Power of Film Propaganda in Nazi Germany

An Introduction

    

Adolf Hitler



Prior to Adolf Hitler’s rise of power, Germany had a vibrant film community in which Jewish actors, directors and producers were active participants. With the Ministry of Propaganda formed and led by Joseph Goebbels in 1933, he controlled the type and content of the media materials, establishing dictatorship of the film industry in Nazi Germany.

From Hitler’s rise in power and eventually the road leading Germany into World War Two, various forms of propaganda were implemented.  Film, one of the forms of propaganda was widely used in the Third Reich. Propaganda was an important instrument that when used right by showing a certain efficient in the employment of this tool, one could gain much success from it[1]. Propaganda is an indispensable means of mobilizing, manipulating, controlling, directing and reeducating the population[2]. The importance of propaganda involves winning people over to an idea sincerely that in the end, they succumb to it completely and never escape from it[3]. There are many reasons why and how film was greatly used for propaganda purpose in the Third Reich. Some of them are discussed as of follow.

First and foremost, film can easily reach the masses to “Nazify” the Germans, creating this myth about Hitler as their savior of Germany. Film propaganda was chosen over other mediums as the appropriate use of visual effects and suiting music in film created a more powerful and direct impact to the masses compared to reading from the press and listening to the radio. In 1920s, cinema audiences in Germany were predominantly middle class[4]. With the use of film propaganda for the entire nation, the lower class welcomed the idea as they were also exposed to it. After the death of President Hindenburg and becoming the new leader of Nazi Germany, Hitler saw the importance of film propaganda to spread his ideology of Nazism to convince the Germans that he was more than ordinary to be the “chosen’ one to lead Germany out from the defeat of the World War One. Nazi ideology was based on extreme nationalism; a belief that Germany was naturally superior to the rest of the world[5]. Some of the ideologies in Nazism involved the belief in the superiority of the Aryan race, anti-semitism and Führerprinzip, the belief in leader principle in which ultimate power rested with him and extended downward based on rank hierarchy. To implement and instill these new ideologies of extreme nationalism, the Nazi government saw the need to control and reeducate the people in accepting these ideologies. One of the aims of the Nazi propaganda is the need for trust in the leadership beyond conventional respect for authority of the Third Reich and ordering unthinking adulation and obedience towards a leader who would unquestionably make decisions that hold the best interest of the people and the country[6].

 In order to create the belief that Hitler was the savior of Germany, films were greatly used. One fine example of film which portrayed Hitler as the “god chosen” leader would be Triumph des Willens (Triumph of Will). It was a documentary film created by Leni Riefenstah in 1934, made on the occasion of the Nazi party congress in Nuremberg. In one of the scene, Hitler descended out of the clouds in his plane and down to earth. He stood in his Mercedes touring car and people were watching him from the backseat of his moving vehicle as he gave the fascist salute to the crowds of yearning women clamoring for his attention[7]. In the sea of flags, no one except Hitler was discernible, standing out amongst the crowd silhouetted in an ironic, almost god-like aura[8].

Triumph Of Will

With Riefenstah superb skills in film making technique, cinematography, editing and selection of music to fit the scene, it successfully portrayed Hitler as a “god chosen” leader who was able to bring glory to the country. It was effective in constructing an extraordinary degree of loyalty of the German people to Hitler on the basis of a highly artificial Fuhrer image which corresponded in good measure to popular idealistic notions of leadership[9]. Without any doubt, film was widely used as one form of propaganda to spread the ideology and create the myth of the Fuhrer.

Secondly, film was used to emphasize the essential of racial purity as the cornerstone of Nazi Germany. The Nazi government saw the need to eradicate the Jews who were the main racial enemies as they were deemed “unfit” to belong to the national community, also known as Gemeinschaftsfremde[10]. Propaganda, in order to be effective, had to be simple, aim at the lowest level of intelligence, reduced to easily learned slogans, concentrating on emotional elements such as love and hatred[11]. Hence, to achieve the goal of eradicating the racial enemies; film has been subjugated to serve genocide and crimes against humanity, portraying racial and ethnic hatreds, particularly towards the Jews. Once the Nazi government had taken over the film industry, the chamber of film was formed to ensure that films served the Reich, recruiting film directors who can assist to enhance Hitler’s influence and power over the nation by presenting negative frightening images of the Germany’s perceived enemies[12]. During the Third Reich, there were many films which carried anti-Semitic messages. Examples of such films are Der ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) and Jud Suss (Jew Suss). These were films targeted at the “internal” enemies, particularly the Jews to dehumanize and labeled them as “wandering cultural parasite”, accusing them being the main culprits for Germany’s defeat in world war one through the theory of being “stab at the back”. In Eternal Jew directed by Fritz Hipple in 1940, an absurd narration was done with a comparison between rats and the Jews with the aim of dehumanizing them. In the film, it stated “Rats are the vermin of the animal kingdom, Jews are the vermin of the human race and similarly spread disease and corruption. Unlike rats, Jews have the uncanny ability to change their appearance and blend into their human hosts." [13]

