About Singapore Youth Film Festival Exciting Transition: National Youth Film Awards expands to Singapore Youth Film Festival Marking a new era in celebrating young filmmaking talent in Singapore, the National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) is evolving into the Singapore Youth Film Festival (SYFF) in 2024. This transformation promises a broader platform for aspiring filmmakers, enhancing opportunities for creativity, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Organised by *SCAPE and Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), the SYFF features a two week-long festival of screenings, conference, award ceremony, and celebrations, spotlighting filmmakers who have journeyed with *SCAPE through mentorships and incubations. A Legacy of Nurturing Talent Since its establishment in 2015, NYFA has been pivotal in recognising and nurturing young filmmakers in Singapore. In its past nine editions of the awards, NYFA has introduced diverse award categories, implemented mentorship programmes, and expanded industry partnerships. These achievements have laid the groundwork for the evolution into SYFF, building on a strong foundation of excellence and innovation in youth filmmaking. Expanding Opportunities and Honouring Excellence The SYFF will continue to honour exceptional young filmmakers with its prestigious awards while expanding its scope to feature an array of film screenings, conference, and networking events.  Dedicated to celebrating talent and fostering a community of like-minded enthusiasts, SYFF aims to instil a deeper appreciation for local films and youth filmmakers, nurture aspiring talents, and showcase and provide recognition for the achievements of all young filmmakers. Industry Collaborations and Community Building Through collaborations with industry partners, veterans, and educational institutions, SYFF strives to spark engaging conversations and further strengthen connections within the filmmaking community. By fostering a thriving community of young filmmakers and storytellers, the SYFF is set to become a cornerstone of the local film scene, inspiring and nurturing the next generation of cinematic visionaries. Get Involved Be a part of the SYFF and immerse yourself in a celebration of creativity and innovation: Submit Your Film: Showcase your talent and stand a chance to be recognised. Attend Programmes: Participate in conference, screenings, and networking sessions. Be a sponsor: Partner with us to empower young talents, gain visibility for your brand, and contribute to the growth of the local film industry. For sponsorship opportunities and more information, please contact us at syff@scape.sg. Stay Connected Whether you are an aspiring filmmaker, a film enthusiast, or an industry professional, SYFF offers something for everyone. Follow us at @scapesg on Instagram or Telegram to stay updated and be part of this extraordinary celebration of youth, creativity, and the art of filmmaking.

[PANEL 3] DIGITAL EXPANSION: POST-FESTIVAL ROUTES *SCAPE Gallery | 10 November 2024 | 1.30PM – 3PM 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.

About the award Established as the National Youth Film Awards since 2015, the Singapore Youth Film Festival (SYFF) serves as a national platform celebrating the achievements of exceptional young filmmakers while fostering a deeper appreciation for local films and filmmaking. SYFF builds upon its legacy of fostering award-winning filmmakers. The SYFF Youth Inspiration Award was introduced in 2019 to recognise and honour young industry professionals who have made exemplary contributions towards the filmmaking industry in Singapore. Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen are presented this award in recognition for their innovative work across film and arts, along with their commitment to nurturing emerging filmmakers. Through their independent production studio and involvement in workshops and mentoring, they have made a significant impact to younger Singapore filmmakers. Through their work at various international film festivals, such as Berlinale, Locarno, and more, Mark and Li Shuen have been able to introduce their work and that of other emerging Singaporean filmmakers to a global audience. This international exposure has opened doors for many young filmmakers to showcase their work abroad. For their excellent body of work and commitment in nurturing the next generation, they are certainly deserving of this award. About the award recipient Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen are a filmmaker and artist duo from Singapore. They met through forming an art rock group and started out making lo-fi underground films as self-taught filmmakers. Over the years of their partnership, they have carved out a cinema of speculative fiction and body horror, exploring existential anxiety, histories and alienation. Their films have screened at international film festivals including the International Film Festival Rotterdam (2024, 2023), New Directors/New Films (2023) and BFI London Film Festival (2021). In 2021, with their short film A Man Trembles, they were awarded Best Southeast Asian Director at the Singapore International Film Festival. Their feature film project in development, The Want, was selected for Berlinale Talents Script Station 2024. Chua and Lam have also presented expanded cinema performances with 16mm and Super 8 projections in Zurich and Singapore, and released multiple albums as the art rock duo ARE. In 2024, they started an artist-run analog film organisation, Film Nerve, focused on analog film experimentation as well as resource and knowledge sharing. Recipient’s Message Thank you SYFF for this award, it lifted our sullen spirits after yet another long night building things! It made us think of the events and screenings, from the cinematheque at NMS to AFA to SGIFF where we’d get inspired by films and people - some who would become dear dear friends. And sharing spirited moments with them, thinking up audacious ideas and mustering a collective courage to see them through! We’re thankful to have been there together and learnt how some courage and some lifting of each other’s spirits is a precious thing. It’s been a ride and a half so far making films. It can feel so hard in a world focused on packaging everything into a product. But it also feels liberating to unpack it all, and lay it all out like witnessing a dream that sequences our day-to-day experiences. One thing that vividly stands out about the whole act is that feeling of emerging with a new sense of things from another wearying adventure, thanks very much to the friends and collaborators who encouraged, built and conjured another adventure together. It’s always special getting to witness a new film. It makes us so happy to see fellow filmmakers with an idea that courageously had to be put to the screen. For us, the process of cinema can be both testing and nourishing all at the same time, all the time. But it’s what we love and we keep coming back. Let’s all keep coming back to what we love lah!

Chen Sing Yap (he/him) is a Singaporean-born filmmaker living in Oakville, Canada. Before moving to Canada, he was an established offline editor working primarily in long form nonfic television. He directed and edited the short films Shift and Feeling the Apocalypse, both films about mental health. Feeling the Apocalypse has played over 100 screenings across the world and has been broadcast in the UK on community television. It is currently distributed worldwide by GOOD DOCS, an educational distributor. Desync, a short film about perfectionism in an immigrant family that he co-wrote and edited, was awarded the Student Merit Award by the Canadian Cinema Editors and the Best Writing Award by TIFF Next Wave. His mental health films have been screened by Toronto mental health non-profit Stella’s Place several times and he sat on a panel for their 2024 film festival. His work leans heavily on visual and auditory juxtapositions to give mental health issues tangible form, whether it’s depression or the collapse of civilization. He is currently developing another animated documentary on the climate crisis with Ella Saini on how to mentally process climate statistics and news.