Latest news with #TheViolinist
CNA
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Singapore's first full-length animated historical film spans WW2, Peranakan culture and more
Co-directed by veteran ex-Disney animator Raul Garcia (Beauty And The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas), executive produced by Leonard Lai (Ah Boys To Men) and featuring an original score by Golden Horse Award-winning composer Ricky Ho, The Violinist is officially a co-production with Singapore's Robot Playground Media, Spain's TV ON Producciones and Italy's Altri Occhi, but also has teams from Japan, Canada, Colombia and Taiwan working on it. The film was presented in June at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, with France TV Distribution officially launching global sales at the Cannes Film Market in May. Currently still in production, it is slated for completion in March 2026, with a theatrical release in Singapore targeted for August 2026. Voicing the characters are Singapore heavyweight Tan Kheng Hua as the older Fei and rising star Fang Rong as the younger Fei, as well as actors Adrian Pang and Ayden Sng. 'When I read the script for the first time, I cried so many times,' Fang Rong shared. 'It was a story I could relate to, even without having experienced the depth and intensity of many of the things that happened.' Tan said she enjoyed the freeing experience of voice acting, something she is no stranger to. 'I love being inside a booth with just a microphone. There's no need to dress up – just wear your crummy T-shirt, no need to go get hair and makeup done,' she quipped. At the same time, the nature of the film brought its own challenges. 'It has great, deep, dramatic beats, and you need to hit those beats with just your voice,' she said. The effort is worth it for the right production. 'The attention to detail, the vision and the effort are something that just moves me to tears.'
The Star
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release
SINGAPORE: A film billed as Singapore's first animated historical epic is set to open in cinemas here in August 2026. The Violinist is set against the backdrop of colonial Singapore, the Japanese Occupation and the turbulent decades that follow. The story begins before the war and follows Fei, a violinist from a Peranakan family, and her close friend Kai, also a violinist. After the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1941, Kai joins the resistance, but he disappears after the war. Fei spends decades performing around the region while searching for her missing friend. Her journey is marked by grief, and also hope. Singapore actors voicing the characters include Tan Kheng Hua, Adrian Pang, Ayden Sng and Fang Rong. Japanese actor Kazuya Tanabe voices a character who appears during the Occupation. Golden Horse Award-winning local musician Ricky Ho will compose music for the project. In a press statement, the film's co-director Ervin Han called The Violinist a tribute to 'a generation shaped by history'. 'I wanted to tell a story that lives in the space between history and imagination, one that honours the people who endured and the quiet courage that history often overlooks,' says Han, who also co-wrote the screenplay. He shares the writing and directing credits with veteran Spanish animator Raul Garcia, whose animation credits include Disney classics like Beauty And The Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994). The Violinist is a co-production between Singapore's Robot Playground Media, co-founded by Han, Spain's TV ON Producciones and Italy's Altri Occhi. Don Chen, director of the Singapore Film Commission and senior principal consultant with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), calls the film 'a breakthrough for Singapore storytelling'. 'It is the first time our history has been brought to life through animation in a way that has captured global interest. This achievement does more than showcase our creative talent; it opens the door for future generations of local talents to share stories of our home and our dreams,' he said. At a press event held on July 15 at IMDA's innovation space Pixel in one-north, Han, 50, says the film is about 'music and memory' - 'the things we hold on to, the things we search for, and the things we have to let go of to find something new'. The feature, adapted from Han's 2016 short film The Violin, has taken eight years to develop. 'We wanted the The Violinist to be rooted not just in character but in a place, specifically in Singapore and Malaya. We spent years establishing a high level of authenticity in the historical locations seen in the film,' he says. Fei's Peranakan family home, for example, is based on the NUS Baba House in conservation district Blair Plain. Fei's Peranakan family home is inspired by the NUS Baba House, a heritage site that was once the home of a Straits Chinese family. The track record for Singapore animated features has been marked by ups and downs. The 3D animated fantasies Legend Of The Sea (2007) and Zodiac: The Race Begins (2006) were acknowledged to be critical and commercial failures, while the animated drama Tatsumi (2011) from celebrated Singapore film-maker Eric Khoo was more positively received on the festival circuit and was selected to be Singapore's entry to the Best Foreign Language category at the 2012 Academy Awards, but did not make the final shortlist. Han says he is aware of the risk he is taking but says that making a film in Singapore, be it live-action or animation, involves taking a bet on one's instincts. 'Who in their right mind would make an animated film? Maybe there's a good reason why no one has made one in so long. Tatsumi was released 14 years ago. But I can't help it. It's what I love,' he says. Producer Justin Deimen calls The Violinist a 'very Singaporean film that crosses cultures'. It is not aimed at the arthouse or prestige end of the market, but will be a film for 'children in higher primary, their parents and their grandparents', he says. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