The Eternal Jew

In addition, in the film Jud Suss, it defiled an Aryan maiden causing her to commit suicide. The film ended with the banishment of Jews from Württemberg, a clear reference to event occurring in Europe in 1940. The film was used to stereotype the Jews, discrediting them of having such undesirable values. Reviews of the movie distributed to newspapers by the ministry of propaganda were even more anti-Semitic than the film. The actors were so convincing that they pleaded with Goebbels to announce publicly that they were not Jews but Aryans[14].

Jud Suss

Without any doubt, the Jews was clearly the number one hate target for Nazi propaganda throughout the Third Reich and film was used to stir up the emotions of the Germans against the Jews.

Next, film was widely used for propaganda purpose as both Goebbels and Hitler were big fans of the cinema.  Clark (2004) commented that both Goebbels and Hitler enjoyed film so much and would enjoyed private showings of Hollywood movies while the ordinary Germans were to view only movies that served for political purpose[15]. Bordwell and Thompson also suggested that Hitler was a movie fan and he cultivated friendships with actors and filmmakers[16].  For an example, being a keen fan of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Hitler invited him to become the lead producer and studio head of films in Germany to continue to use the film to promote himself and the Nazi Government. On the other hand, despite Goebbels’s hatred of communism, he admired Eisenstein’s Potemkin, being a propaganda that was effective and influential and hoped to create a similar vivid cinema that enforced Nazi ideas. As mentioned earlier, both Hitler and Gobbels shared a common enthusiasm for cinema. However, they had differences understanding of how film should be used for Nazi propaganda which contributed to the production of the different kinds of film. Hitler preferred his film propaganda “straight”, repudiating the notion that propaganda would be at its most effective when it was least obvious[17]. Hence, propaganda films were produced. For an example, one of the propagandist movies of the Reich was The Ruler whose central character was a powerful industrialist was often drawn together with important historical figures, reinforcing the idea that Hitler exemplified everything that was best in the tradition German history. On the other hand, Goebbels saw cinema as a medium of entertainment and that the focus should be placed more on entertainment than propaganda messages. Cinema was medium of entertainment and thus understood only too well that it must continue to fulfill that function- film programming that consisted of an unremitting diet of propaganda would surely drive audience away.[18]  Hence, entertainment films, such as Patrioten (The Patriots) and Es Leuchten die Sterne (The Stars are Shining) which contained spectacular dancing scenes were produced in 1936 and 1937 respectively. In addition, the German film industry was affected significantly by the political environment that grew within the nation from 1927 to 1945. As some nations refused to deal with the Nazi Germany, it had resulted in a decline of both the export and import of film products[19]. At the same time, the production costs in Germany were ballooning. Hence to solve the situation, the Nazi government chose Nationalization and bought over the three main film producing companies- Ufa, Tobis and Bavaria and two other smaller firms, Terra and Froelich[20]. With the two most influential people who love film and had the solitary control of the types of films to be made, films became an essential part of the Nazi campaign to gain control throughout the country.



Joseph Goebbel



Last but not least, films were also used as a platform of escapism. After the defeat in world war one, Germany was in a state of poor and low morale of the soldiers and the Germans were dejected from the humiliation and harsh treatment from the treaty of versatilities. “Film of the Third Reich often allowed viewers vacations from the present in fanciful spheres so that they could forget the politics and civic responsibilities”[21]. Goebbels wrote in his diary, “People crave recreation after the grueling days and nights of the past week. They want solace for their souls.”[22] Hence, the use of different genres of film such as musical, comedies or historical films became a platform of escapism which allowed the Germans to get away from their everyday problems. In addition, as people were too obsessed with escapism, they were unaware that propaganda messages were sent out through the films. By, 1945, it was obvious that Germany could not win the war with the Allied invading the country. However, in order to increase the enthusiasm for a war that could bring back the glory that they used to hold, war movies and theme of dying for Germany were introduced. Goebbels returned to this theme even when approaching the end of war with film like Kolberg produced in 1945, a film which attempted to rekindle faith in Hitler through celebrating the resistance of the fortress town to the invading Napoleonic armies under the brave leadership of its mayor[23].

