Film - a medium to inspire and activate change

Distinguished guests,

Award nominees,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good afternoon. I'm delighted to be here at the National Youth Film Awards (NYFA), to honour our country's best young film talents. The NYFA this year has received many more entries, and of better quality. It has become an important Award for the industry, as a mark of achievement, attracting many to vie for it.

A milestone in your filmmaking journey

2. You are here today because of your talents, and more importantly, your hard work. You are motivated by your aspirations and goals in filmmaking – to be an accomplished filmmaker, to work with internationally-renowned filmmakers, or more fundamentally to tell a story for people without a voice.

3. Your aspirations drive your process of learning, of experimenting, and of improving your craft. Taking part in this Award is an important milestone, and a great opportunity for you to benchmark yourselves and gain invaluable experience and exposure. It also gives you a leg-up in your pursuit of movie-making as a career.

4. Some of our past NYFA winners have gone on to win the Singapore Heritage Short Film Awards and the Crowbar Awards. Some have had their films screened locally and overseas, while others have been commissioned to work on TV commercials and music videos.

Film as a medium to inspire and activate change

5. But more than awards and accolades, film can also be a powerful medium to inspire, to raise awareness and to activate change. I urge all of you to use your creativity and technical skills to be a driving force for social good, and to make our society a better place.

6. For instance, films can challenge discriminatory societal stereotypes. One example among our nominees today is the documentary “I am Soccer Girl”, which questions the stereotyping that female soccer players face in Singapore.

7. Another documentary features para athlete Kelvin Tan. It hopes to change the way people see the ones who can't see, and wonder who really is the visually impaired. It helps to show what they can do – their abilities, rather than what they cannot.

8. The films may not be international blockbusters, or change the world overnight. But they certainly have the potential to change mind-sets and be a call to action to all of us.

Supporting our young film talents

9. The NYFA helps shine the spotlight on the creators of these films, and helps us discover the bountiful creativity and energy behind the films.

10. Indeed, collaboration and teamwork are key ingredients for a good film. We have many categories of awards today to recognise the diverse efforts from sound mixing to camera work to music composition. Each of these make up an important component of a film, and the end-result is often a sum greater than its parts.

11. To facilitate this culture of sharing and co-creation, we provide workshops and networking sessions at *SCAPE. You will gain useful tips from professionals and expand your network of potential collaborators. *SCAPE also hosts the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF)'s New Waves, a monthly series of dialogues featuring young filmmakers from Southeast Asia.

12. We will also bring in corporate partners to support you. Earlier, DBS contributed $200,000 towards youth development programmes at *SCAPE. Thank you DBS for believing in our youths.

Conclusion

13. On this note, let me also thank the organisers, partners and sponsors of NYFA for coming together to support Singapore's aspiring filmmakers.

14. NYFA is not just about the stories being told in the films, but more importantly, it is about the stories of the filmmakers. We are happy that NYFA has been a part of your early filmmaking career. Through your work, I hope you will continue to entertain, touch hearts and inspire conversations.

15. Wishing you a very bright future ahead; thank you very much!