Singapore, widely known as a great melting pot, has been simmering with resentment for some time now. Faced with an influx of foreign faces, languages and customs, there are Singaporeans who feel that their job security and future is threatened by immigrant talent.
So how do we change Singaporeans' perception of foreigners, inspire them to embrace change and diversity as well as conquer their uncertainty by seeking to understand these newcomers?
We crafted a story inspired by real-life issues between locals and foreigners, and collaborated with renowned local director Royston Tan to produce a telemovie. The latent tensions were weaved into 4 subplots, all held together by a place that's familiar and endearing to all Singaporeans – the provision shop. The telemovie's takeaway: greater openness, mutual understanding and respect are the key elements to building a harmonious home for all.
That's not all. The telemovie's theme song, written and performed by local pop duo The Freshman, went viral in no time. In just 10 days, it garnered a whopping total of 326,175 views on Facebook and YouTube. The song's catchy tune and insightful lyrics on unity and being understanding to each other, pushed it to the top 10 on local radio station YES 93.3FM's hit songs chart. Even PM Lee Hsien Loong shared it after listening to it twice, "first to absorb the lyrics, then to enjoy the images".
Credits (Creatives):
Jeff Cheong, Benson Toh, Eugene Tan, Josiah Ng