The purpose of it was to allow the German to identify themselves with the characters in the movie and develop their patriotic spirit to fight and honor the country. It was inevitable that Germany would be defeated when approaching the end of the war. However, due to the used of these films, many Germans still thought that they would be able to win the war. Without any doubt, film was a powerful platform of escapism.

Conclusion

The Nazi propaganda is always deemed as “the war that Hitler won”[24].One who has watched the film like Triump of the Will, will never forget those scenes with the roars of acclamation of speeches made by Goebbels and Hitler. Without any doubts, film propaganda had been an effective instrument used in the Third Reich to achieve some of its aim such as constructing an extraordinary degree of loyalty to Hitler and the plunging of the Jews with film like The Eternal Jews and Jud Sus.

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[1] David Welch, Propaganda and the German Cinema 1933-1945 (New York: I.B. Tauris &co Ltd, 2001)

[2] Ian Kershaw,  “HOW EFFECTIVE WAS NAZI PROPAGANDA”  in David Welch (ed.), Nazi Propaganda (Great Britain: Croom Helm Ltd, 1983), p.180.

[3] Joseph Goebbels, cited in Chris Trueman, “Propaganda in Nazi Germany”,  http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/propaganda_in_nazi_germany.html

[4] Robert Allen, Douglas Gomery, Film History Theory and Practice (United States of America: McGraw-Hill Inc, 1985)

[5] David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, FILM HISTORY: AN INTRODUCTION (United States of America: McGraw-Hill Inc, 2003).

[6] Kershaw, “HOW EFFECTIVE WAS NAZI PROPAGANDA”, p.183.

[7] Carl Rollyson, “Leni Riefenstahl on Trial”, http://www.nysun.com/arts/leni-riefenstahl-on-trial/49944/

[8] William Boland, “Hitler’s use of Film in Germany, Leading up to and During WWII”, http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/206/1/hitlers-use-of-film-in-germany-leading-up-to-and-during-wwii

[9] Kershaw, “HOW EFFECTIVE WAS NAZI PROPAGANDA”, p.200.

[10] Ibid, p.183.

[11] Adolf Hitler, “Mein Kampf”, http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/

[12] Dinah Shelton, ed, “Film as Propaganda”, http://www.enotes.com/genocide-encyclopedia/film-propaganda

[13] Fritz Hippler, “Eternal Jew”, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6229070629122885245#

[14] David Weinberg, “Approaches to the Study of Films in the Third Reich: A Critical Appraisal”, in Walter Laqueur, George L. Mosse, JOURNAL of CONTEMPORARY HISTORY, 19 (1984):.p.116

[15] Wendy Clark, MODERN WORLD HISTORY, (Singapore: Times Graphics Pte Ltd, 2004)

[16] Kristin Thompson, David Bordwell, Film History: An Introduction, (United States of America: McGraw-Hill Inc, 1994)

[17] Nicholas Reeves, THE POWER OF FILM PROPAGANDA: MYTH OR REALITY, (Great Britain: Cassell, 1999), p.91.

[18] Ibid, p.91.

[19] Thompson, Bordwell,  FILM HISTORY: AN INTRODUCTION,1994,  p.308.

[20] Ibid, p.308.

[21]Eric Rentschler, The Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and Its Afterlife. (United States of America: Harvard University Press, 1996), p.218.

[22] Lochner, cited in Welch, Propaganda and the German Cinema 1933-1945. P.186.

[23] Reeves, THE POWER OF FILM PROPAGANDA: MYTH OR REALITY, p.

[24] Herzstein, cited in Ian Kershaw, “HOW EFFECTIVE WAS NAZI PROPAGANDA”, p.180.

Reference

1.     Adolf Hitler, “Mein Kampf”, Retrieved on October 10, 2010 from  http://www.hitler.org/writings/Mein_Kampf/

2.     Carl Rollyson, “Leni Riefenstahl on Trial”, Retrieved on October 12, 2010 from   http://www.nysun.com/arts/leni-riefenstahl-on-trial/49944/

3.     David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, FILM HISTORY: AN INTRODUCTION (United States of America: McGraw-Hill Inc, 2003).

