What are the themes ?
“Caring for Self and/or Others” centers around the fundamental concept of nurturing and promoting well-being, not only for oneself but also extending that care to others. It encompasses a range of interconnected aspects related to self-care, empathy, support systems, and community well-being.
“Coping and Growing” encapsulates the journey of individuals facing challenges, adversity, or significant changes in their lives. It reflects the dual process of dealing with difficult circumstances while simultaneously finding ways to develop and evolve on a personal or collective level.
“Creative Experimentations in Mental Health” explores innovative and artistic approaches to understanding, addressing, and destigmatizing mental health issues. It encourages a departure from traditional narrative methods and embraces novel, creative avenues to foster awareness, empathy, and healing through the medium of film.
“Intergenerational Relationships” centers on the connections, interactions, and shared experiences between individuals of different age groups within families, communities, and societies. It recognizes the value of fostering understanding and collaboration across generations and highlights the richness that comes from the exchange of perspectives, wisdom, and support.
Reconciling different perspectives on mental health
The experience of caregivers could also be the focus of this theme.
What are the workshops ?
Narrative Journaling for Self Expression and Self Care
A more in-depth and experiential session, this SFYC workshop would give you the opportunity to explore writing about emotions, while
Introduction to Dance Flow Therapy™
Organised by Dance Therapy Singapore and Mental Health Film Festival Singapore. What is Dance Flow Therapy™ (DFT)™? Dance Flow Therapy™
Who can participate ?
Youths 35 years old and below, adults, and students currently enrolled in full-time education in Singapore.
This category is open to budding filmmakers who are still new to filmmaking
Youths who are enrolled in a filmmaking/media course OR have experience in filmmaking are strongly encouraged to submit their films in the Open Competition Category.
Singaporean/PR or youth with a valid long-term pass (e.g. EP/SP/LTVP). Proof of identity for verification may be required and must be produced upon request.
Short Films (15 mins or less) made after March 2023 that are related to the competition themes are eligible for submission.
Any Singaporeans or PR Youths 35 years old and below during the time of submission.
Youths 35 years old and below with a valid long-term pass (e.g. EP/SP/LTVP). Proof of identity for verification may be required and must be produced when requested.
Youths who are enrolled in a filmmaking/media course OR have experience in filmmaking are strongly encouraged to submit their films in this category
Short Films (15 mins or less) made after March 2023 that are related to the competition themes are eligible for submission.
What are the prizes ?
SFYC2024 is #CARINGFORSELFAND/OROTHERS, #COPINGANDGROWING, #CREATIVEEXPERIMENTATIONS, #INTERGENERATIONALRELATIONSHIPS
Youth Showcase Jury !
As one of CFL’s founding members, Alex is currently the Acting Executive Director for Caring for Life. A passionate Youth Mental Health Advocate since August 2015, he is driven to explore different solutions to support and empower persons with mental health issues to regain their dignity in life.
His knowledge of the mental health sector and nonprofit organizations arose from his involvement in the governmental mental health team (NCSS); as a co-founder of a mental health service directory (Mental Connect) and his current involvement in a new non-profit startup (Caring For Life) in suicide prevention work.
Ms Colyn Chua carries with her over a decade of experience in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) sector. She joined Jardines MINDSET, the Jardine Matheson Group’s CSR programme and registered mental health charity, in 2012 and as the Head of MINDSET, she oversees the organisation and its employee volunteer programme. She practiced as a Medical Social Worker prior to joining MINDSET and recently obtained a Master in Business Administration in pursuit of her passion in the business sector.
Being a strong believer and advocate of social betterment, Colyn feels that everyone should try to be empathetic and put their better foot forward as an easy step to elevate the community. She also believes that more can be done in the areas of mental health and corporate purpose especially in raising awareness, community inclusivity and acceptance, and sustainability. By actively engaging mental health organisations and sharing views and knowledge, she hopes to see a growing number of like-minded advocates in Singapore’s mental health ecosystem.
Kris Ong is a filmmaker based in Singapore. “Ajoomma,” executive produced by Anthony Chen and directed by He Shuming, premiered at Busan International Film Festival 2022 and was nominated for four Golden Horse Awards, including Best Original Screenplay for Shuming and Kris. As a director, her short films have screened at over 30 international film festivals. She is the co-founder of Asian film and television company Momo Film Co, a part of Beach House Pictures and Fremantle. In 2020, she was featured in The Straits Times 30 under 30 – The Arts list for her work in Momo Film Co.
Open Competition Jury !
Nelson Yeo’s debut feature film, “Dreaming & Dying,” premiered at the 2023 Locarno International Film Festival, winning two prestigious awards. The film is still touring various international festivals. His shorts also garnered recognition at international film festivals like Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, and Cairo International Film Festival.