The Violinist: Singapore's First Animated Historical Epic Set for 2026 Release
A film billed as Singapore's first animated historical epic is set to open in cinemas here in August 2026. The Violinist is set against the backdrop of colonial Singapore, the Japanese Occupation and the turbulent decades that follow. The story begins before the war and follows Fei, a violinist from a Peranakan family, and her close friend Kai, also a violinist. After the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1941, Kai joins the resistance, but he disappears after the war. Fei spends decades performing around the region while searching for her missing friend. Her journey is marked by grief, and also hope. Singapore actors voicing the characters include Tan Kheng Hua, Adrian Pang, Ayden Sng and Fang Rong. Japanese actor Kazuya Tanabe voices a character who appears during the Occupation. Golden Horse Award-winning local musician Ricky Ho will compose music for the project. In a press statement, the film's co-director Ervin Han called The Violinist a tribute to 'a generation shaped by history'. 'I wanted to tell a story that lives in the space between history and imagination, one that honours the people who endured and the quiet courage that history often overlooks,' says Han, who also co-wrote the screenplay. He shares the writing and directing credits with veteran Spanish animator Raul Garcia, whose animation credits include Disney classics like Beauty And The Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994). The Violinist is a co-production between Singapore's Robot Playground Media, co-founded by Han, Spain's TV ON Producciones and Italy's Altri Occhi. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Business Singapore financial sector growth doubles in 2024, assets managed cross $6 trillion in a first: MAS Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms and 1 lawyer over seized properties Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Singapore Real estate firm PropNex donates $6 million to Community Chest for 25th anniversary Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT gets 15.8 per cent capacity boost with new trains Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years Don Chen, director of the Singapore Film Commission and senior principal consultant with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), calls the film 'a breakthrough for Singapore storytelling'. 'It is the first time our history has been brought to life through animation in a way that has captured global interest. This achievement does more than showcase our creative talent; it opens the door for future generations of local talents to share stories of our home and our dreams,' he said. At a press event held on July 15 at IMDA's innovation space Pixel in one-north, Han, 50, says the film is about 'music and memory' - 'the things we hold on to, the things we search for, and the things we have to let go of to find something new'. The feature, adapted from Han's 2016 short film The Violin, has taken eight years to develop. 'We wanted the The Violinist to be rooted not just in character but in a place, specifically in Singapore and Malaya. We spent years establishing a high level of authenticity in the historical locations seen in the film,' he says. Fei's Peranakan family home, for example, is based on the NUS Baba House in conservation district Blair Plain. Fei's Peranakan family home is inspired by the NUS Baba House, a heritage site that was once the home of a Straits Chinese family. PHOTO: ROBOT PLAYGROUND MEDIA The track record for Singapore animated features has been marked by ups and downs. The 3D animated fantasies Legend Of The Sea (2007) and Zodiac: The Race Begins (2006) were acknowledged to be critical and commercial failures, while the animated drama Tatsumi (2011) from celebrated Singapore film-maker Eric Khoo was more positively received on the festival circuit and was selected to be Singapore's entry to the Best Foreign Language category at the 2012 Academy Awards, but did not make the final shortlist. Han says he is aware of the risk he is taking but says that making a film in Singapore, be it live-action or animation, involves taking a bet on one's instincts. 'Who in their right mind would make an animated film? Maybe there's a good reason why no one has made one in so long. Tatsumi was released 14 years ago. But I can't help it. It's what I love,' he says. Producer Justin Deimen calls The Violinist a 'very Singaporean film that crosses cultures'. It is not aimed at the arthouse or prestige end of the market, but will be a film for 'children in higher primary, their parents and their grandparents', he says.