4.     David Welch, Propaganda and the German Cinema 1933-1945 (New York: I.B. Tauris &co Ltd, 2001)

5.     David Weinberg, “Approaches to the Study of Films in the Third Reich: A Critical Appraisal”, in Walter Laqueur, George L. Mosse, JOURNAL of CONTEMPORARY HISTORY, 19 (1984):.p.116

6.     Dinah Shelton, ed, “Film as Propaganda”, Retrieved on October 08, 2010 from http://www.enotes.com/genocide-encyclopedia/film-propaganda

7.     Eric Rentschler, The Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and Its Afterlife. (United States of America: Harvard University Press, 1996), p.218.

8.     Fritz Hippler, “Eternal Jew”, Retrieved on October 30, 2010 from http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6229070629122885245#

9.     Ian Kershaw,  “HOW EFFECTIVE WAS NAZI PROPAGANDA”  in David Welch (eds.), Nazi Propaganda (Great Britain: Croom Helm Ltd, 1983), p.180.

10.  Joseph Goebbels, cited in Chris Trueman, “Propaganda in Nazi Germany”, Retrieved on September 20, 2010 from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/propaganda_in_nazi_germany.html

11.  Kristin Thompson, David Bordwell, Film History: An Introduction, (United States of America: McGraw-Hill Inc, 1994)

12.  Nicholas Reeves, THE POWER OF FILM PROPAGANDA: MYTH OR REALITY, (Great Britain: Cassell, 1999)

13.  Robert Allen, Douglas Gomery, Film History Theory and Practice (United States of America: McGraw-Hill Inc, 1985)

14.  Wendy Clark, MODERN WORLD HISTORY, (Singapore: Times Graphics Pte Ltd, 2004)

15.  William Boland, “Hitler’s use of Film in Germany, Leading up to and During WWII”, Retrieved on October 25, 2010 from http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/206/1/hitlers-use-of-film-in-germany-leading-up-to-and-during-wwii

Singapore Film Industry

The Development and Achievement of the Singapore Film Industry

An Introduction

Singapore cinema is at once diverse and distinctive. Over the past century, filmmaking in Singapore has developed within her unique geographical, historical and cultural context. The development of the Singapore film industry can be divided into 4 phases; the early days (1902-1945), the studio era which is often known as the golden age (1947-1972), the decay and oblivion period (1973-1986) and the survival to revival stage (1987 to 2005). They are discussed as follow.

The Early Days (1902-1945)

In the early years of the history of Singapore cinema, the first imported movie was brought by the Levy Hermanos Brothers in the 1904. Mostly movies were in French, from Gaumont and Pathe production houses, dominated the international film market. They screened their movies in a picture showing building at 320 victoria street which later was named as the Paris Cinema, Singapore first cinema. By 1930s Shaw Brothers and Cathay are formed as theatre chains. 4 Years after the death of Shaw Yuh Hsuen in 1924, Runje decided to enter the movie industry with the forming of Tian Yi Film Co. In 1924, Runme who was in-charge of film distribution travelled to Singapore. In 1927, Run Run came to Singapore to help him expand the business with the forming of Hai Seng Company which become the Shaw Brothers Pte Ltd. Ten years after the Shaw Brothers set foot in Singapore, the Lokes entered the Cinema Industry. In 1935, Mrs Loke decided to incorporate a new company, Associated Threatres Ltd which foundation was laid to develop into the Cathay Organisation in 1959. At the beginning of film development, the studios relied on Indian directors, Singapore actors and actresses to produce Malay language movies. The scripts remained in fact composed of recycled stories of dances and songs which appealed to the audience greatly. The first Malay feature film was Leila Majnun in 1933 about two ill-fated lovers who faced objections from their families. The establishment of the two film empires was an achievement in Singapore's film industry for it laid the infrastructure for film production to take its flight to soar to new heights. From the 1930s till World War II was considered the beginning of the golden era of Singapore's film industry.

The Shaw Family

The Golden Age (1947-1972)

After the Japanese occupation, the various cinema chains in Singapore slowly to resume their activities, toning down of propaganda movies and showing more entertainment movies of the Hollywood and Bollywood. These would strongly influence the Malay industry that would bloom and known as the golden age. Studio system of Shaw and Cathay made over 250 films in the Malay language from 1930s to 1960s. Some of the installations and equipment owned by shaw studios had remained at their original location on Jalan Ampas through the war. The Shaw brother reopened these studio in 1947. They decided to produce films cater to the Malays in Singapore and Malaya. Hence, they incorporated a new company named the Malay Film Productions while retaining Malayan Threatres Ltd as their exhibition arm. This had kicked off the studio Era in Singapore.  In 1953, Loke Wan Tho with the help of Ho Ah Loke, Created the Cathy Keris, signaling the beginning of the golden age which lasted for 25 years during which the film produced were predominately in Malay.