Dr Jade Kua is a senior consultant in general and pediatric emergency medicine, with a masters in trauma. She is a Past President of the Association of Women Doctors, Singapore and the immediate Past President of the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association.
She is also a professional life coach accredited by the International Coaching Federation and founded Jade Life And Wellness. Her children’s bedtime book on mindfulness, Good Night Marion, was published by Write Editions and used by therapists, psychologists and parenting experts.
She is married with 3 small children and 3 older stepchildren and enjoys long walks and strong coffee.
Ms Jane Goh is the Deputy Director for Singapore Association for Mental Health and has been a mental health practitioner and clinician for more than 20 years.
She has played an instrumental role in trailblazing creative services in the community for mental health and has piloted a few creative and youth centres that integrates expressive arts, sports and outdoor. Jane also enjoys volunteering in coaching and guiding people in their profession and growth during her free time.
Pre-Selection Team !
Alexander Lee graduated from Nanyang Technological University’s School of Humanities with a BA (Hons) in English and a minor in Creative Writing. He is currently the programme manager at the Mental Health Film Festival Singapore, programming thought-provoking films and panels, addressing pressing mental health issues and promoting open dialogues around these critical topics.
Beyond his role in festival curation, Alexander is both a writer and filmmaker. He participated in SGIFF’s Youth Jury and Critics Programme, receiving the ‘Young Critic Award’ and was also selected for the Yamagata Film Criticism Workshop. He has also lensed multiple narrative shorts and collaborated with filmmakers on various projects.
Andy Leach is a qualified and highly experienced addiction psychotherapist. His initial training was in psychodynamic therapy, and the skills he now employs with his clients are person-centred. He works with an all addictions model and has a passion for helping clients identify and achieve goals for addiction-free lives. Therapeutic techniques that he employs are CBT, the Minnesota Model, DBT, Motivational Interviewing and Trauma-informed therapy.
Andy enjoys delivering group therapy as well as individual therapy. He delivers Psycho-education groups as well as Yalom style process groups. In his capacity as Director of Addiction Services for Visions by Promises, he has created & set up the Intensive Outpatient Program. Before joining Visions by Promises, he was Clinical Lead for the Cabin Group in Asia.
Jonathan Choo is a writer, director and lecturer with a wealth of experience in the film industry. He holds an MA in Directing Fiction from the prestigious National Film and Television School. Choo’s short films, including Han, Rehearsal and Reaction, have screened at international festivals. He is known for telling stories about generational consequences within chamber family dynamics.
Choo has received many prestigious awards such as, Best Director and Best Film in National Youth Film Awards 2016, and many more. His latest short film, Caifan Haiku, premiered at the International Competition section of the 64th Zinebi International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao. In addition, Choo has taught courses in Directing at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Smartphone Filmmaking for meaningful Storytelling at Singapore University of Social Sciences.
A peer in recovery from depression, Nathanael is an aspiring Clinical Psychologist and passionate storyteller. He previously worked as an Associate Psychologist before joining NUS as a Research Assistant where he currently uses neuroimaging techniques to study the human brain. Prior to working in the mental health sector, he worked on live and broadcast productions as a sound and lighting engineer. In his own time, he enjoys engaging in various forms of storytelling such as writing, music, and roleplaying games, digital or otherwise.
Embracing a squiggly career, Rachel spent several years in both foreign MNCs and Singapore-based companies in various roles including business development, marketing, advocacy and fundraising. She now serves as Head of Engagements at Resilience Collective (RC), working towards building a strong supportive community for peers in their mental health recovery journeys. She hopes to contribute in the mental health space until the day comes when our peers are treated with the same respect and equality as everyone else.
Sally Wu has been Singapore Film Society’s active volunteer since 2014 and is in charge of Partnership Management. She is also actively involved in the planning, strategizing and film programming and curation for SFS’s various screenings and film festivals including Singapore’s 2nd largest film festival – the Singapore Chinese Film Festival.
Sherman is multi-hyphenate, having produced and distributed films, consulted for businesses, founded businesses and is also the President at Gatekeepers Singapore.
He is advisor to Mistletoe Inc, family office of Taizo Son, Founded Salt Media & Entertainment, producing 3 Hollywood films, and distributed over 100 films in the region. He also founded a defence business which takes him around the world looking at the latest in technology.
Sherman is also a worship leader, doing so for over 25 years now and he is the first Singaporean, and still the only Singaporean who has done a wingsuit tandem flight. The flight saw him jump from over 16,000 ft, traveling over 5km in the sky and reaching a top speed of 234km/h