An initiative by the Singapore Film Commission and industry in its third year running, Watch Local encourages the young and old to appreciate made-in-Singapore feature films and to recognise the local talents within the industry.

Innocents by Wong Chen-Hsi kicked off the five-night Watch Local Rooftop Screenings with a casual DVD launch, film screening and followed by a quick Q&A session last Tuesday night.

A coming of age story about an ostracised boy and a girl left behind by the people she loves, Huat and Syafiqah forged a strong friendship as classmates in an unfriendly and unfair institution. Viewers are carefully invited into their secret world of freedom and fantasy as they spent afternoons in giant storm drains escaping from reality. But when Huat went missing with police seeking information on possible leads as to his whereabouts, it forces Syafiqah to make a choice between honouring her vow to secrecy or letting the cat out of the bag about their secret hideout at the storm drain.

With the simplicity of language and honest performances from the main cast, the tale successfully brought up all the questions that it was hoping to: childhood innocence, right and wrong, bonds between family members and friendship. The themes were simple yet meaningful and incredibly relatable.

The film had a cinematic quality about it too, with many breathtaking shots of grassy landscapes, wide angles of the storm drain, and architecture synonymous with the 1980s – the time period in which the film was set. It was coated with a delicate layer of nostalgia as we sat in awe (and in want) of both rural and urban landscapes rarely seen in Singapore now.

Beyond enjoying the film on a cool night atop Objectifs’ rooftop garden space, the organising team at Objectifs went out of their way to create a memorable event experience for their attendees. Here are three key takeaways on event organising, as inspired by Objectifs:

1. Prep your attendees with a timely email reminder. Objectifs collated attendee information including contact emails using Peatix’s form feature. With that, the team took the initiative to send out an email on the day of the event to remind audience members of their prior registration and even attached a map on how to get to the venue. Not only was this a thoughtful gesture, it helped many to arrive on time to a venue space that may have been unfamiliar. Doing so also ensures that the event runs as smoothly as possible when attendees know of what to expect and do.

2. Be flexible. Even when we arrived way before the start time, the team happily accommodated and allowed us up into the space first though they had originally intended to do so at a later time. This is one surefire way to help your audience feel welcomed and at ease. You can never fully predict how your night will go, so simply sit back, relax, and soak it all in as it comes.

3. Decorate the space aligned with your event’s theme. Climbing five flights of stairs to reach the rooftop of Objectifs might sound exhausting, but the experience on the way up made all the difference in making it an enjoyable and bearable one. The walls were creatively decorated with previous event posters, keeping us engaged as we trudged up and also building our anticipation of what’s to come.

Movie buff or not, join in the fun and discover films by Singaporean filmmakers at Objectifs’ Watch Local Rooftop Screenings happening each evening from 4-8 November. Register for free here!

Written by: Dawn Teo
Edited by: Claire Ding

Image credits: Objectifs