Loke Wan Tho

The Shaw Brothers started to sign a number of actors and technicians which became their full time employees for many years without able to join the competitor. The studios owned their own cinemas in which they showed their own films, as well as the Hollywood blockbusters. Shaw cinemas did not show Cathay films, and vice versa. As productions had to be fast and profitable, artistic quality was not the main concern which expands the number of output of movies over the decades. Shaw Brothers proceeded to produce more films, with the introducing of new faces to screen like Kasma Booty, a Sumatran-born Eurasian who started as a Malay theatre Actress. Shaw Studio continues to capitalize on these early successes and produced 2 more films in 1948 and increases the film output steadily, from 3 in 1949, 7 in 1950 and peak at 15 features in 1952. In 1952, a total of 23 films were produced, marking the period of the most productive in moviemaking for Singapore film industry.

The Shaw Brother did not remain the only player in the burgeoning film industry. A few independent producers decided to try their luck and soon 2 smaller production houses appeared on screen. They were Nusantara Film, Rimau and Keris which flourish the film industry, increasing the output of the films annually. The flourishing of the film industry in the 1950s were the artists and directors. If not for them, Singapore and Malaysian audiences would not have enjoyed good scripts and performances. This in turn encouraged the film industry to thrive. One such personality was P. Ramlee, a talented director who spearheaded the film industry with his skillful film-making. His films won awards in the Asian Film Festival. In the initial stages of film production, he conducted a one-man show in co-ordinating film production because of a lack of talent in Singapore and Malayan film-making during the early 1950s. He produced films of mass appeal, and contributed to the rise of the film industry. In addition, many talented actors and actress were identified. Those stars were very well received because of their strong acting skills. Maria Menado produced Anak Pontianak (Vampire's child) Sumpah Pontianak (Vampire's Curse), and Orang Minyak (the Oily Man), had won large audiences from the cinema going public.

Sumpah Orang Minyak (1958) Pt 1

The 1950s and early 1960s were the boom years for the Singapore film industry. This achievement was in part due to a talented pool of creative artists harnessed by Shaw Brothers, Loke Wan Tho and Ho Ah Loke. The golden age of the studio era in Singapore had lasted 25 years from 1947 to 1972. Both leading studios had 20 years period of activity. Within the 25 years, around 300 movies were made of which approximately 280 were produced by the 2 major studios and the rest by smaller companies.

The Decay and Oblivion Period (1973-1986)

By mid 1970s, 10 years of independence have reshaped the entire Singapore society. Kampong or village was slowing to become a thing of the past. With Singapore out of the fereration of Malaysia and placing greater emphasis on the Chinese sector of the population, malayness was not only the main cultural reference. Rapid modernization had brought changes in terms of lifestyle, hence, movies made I 1973 to 1978 were in Chinese and English as compared to malay in the golden days of the film industry. Singapore producers and filmmakers copied the American or hong kong ideas. However, as it was lack of originality and unable to surpass the other film industries, there were decline of film production in Singapore. In addition, being a newly independent country, Singapore government concern were on the development of the economy, not the decaying of the film industry. Hence, the government did not come to aid to assist the revival of the dying film industry, As industralisation and modernization were vital importance, culture and entertainment became an afterthought. The governement’s new social engineering pocilies led to strict media censorship which adversely affect movies such as Ring of fury which was believed to have focused on gangsterism. In the 1970s, attempts were made to revive the film industry, when independent film makers tried to make Hollywood style movies. In 1978, They Call Her Cleopatra Wong was released as a tongue-in-cheek film, casting Marie Lee and Brian Richmond as the main characters. 

They called her Cleopatra Wong

However, as raising private money was difficult, public funding was non existent and censorship was becoming heavier. The 1970s was definitely not a conducive era for filmmaking in Singapore. Hence, the film industry in Singapore would remain inactive for 12 to 15 years, resuming only in the first half of the 1990s. A long and rather period of silence.

The Survival and Revival Stage (1987-2005)

In 1987, Roy Armes declared Singapore filmmaking’s premature death, but there are signs began to emerge that cinema in Singapore may have survived a long coma and would soon slowly revive. With the introduction of Singapore film festival, emerging of local and western director in the film industry who introduced films that were able to open to both the local and foreign market and more aids from the Singapore’s government, there are signs of revival of the Singapore film industry. Geoffrey Malone saw the need to promote film culture in the city state and stimulate the environment for future film directors. The festival was first held in 1987, and swiftly positioned itself as a platform for Asian movies, strongly exposing, promoting and supporting new talent such as those from the Chinese fifth generation and the Taiwanese New Wave.

