Budiey
TITIAN BUDAYA has been making the news in the local arts and culture community with a series of arts initiatives and outreach programmes. The three-month long cultural festival to mark 50 years of bilateral ties between Singapore and Malaysia was officially launched by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak in November 2015. TITIAN BUDAYA has since brought to the public a broad spectrum of creative forms and activities, ranging from arts and crafts to dance, film, literature, music, theatre and talks.
20,000 VISITORS TO TITIAN BUDAYA CULTURAL FEST
Titian Budaya closes with colourful celebration with Singapore Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur
The celebrations kicked off with Next Door @ Publika, a fun filled weekend of activity and ‘artivity’ presented by Singapore and Malaysian artists, musicians and artisans. In December 2015, Titian Budaya Night: Crossing Cultures was held at the Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS celebrating the shared musical traditions and influences on both sides of the causeway.
The sold-out gala concert was attended by Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Ms Grace Fu and Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz.
Over the past three months, TITIAN BUDAYA has succeeded in building cultural bridges between Singapore and Malaysia. Its programmes have enhanced the KL public’s appreciation for the arts and creative talents of both countries. By its close, TITIAN BUDAYA’s programmes and events would have reached out to an estimated 20,000 people from all walks of life.
Ms Grace Fu, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth said:
“TITIAN BUDAYA brought together some of the best artists and performers from Singapore and Malaysia to commemorate our 50 years of friendship. I am glad to see our artists work together closely to celebrate our shared culture and heritage, and to bring our countries even closer together through music, dance, arts and film. Titian Budaya has renewed old friendships and forged new ones, for us to continue forging a future together.”
“It is a great privilege for me to witness talented Malaysians freely collaborating with their Singaporean counterparts, each benefiting from the many and varied artistic events and activities shared during this festival. It has certainly succeeded in developing a stronger connection between the peoples of our countries through expression, language and cultural landscape. I believe that Titian Budaya will generate a myriad of opportunities in the creation of our journey into the future.” said Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz.
TITIAN BUDAYA is now coming to a close with the launch of the first-ever Singapore Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur comprising ten films that include popular narrative-fiction, award-winning art-house films, and documentaries. High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore Mr Vanu Gopala Menon launched the four-day festival at the gala opening held at Golden Screen Cinemas in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur on 14 January.
“We have now come to the final event in the Titian Budaya showcase, and it gives me great pleasure to present the inaugural Singapore Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur. The Film Festival aims to celebrate the diversity of Singapore cinema, which shares a similar heritage with Malaysia’s film industry. We are proud to be able to show ten critically acclaimed and award-winning films over the course of the Festival.” said Mr Vanu Gopala Menon during his opening speech.
The festival’s opening film was 7 Letters, a critically acclaimed omnibus film featuring seven short films by seven different directors, commissioned specially to celebrate Singapore’s 50th year of independence in 2015. The film represents seven heartfelt ‘love letters’ to Singapore, capturing each of the directors’ personal and poignant connection with the place they call home. The seven stories tell of the familiar Singapore heartlands and its people through themes of lost love, identity, intergenerational familial bonds and tensions, unlikely neighbours, and references to traditional folklore.
Included in the four-day film festival are a documentary titled 03-Flats; a musical titled Sayang Disayang; dramas such as 12 Storeys and Ilo Ilo; a comedy titled Banting; horrors and thrillers such as Bring Back the Dead and Ms J Contemplates Her Choice; and action and mystery such as Faeryville and Innocents.
Said Goh Ching Lee, Executive and Artistic Director of CultureLink Singapore, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Singapore to conceptualise and produce TITIAN BUDAYA,
“The organisers, partners, and participating artists have been touched by the very warm reception and positive responses from the Malaysian public to TITIAN BUDAYA events. There has been a great sense of connection and solidarity shared by the creative communities involved in TITIAN BUDAYA. I believe the friendships forged, the conversations initiated, and the ideas sparked by this experience will continue to energise and seed future possibilities of cultural exchange and collaborations across the Causeway.”
About Titian Budaya
TITIAN BUDAYA 2015 commemorates 50 years of friendship between Malaysia and Singapore. It is presented by Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and supported by Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC). Showcasing the creative talents from Singapore and Malaysia, it is an opportunity for Malaysians to appreciate and enjoy the shared culture and heritage of Singapore and Malaysia. www.titianbudayasg.com
About the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth seeks to inspire Singaporeans through the arts and sports, strengthen community bonds, and promote volunteerism and philanthropy. Since its inception in November 2012, MCCY has been actively engaging the arts, heritage, sports, community and youth sectors. The Ministry aims to bring into sharper focus the efforts to build a more cohesive and vibrant society, and to deepen a sense of identity and belonging to the nation. MCCY will work with its stakeholders to create an environment where Singaporeans can pursue their aspirations for a better quality of life and together, build a gracious and caring society we are proud to call home.
www.mccy.gov.sg
About CultureLink Singapore
Founded and led by Ms Goh Ching Lee, the former Director of the Singapore Arts Festival (1999-2009), CultureLink is a Singapore-based arts consulting and management agency engaging with creative content, artist tours, festivals and events, international cultural exchange, professional development, and cultural research on the global stage.
CultureLink collaborates with a wide range of cultural, educational and government organisations to produce bespoke quality programmes, events, tours, linkages and propositions in Singapore and beyond.
Valued for its wide network and empathy towards diverse disciplines and cultural environments, CultureLink has within a short period of time built a credible clientele among important innovative artists, companies, festivals, and institutions hailing from recognised cultural capitals to new emerging markets and territories.
www.culturelink.com.sg
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Presented by:
• Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Singapore
Conceptualised and produced by:
• CultureLink Singapore
Programme Partners:
• Art For Grabs
• Damansara Performing Arts Centre
• Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS
• Golden Screen Cinemas
• MY Performing Arts Agency
• National Museum of Singapore Cinematheque
• Publika
• Singapore Chinese Orchestra
• Singapore Film Society
• Singapore International Foundation
• Singapore Makers Association
• T.H.E. Dance Company
Supported by:
• Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia
• National Arts Council, Singapore
• People’s Association, Singapore
• Singapore Tourism Board
• High Commission of the Republic of Singapore in Kuala Lumpur
