The National Youth Film Awards Conference is back again from 16 – 17 April 2021 for film enthusiasts.
Organised by *SCAPE, an organisation that supports the development of Singaporean youths, this year’s NYFA Conference is themed ‘Pivots and Platforms: Short Films in a New Normal’. With a total of six tracks, the Conference will explore and discuss how filmmaking will evolve in a post-Covid world. Invited speakers will share insights into how filmmaking will transform in the new norm and how youths can be future-ready.
The Conference will kickstart on 16 April with a closed-door screening of five short films produced under NYFA’s Film Facilitation Programme.
Conceptualised by Huang Junxiang, NYFA 2020’s Youth Inspiration Award winner, the mentorship journey programme saw five veteran filmmakers mentoring five selected NYFA alumni to produce a short genre film each. The five genres were action, drama, horror, comedy and animation; with each genre mentored by internationally renowned filmmakers such as Mike Wiluan, co-producer of 2019’s hit Hollywood film Crazy Rich Asians and director of action film Buffalo Boys (2018), as well as Daniel Jeannette, the animation director of 2006 film Happy Feet.
The short films will also be available for the public to view on The Projector Plus, starting 29 April 2021. For more details on the screening, please visit theprojector.sg/$1 for more details.
A hybrid event with tracks for up-and-coming youth filmmakers
This year’s NYFA Conference 2021 will be hosted as a hybrid event where attendees can choose to watch from the comfort of their homes, or physically join in at *SCAPE.
The five tracks will each focus on helping youth filmmakers prepare for the postCovid world. Topics will range from how various film industry professionals and filmmakers can adapt in changing times to workshops on how filmmakers can market their films to catch attention in the age of digitalisation.
One key track is “Film, TV, Web: Is there a Difference Anymore?”. This discussion will explore how these platforms are evolving as audience-viewing habits continue to change. Industry veterans and leaders will share how various film industry professionals and filmmakers can adapt to these shifts.
About National Youth Film Awards
Since its inception in 2015, the National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) serves as a community that connects youths with an interest in filmmaking. It aims to be the launching pad for emerging filmmakers into the industry. Through NYFA, our alumni have gone on to earn further accolades on other regional and international film awards & festivals, some of whom have also been commissioned for various video campaigns by corporate and industry partners. Beyond an award platform, NYFA is committed to nurture the aspiration, vision, and creative spirit of our youths.
Together with industry partners and institutes of higher learning, the NYFA programme is designed to spark deeper conversations amongst like-minded individuals and supports artistic works from both aspiring and professional filmmakers. To date, NYFA has supported more than 3,000 youths, and received over 1,800 short films across the Student and Open Youth categories.