In addition, in 1991, the festival introduced the Silver Screen Awards which allow the local and regional moviemakers to have the opportunities to showcase their production and compete in 2 categories, Asian Feature Film and Singapore Short Film. These encourage more emerging of filmmakers to compete in the film industry. Before 1998, the festival was the only organization which provides cash and supports the burgeoning industry which many filmmakers benefited, forging ahead with their careers in filmmaking.

There are emerging of local directors in the film industry, bringing the film industry to reach a higher level. A fine example will be Eric Khoo, the Singapore first true auteur who studied cinematography in the City Art Institute in Sydney. He have directed many successive films such as August and Mee Pok Man which had won many awards such as August which won the Best Singapore short film at the Singapore international film festival. In addition, besides playing his role as a director, he was also actively involved in the scouting of talents in the film industry. For example, it was Eric Khoo who noticed Jack Neo, transforming him from a humorous television host to a movie drama actor in 12 storeys, giving his best role on screen so far. Jack neo who also became a director, started on the big screen that consists of his popular comedies elements which turn out to be national blockbusters. Both Eric Khoo and Jack Neo was able to relate and integrate the local social context into the films that they made which was one important factor which attracted the local audience, bringing revival to the film industry. For example, in Eric Khoo, mee pok man, in the film, the setting was selected at a HDB flat of which 80 percents of the Singapore are living in. In addition, it arrived just at the same time when the financial crisis hit Asia, with all the social fears hidden under the official economic success surged. Life is not as rosy as before and the movie addresses these questions in a timely and honest way, giving a sincere and accurate portrayal of the island city state. Like Eric Khoo’s movie, Jack Neo’s money not enough, also address the financial dilemma faced by the Singaporean. Hence, with the clever use of local social setting, it has successfully attracted the local audiences, bringing revival to the film industry.

12 Storeys

 Next, the aid and recognition of the film industry from the Singapore government had played an vital role in the revival of the industry. Interest from the local authorizes grew in the late 1980s and 1990s. The leading agency was the economic developemental board which set a committee in 1987 to promote the movie industry. In 2003, the film commission merged with the Singapore broadcast authority and the films and publications department to form the media development authority which focus was to transform into a media hub, producing and exporting Singapore content. With the boost, the Singapore film commission managed to put together a very consistent and coherent system of support for the film industry, introducing a wide range of activities deemed necessary for the growth of the movie industry. The film commission provides funding for short and feature projects through various schemes. New avenues for future generations of filmmakers were opened, giving them the exposure, encouragement and support they needed for their work. The success was seen with the initial production of 11 short films through its short film grant and increased steadily to 23 in 1999, 34 in 2000 and around 40 short films a year.

With the revival of the Singapore film industry, the local film industry has received recognition for their achievement made in Singapore. Eric Khoo’s Mee pok man was the first Singaporean movie to be entered for the Singapore international film festivals’ silver screen awards. He had set the tone with this somber, modern-city tale and inspired a trend that other filmmakers would follow. In addition, the local films made were able to receive international recognition. For example, Eric Khoo’s 12 storeys, was the first Singapore film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, having selected for the Un Certain regard programme. It also won the Federation of International Film Critics award. The movie was commercially distributed to the international market, including France. On the other hand, Jack Neo’s embark in the film industry and achieved a relatively good results too. Most of his films, such as I not stupid and money not enough have achieved very good box office results, with the latter becoming the top grossing movie ever in the country. In addition, in his film, homerun, cast proved themselves with excellent acting, particularly Shawn Lee and Megan Zheng. Megan Zheng won the best new performer award at the 40^th Golden Horse Film Festival, a film award ceremony equivalent of the Oscars. It happened to be the first ever golden horse award garnered by Singapore, bringing great attention to the local film industry. The film went on to win the Best Director prize at the international children film festival in Iran. Such international festival recognition came as a consecration for Singapore reborn cinema industry.

Megan Zheng with her award

All in all, Singapore film industry has shown sign of revival and is opening up to both the local and foreign market. However, locally made cinema should not fear being too locally rooted as this is the uniqueness of Singapore film industry. Just like Hollywood which never shows any fear in giving up the “Americanness”. Singapore cinema should continue to use movies as a platform for others who want to learn more about this small but yet unique country.