BUDDING FILM-MAKERS RECOGNISED AT CINE65

Among the people who benefited from the experience is 25-year-old 3rd Sergeant (3SG) (NS) Chong Yu Lun, who, together with his team, decided to make a short film about NS to encourage pre-enlistees and Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) to give their all when serving the nation.

His film talks about a recruit who aspires to be an officer, but his dreams are shattered after being diagnosed with an eye problem. A chance encounter with a young boy turns his life around and changes his perspective of NS.

hrough his film, titled Ang Ku Kueh , 3SG Chong hopes to motivate NSFs to do their best, regardless of whatever vocation they are in. Everyone is important to the nation, and you can definitely make a difference, no matter which vocation you are assigned to.

I also hope the film is an inspiration to NSFs, and maybe even Regulars, to not feel disheartened when things don t go their way. Tough times do not last, but tough people do. As long as you persevere, you ll definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The theme, which is spelt with a red dot in the middle, represents how Singapore has turned its constraints into opportunities to build a successful and prosperous nation.

3SG Chong and his team, together with other winning teams, received their award from Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman at a ceremony held at Joyden Hall in Bugis+ on 6 Jul.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Maliki said: Many of you would agree with me that besides being moving and entertaining, the ciNE65 films also reflect our values, our hopes and dreams for Singapore, and what we want future generations of Singaporeans to have and cherish.

Dr Maliki commended the film-makers for their quality entries. He said: I hope that you have found the ciNE65 journey valuable in honing your craft.

Mr Sanif Olef, a ciNE65 judge and commissioned film-maker, agreed with Dr Maliki s point, saying: It is very encouraging to see many of the film entries being produced by talented youths in the Student category and we hope that this will inspire more young budding local film-makers to come forward with even more creative content for the next season.

Rachel Toh, like 3SG Chong, has participated in all three previous editions of ciNE65 and won at least one award each year. She learns something new every time she participates in the competition as she always tries to think out of the box and try something new each season.

She said: Every time we participate in this competition, we focus on an area of film-making that we feel we need to improve on, such as cinematography or art direction.

And the format of the competition also serves to recognise film-makers talents in the different aspects of film-making. For example, even if you are not very experienced in writing (the script), you may be good at film editing. This may mean that you have a chance at winning the Best Editing award and be recognised for your talents in that aspect.

As a first-time participant, 19-year-old Mervyn Yap, a second-year student from Temasek Polytechnic, did not know what to expect coming into the competition. Today, he completed his ciNE65 journey feeling satisfied and accomplished, as his team bagged the Best Editing award in the Student category with their film, Toy Soldiers .

The film centres on a pre-enlistee who is feeling nervous about his enlistment. However, as he recalls the advice that his father had given him when he was young, playing with his toy soldiers. He manages to overcome his feeling of uneasiness, and focus solely on doing his best in NS.

Mr Yap hopes that, through the film, the audience will understand the true meaning of home. He said: Home is not just the house you live in. Home refers to the country that you live in. Home is the place where everything and everybody you love can be found, and I believe everyone should do their best to protect their homes.

Commenting on his experience in ciNE65, Mr Yap said: Overall, it was a good experience as I got to learn a lot about video production and the technical aspects of filming. This competition has definitely been a great platform for aspiring film-makers like me to improve my film-making skills.

This season saw a total of 103 three-minute short film entries 37 in the Open category, and 66 in the Student category, including a significantly higher number of NS-related films to commemorate the 50th anniversary of NS.

Launched by Nexus in July 2011, ciNE65 encourages aspiring film-makers to tell their Singapore story and what Singapore means to them.