60 films have been shortlisted for this year’s *SCAPE National Youth Film Awards (NYFA).
Organised by *SCAPE, an organisation that supports the development of Singaporean youth, this year’s NYFA saw 321 submissions.
Social issues take centre stage for this year’s submissions as filmmakers deep-dived into various topics such as poverty, societal expectations of women, and child bereavement.
Many submissions also pushed the envelope to explore topics such as sex, mental health, and LBGTQ+ issues.
“This year’s submissions continue the trend of exploring delicate societal issues as our youth cement their voice in our local filmmaking landscape. In particular, this edition of
NYFA filmmakers have impressed us with the compassionate yet incisive way in which they approached sensitive topics, proving to us that Singapore has a very talented generation of young filmmakers,” said Ivy Lim, Executive Director of *SCAPE.
“We look forward to continue working closely with them through our various workshops and mentorship programmes at *SCAPE, and helping them develop their voices through films.”
Several nominees for this year’s NYFA include recurring nominees such as Vikneshwaran Silva, who explored the issue of systemic poverty; Rifyal Giffari in a film about exploring one’s familial roots; and Syamsul Bahari who submitted a film about a local football jersey collector, showcasing the trust placed by promising filmmakers on NYFA in amplifying their films.
Nominees for this year’s Best Performance also saw several candidates from as young as 8 years old, underscoring the budding talent emerging from the local film scene.
These include Tong Xin Ci Germaine and Tong Hui Xuan Geraldine, sisters in the live-action film “The Sea Between Us” under the Open-Youth category, as well as Karis Cleanthea and Hailey Madison in “Ant Nest” under the Student category.
This year NYFA also witnessed a new form of filmmaking – desktop documentary – where the entire film was produced through a screen capturing software instead of through a camera, turning the computer screen into both the method for production and dissemination of the documentary.
This novel way of filmmaking was encapsulated in “state.” by Sherrie See which explores the blurred boundaries between physical and digital interfaces as the protagonist transverses the two realms, drawing parallels to reality in today’s world.
Winners for this year’s NYFA will be announced at the NYFA Awards Ceremony 2022 held at *SCAPE on 19 August. The ceremony will also be live-streamed on *SCAPE’s social media platform on Facebook.