Singapore’s On-screen Fund, launched by IMDA and STB, will offer S$10m to support international media and entertainment partners in producing TV and film projects featuring Singapore. The fund aims to promote travel to Singapore and create opportunities for local talent to work with global partners.
On April 5, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) jointly announced the launch of the Singapore On-screen Fund, aimed at inspiring travel to Singapore through the creation of TV series and films. The fund, with a budget of S$10 million, was established to support international media and entertainment (M&E) partners in producing TV and film projects that reach global audiences and shine the spotlight on destination Singapore. The ultimate goal was to provide opportunities for local media enterprises and talent to work alongside global M&E partners in creating content for international audiences.
The fund targeted international media conglomerates, major streamers, and studios that had a history of delivering popular content for the global market. Project proposals were evaluated based on their distribution and market reach, content concept and creative merit, opportunities to feature Singapore’s offerings and experiences, as well as the number of local talents involved in credited roles. The selected projects by key M&E companies must be set in Singapore and launched before the first quarter of 2027. Successful projects would receive funding support of up to 30% of qualifying costs related to featuring Singapore, including production and marketing costs.
According to Mr Chang Chee Pey, Assistant Chief Executive, Marketing Group, STB, branded entertainment was a key focus of STB’s marketing strategy, in response to the changing digital landscape and increased demand for authentic and entertaining content. The Singapore On-screen Fund allowed STB to tap the deep storytelling expertise of global media and entertainment players in a more purposeful way, showcasing Singapore through a fresh lens as travel demand recovers.
With the surge in entertainment content during the pandemic, the fund aimed to ride on that momentum to kickstart more projects that profiled the destination and supported industry development. Jasmine Ng, President, Singapore Association of Motion Picture Professionals, believed that Singapore had many surprises to offer as a filming destination, with a wide range of striking architecture and rich, diverse cultures. Over the years, Singapore had also built up a highly-skilled media talent pool with a portfolio of quality, globally-oriented projects. The Singapore On-screen Fund would help grow collaboration opportunities with global media and entertainment companies, giving rise to more avenues for local media talent to be involved in internationally renowned works.
In the past, collaborations with global M&E companies to profile Singapore included popular rom-com Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, produced by Singapore-based Infinite Frameworks in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. The government-supported production involved close to 300 locals working as production crew members, including in key roles. The film also involved young aspiring talent from Nanyang Technological University, LaSalle College of the Arts, and Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Additionally, the film featured 12 local stars in its cast, including Pierre Png and Tan Kheng Hua – the latter has since advanced her career in Hollywood following the success of Crazy Rich Asians. Other notable projects shot in Singapore that showcased the country and employed local media talent included popular K-drama “Little Women” (2022) and sci-fi hit series “Westworld Season 3” (2020).
Sourced from Singapore Tourism Board
