Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) will be promoting a slate of 25 new locally-produced films at the upcoming Cannes market, a 25% increase on last year’s slate, highlighting the growing production volume of the city state.

The slate includes comedy Neon Sign, which is the first co-production from the MDA’s International Film Fund (IFF), and 3D action thriller Bait, co-produced by Singapore’s BlackMagic Design, which is the first film under the Australia-Singapore co-production treaty. To be directed by Korea’s Pil Gam-sung, Neon Sign is a co-production between Singapore, China and Korea.

The slate also includes films supported by the Singapore Film Commission’s New Feature Film Fund (NFFF) such as Boo Junfeng’s Sandcastle which is screening in Critics’ Week. It also includes Kelvin Tong’s thriller Kidnapper, Glen Goei’s English-language The Blue Mansion and two films directed by Jack Neo – comedy Being Human, co-produced by Singapore’s Scorpio East and Hong Kong’s Mei Ah Entertainment, and horror comedy omnibus Where Got Ghost.

The MDA will also be promoting three projects in development at Daniel Yun’s Homerun Asia, including Daniel Hui’s romantic thriller Bridge; Azharr Rudin’s hororr mystery Matahari, and romantic drama For I’ve Loved, to be directed by Lai Weijie and Elizabeth Wijaya.

While the MDA will be promoting the slate at the Singapore Pavilion in the Riviera, some of the films also have sales agents attached. Arclight Films co-produced Bait and has sold the film to over 24 territories worldwide. Sandcastle is being sold internationally by Fortissimo Films.

“As the local film sector matures and the filmmaking community becomes increasingly business–savvy, more of our media players are concentrating on co-producing commercially viable, internationally marketable projects,” said MDA CEO Dr Christopher Chia. “In fact, of the 25 new titles that we are bringing to the market, two-thirds are currently in various stages of production”.

The MDA recently announced two calls for proposals for the International Film Fund (IFF) and the International Animation Fund (IAF), both of which co-invest up to $3.6m (S$5m) per qualifying project. Projects under the IFF will represented by Hong Kong-based Distribution Workshop, while projects under the IAF will be represented globally by FremantleMedia Enterprises.

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