Reel Singapore is a film programme that celebrates filmmakers who have contributed to and helped shape the country’s cultural memory. Not merely a time capsule, the programme speaks to, and extends beyond, Raphaël Millet’s new book, Singapore: A Cinematic Portrait.

Millet’s extensive and fascinating documentation traces 125 years of Singapore’s cinematic history and draws from interviews, posters, archival research, photographs, and more, to offer readers a Singapore cinema that is complex and rich. Millet argues that Singapore’s film history builds not only from contributions by those born and raised in the city-state, but also by settlers, migrants, visitors, and even through the memory of the glorious dead; all have their place here.

Our program curates films -features and shorts – produced and shot within Singapore by both visitors and homegrown talents. These dynamic films offer rich insights into this multicultural and multifaceted island nation. Structured around five themes (History-Memory, Sonic Nation, Rebel Energies, Horrific Fabulations, and Speculative Futures), this program invites audiences to look at the past, present, and future of this vibrant tropical city.

History-Memory offers audiences an opportunity to explore how filmmakers image and imagine Singapore’s complex colonial and postcolonial histories from their particular points of view. Their films serve as witnesses to a range of political and socio-cultural changes, including the start of the State’s eradication of verdant jungles to make way for concrete housing, survivor accounts from the Japanese occupation, to poignant impressions by the country’s fringe dwellers. Sonic Nation captures the aural and sonic spectacles from Singapore’s dynamic-built environment and its everyday people. Rebel Energies spotlights riotous themes and artists from unlikely vigilantes to raw and experimental methods of filmmaking. Horrific Fabulations makes visible the evergreen nature of superstitious mysticism that continues to exist no matter how developed Singapore claims to be. Lastly, Speculative Futures offers a space to dream of what may lie ahead for Singapore’s future, from space and time travel, to new perspectives on how characters find meaning and belonging in Singapore’s kinetic built environment.

So let’s give a roar to: the band of outsiders who found a sense of beauty or irony within the city-state’s charms; the local heroes who paved the way for invigorating new styles of storytelling; the documentarians of the ever evolving landscape and lifestyles; the often overlooked contributions of foreigners who left their own homes for a shot at a better life for their families; the strength of survivors from periods of occupation; and the rise of fresh perspectives from a new generation of filmmakers who grapple with life in this tiny red dot.

Reel Singapore runs from 8 – 30 May 2026 at Oldham Theatre. The programme is guest programmed by Aishah Abu Bakar and Sophia Siddique.

Programme Lineup

Theme One: History-Memory

The Lion City (狮子城, 1960, Yi Sui)
In The House of Straw (2009, Yeo Siew Hua) + Q&A with filmmaker and author Raphaël Millet
Snakeskin (2014, Daniel Hui)
A Yellow Bird (2016, K. Rajagopal) + 10th Anniversary Q&A with filmmaker

A selection of shorts on History-Memory (80 mins) + post-screening discussion with author Raphaël Millet

• Twilight Ladies (2025, Alain Soldeville, Alexe Liebert) [06/05/2026]: Due to unforseen circumstances, Twilight Ladies (2025) will not be screening in the 10 May screening of A Selection of shorts on History-Memory and will instead be screened at a later date in a second screening along with the rest of the programme. 
• Forgotten Merlion (2009, Ghazi Alqudc and Ezzam Rahman)
• Conversations on Sago Lane (2010, Wong Chen-Hsi)
• Singapore… Dream (1999, Tania Sng)
• Utama—Every Name in History is I (2003, Ho Tzu Nyen)

Theme Two: Sonic Nation

Sayang Disayang (2013, Sanif Olek)
Sementara (2020, Shao Min Chew Chia, Joant Úbeda)

A selection of shorts on Sonic Nation (83 mins)

• Neighbours (Jiran Sekampung, 2020, Toh Hun Ping)
• Sunshine Singapore (1972, Rajendra Gour)
• Hock Hiap Leong (2001, Royston Tan)
• Hampshire Road (2019, Min-Wei Ting)
• MRT City (2023, Kevia Tan)
• Downstairs (2009, Tan Diya Lydia)
• Spirited City (2023, Ang Siew Ching)
• Saudade (2020, Russell Morton)

Theme Three: Rebel Energies

Operation Lightning (Gerak Kilat, 1966, Jamil Sulong) + introduction by Raphaël Millet
Ring of Fury (血指環, 1973, Tony Yeow, James Sebastian) + introduction by Raphaël Millet
Lucky 7 (2008, Sun Koh, Brian Gothong Tan, Ho Tzu Nyen, Boo Junfeng, K Rajagopal, Tania Sng, Chew Tze Chuan)
Eating Air (吃風, 1999, Kelvin Tong, Jasmine Ng)

Double Bill: Pain (1994, Eric Khoo) + Zombie Dogs (2004, Toh Hai Leong) + post-screening discussion with guest programmer Aishah Abu Bakar and AFA programmer Natalie Khoo

Theme Four: Horrific Fabulations

Centipede Horror (蜈蚣咒, 1982, Keith Li)
Anak Pontianak (1958, Ramon A. Estella)

Theme Five: Speculative Futures

Cyber Wars (2004, Jian Hong Kuo)
Tourism (2017, Daisuke Miyazaki)

A selection of shorts on Speculative Futures (108 mins) + post-screening discussion with guest programmer Sophia Siddique

• Inspector X and the Eternal City (2006, Chong Yew Meng)
• Mickey (2010, Wesley Leon Aroozoo)
• Seeya in Elektrik Dreamz (再见理想, 20011, Nelson Yeo)
• Home Planet (2022, Maximilian Liang)

About Guest Programmers

Aishah Abu Bakar is a freelance film programmer currently based in the UK. As programme manager for the Singapore International Film Festival (2015–2018), she managed the Asian feature film section, as well as masterclasses and talks. Prior to that, she was the Programme Manager for Moving Images at The Substation (2009–2014) where she was in charge of organising screenings and related events such as the Singapore Short Film Awards, the Experimental Film Forum, Singapore Indie Doc Fest, and First Take, a regular running local platform for first-time filmmakers. She is well-versed in the art of producing, having worked in the television and media industry prior to her film career.

Sophia Siddique is an Associate Professor in the Department of Film at Vassar College. Her research interests include film and the senses, contemporary Southeast Asian Cinemas, and the genres of horror and science-fiction. Sophia’s most recent publication is a meditation about her involvement in the making of Shirkers, a film that was never completed.

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