEYOND BORDERS: MAKING WAVES AT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS
Your short film just got selected for an international film festival! But now, what? What are some strategies that will best position yourself and your film for the maximum impact on the international stage? From cracking the festival code to strategically planning your time at festivals, join us as we delve into the vibrant festival circuit around the world and explore how to turn every festival experience into a powerful stepping stone for future projects and collaborations.
| *SCAPE Gallery | 9 November 2024 | 3.30PM – 5PM | |
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Lionel Seah is a writer, director from Singapore. He studied Film Directing at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. In 2024, his short film WITHERED BLOSSOMS was selected for the 77th Festival de Cannes La Cinef Competition (Cinéfondation). In 2020, his debut short film HOLDING ON, LETTING GO was selected for the 31st SGIFF. |
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Giselle Lin is a filmmaker from Singapore. In 2021, her undergrad thesis film YI YI (TIME FLOWS IN STRANGE WAYS ON SUNDAYS) competed at the 74th Locarno Film Festival. Her debut feature project MIDNIGHT BLUE SPRING won the grand prize of the inaugural 2022 Locarno Residency. Her short film I LOOK INTO THE MIRROR AND REPEAT TO MYSELF (2023) premiered in competition at the 76th Locarno Film Festival and won the Critics Prize at the 11th QCinema International Film Festival and the Best Singapore Short Film at the 34th SGIFF. |
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[MODERATOR] Nishok Nishok is a writer-director and editor based in Singapore. Nishok’s films seek to present sincere stories that capture and explore the half shades and hardly audible notes of human nature. His films have travelled to several film festivals including the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and Palm Springs International Short Film Festival. |
PANEL 3 – DIGITAL EXPANSION: POST-FESTIVAL ROUTES
Aside from festival screenings and curated programmes, short films do not usually have an easily accessible platform to be screened on. Join us as we explore the potential of local distribution channels to reach a wider audience while considering the challenges and practicality of online screenings. We will also uncover the secrets to maximising the impact of your short films in the digital stratosphere: learn how digital distribution and viewership data can be utilised to extend the longevity of your short films beyond traditional festival routes.
| *SCAPE Gallery | 10 November 2024 | 1.30PM – 3PM | |
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Pearlyn Lee is Director of Sales and Marketing at CinemaWorld. She comes with more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations throughout Asia and South Asia in the media industry. A founding team member, she is responsible for the revenue and distribution of CinemaWorld services. Since the establishment of CinemaWorld in 2012, and the brand extension of CinemaSHORT in 2020, Pearlyn has been instrumental in the launch of CinemaWorld and CinemaSHORT services in more than 10 territories throughout Asia and South Asia. |
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Geraldine Cheng is Manager of the Education and Programmes team at Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film, where besides coordinating centre and school workshops, she also assists with Objectifs’ film-related programmes, such as FreshTake! and the Objectifs’ Film Club. Previously a Literature educator, Geraldine greatly enjoys working on projects that nurture and hold space for the voices and vision of youths and young adults. |
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[MODERATOR] OKJ (Ong Kah Jing / 王傢靖) is an independent documentary filmmaker with a focus on culture. His unique approach to filmmaking involves immersing himself deeply in the subject matter, often for over a year, so as to do justice to stories. With a multi-disciplinary background in Hospitality and Business, it offers him fresh perspective and opens doors for innovative collaborations. Recent milestones include having his works featured on Singapore Airlines inflight entertainment system and creating a new documentary podcast supported by the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism. |
PANEL 4 – FROM SET TO STARTUP: THE ENTREPRENEURIAL FILMMAKER
Are all filmmakers secretly entrepreneurs? Filmmaking and entrepreneurship share a surprising amount of DNA. Both require vision, risk-taking, resource management, and a relentless pursuit of a goal. In this session, we will dissect the entrepreneurial mindset – the ability to see opportunities, take risks, and persevere – to ascertain how to craft it into a valuable asset in the competitive world of filmmaking.
| *SCAPE Gallery | 10 November 2024 | 3.30PM – 5PM | |
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Yusri (Shaggy) Sapari is a digital video artist and documentary filmmaker who started his journey recording his grandmother and TV shows on his audio cassette tape recorder as a child. Shaggy runs Paradise Pictures and works as a multimedia designer for the theatre. He received the Film Grant Award in 2018 with Freedom Film Festival, was nominated for Best Documentary at the National Youth Film Awards 2019, and was a recipient of the Viddsee Juree Audience Choice Award and Bronze Award for Excellence in Filmmaking for Spotlight Film Awards in 2019. |
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Jerrold Chong is an animation filmmaker and director. A CalArts graduate, his films have screened at international festivals like Cannes, Busan, and Annecy. He is also a two-time winner of the National Youth Film Awards Best Animation Award for WHAT HAS TO BE and AUTOMATONOMY. Jerrold is co-founder of independent animation studio Finding Pictures, and serves as Programme Director for local independent animation festival Cartoons Underground. In 2022, he was awarded the NYFA Youth Inspiration Award and the NAC Young Artist Award. |
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[MODERATOR] Jasmine Ng is a filmmaker who tells stories across film, television, theatre, site-specific installations, and audioscapes. She has directed and executive produced award-winning shorts like MOVEABLE FEAST and feature films like EATING AIR, A YEAR OF NO SIGNIFICANCE and SHIRKERS, and created film installations for multi-disciplinary projects such as Both Sides, Now—exploring issues around death and dying with different communities. She also co-created SAGA, Singapore’s first award-winning long-form narrative podcast about the mysterious takeover of AWARE. Jasmine is the founding and current president of the Singapore Association of Motion Picture Professionals. |
