Singapore - Filmmaker Wee Li Lin, Great Guns producer Ays Tan, The Straits Times film reviewer John Lui and human behavioural expert James Breeze, will be discussing the impact of the Internet on filmmaking at the first ever screening of the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase (NDS) in Singapore, to be held on 10 December 2013. 

Saatchi & Saatchi has been presenting the NDS to a packed Grand Auditorium at Cannes Lions since 1991, and has carved a reputation for selecting the most promising new directors working all over the world. This year 19 directors made the cut, and hail from the UK, USA, Europe, Australia and Asia. The Singapore screening is the last stop on the first world tour of the NDS, and follows the premier in Cannes, and sell out screenings in London and Moscow. 

To find the featured directors, Saatchi & Saatchi utilises its network of 130 offices worldwide to invite submissions from directors, and the Worldwide Creative Board makes the final selection.   The Showcase always includes a live theatrical piece with an all-encapsulating theme, which introduces the reel. This year’s theme is ‘Just for Hits’, and relates to Professor Richard Dawkins’ theory of memes, and its application to the age of the Internet as an ‘incubator of creativity’. The influence of the Internet on contemporary filmmaking is evident on the 2013 reel, with Gevorg Karensky's accomplished graduation film ‘GTA Rise’ getting over 13.5 million hits on YouTube, and interactive directing trio One Pixel Wide's innovative promo for Masters in France, matching hashtagged vine films to song lyrics in a live feed. 

Many of the films cross the boundaries between the visual arts, film and advertising, such as Lucio Arese's arresting CGI imagery, Ian Cheng's graphic drawings, and Jake Fried's handdrawn animations. Other directors on the reel demonstrate great narrative and use of traditional filmmaking techniques, with powerful emotional or visual punch, or great comic timing, such as Ben Liam Jones's heart-wrenching film for ChildLine, Vellas's brilliant cinematography in his film ‘Soul’ for Leica, and Max Joseph's witty ‘Follow the Frog’. Then there is pure surrealism, in the form of Wong Ping's darkly humorous animation ‘No-One Remains Virgin'.

The Q&A Panel for the Saatchi & Saatchi NDS screening in Singapore consists of:

Wee Li Lin, Filmmaker, Bobbing Buoy Films

Li Lin is the most prolific female short filmmaker in Singapore. In 2005, Autograph Book was the first Singapore film selected to show at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Since then Li Lin has made two feature films, the critically acclaimed Gone Shopping (2007) which was partially funded by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, and Forever (2011) which was funded by the Singapore Media Development Authority's (MDA) New Feature Film Fund and supported by Iceberg Design. Li Lin is a recipient of the Singapore Short Film Awards for her outstanding contribution to the Singapore short film scene. She is developing a new feature project as well as a new short film. Li Lin runs Bobbing Buoy Films with her husband, visual artist and filmmaker Charles Lim.

Ays Tan, Executive Producer, Great Guns

Ays has been in film production for 15 years. Her producer credits cover short and long form films, with experience with managing local and overseas production from concept to delivery. Very familiar with regional multi-language productions, Ays has collaborated with a broad spectrum of global production partners ranging from production companies and advertising agencies to Network TV including BBC Knowledge, Discovery Asia, ChannelNewsAsia and CNN Japan.

John Lui, Film Reviewer, The Straits Times

John Lui has been a journalist for over 20 years. He began as a magazine features writer, then moved to The Straits Times to be news reporter. With online news organisation CNET, he covered technology, as well as working as a freelance magazine writer covering the entertainment and lifestyle beats. In 2008, he re-joined The Straits Times and is now a film reviewer who also covers film industry news.

James Breeze, Chief Experience Officer, Objective Asia

Spearheading the field of eye tracking in Australia and Asia, James Breeze is a pioneer and expert in User Interface Design, Human Factors (HCI) and Information Architecture. James holds an Honours degree from UniSA, and a Masters in Organisational Psychology from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. James is also an adjunct lecturer in Service Innovation, Eye Tracking and User Research at the National University of Singapore's ISS and publishes regular papers and studies on the subject matter.

5 double passes to this exclusive invite-only event will be made available to the public.  For terms and conditions and to enter the draw, please visit www.saatchiasiapacific.com/NDS-Singapore

Photo (l to r): Ays Tan, John Lui, Wee Li Lin and James Breeze