Local film appreciation_Tang Fan Xi_4C

Although the Singaporean film industry is small, it is definitely growing as locals are growing to like local productions. Yet, due to the small market in Singapore, it is especially hard for filmmakers to get their films out to the world to gain international recognition, especially when their films are relatable mostly to locals only. Also, these films will have to compete with high-budget hollywood blockbusters in the already small market due to the small population, thus further increasing the difficulty of having a successful and well-known film.However, despite all these factors, we have seen upcoming local young directors who are slowly gaining fame in the international film industry, and one of them is Anthony Chen, the director of the film Ilo Ilo. This piece of local production have won several overseas awards, showing that despite those difficulties, one is able to overcome them. The piece has won through telling a story that is both relatable and yet different from many other local films, thus showing that in order to tell a great story, it all boils down to a different and attention-grabbing plot. Thus, being a filmmaker in the local industry is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but it will definitely be worthwhile with perseverance and determination. Locals will also need to continue supporting local production so as to expand the current market. By doing so, not only will filmmakers be more motivated to make more films, the quality of them will also become higher and higher. More people will also venture into becoming a filmmaker, boosting local production and further develop our arts industry and our role in the international arts scene. I believe that Singapore can have an established film industry in the years to come, especially since we had started it from scratch and it has began to show results. I hope more youngsters will step into this industry and further expand its market in the many more years to come.