Singapore at 60: Stories told through film

Upon entering the auditorium, multitudes of colours sat across the hands of the audience. The audience members, prepared with popcorn and cotton candy, were waiting for the films to start.  

This year, Singapore celebrates 60 years of independence, and there is no better way to celebrate the people than by honouring their rich history and culture through their art over the decades.

Hosted by North South University, the main theme of the event was to showcase two of their films: 'Kopitiam Days' and '12 Storeys'. However, it was not just to showcase the films, but also extend the stories, values and traditions that have shaped Singapore's identity over the past few decades to the students and faculty at this university.

Through such acclaimed films, the audience witnessed the richness of Singapore's heritage, the people's resilience, and creative spirit–exposing Bangladeshi students and academics to the untold stories behind the country.

Filled with diplomats from various embassies, the guest of honour of the evening was Mr Mitchel Lee, the Chargé d'Affaires of the High Commission of the Republic of Singapore in Dhaka.

"It is our hope that perhaps this screening will spark your interest in learning more about Singaporean culture, their people, struggles, hopes and dreams," added Lee when talking about the film culture in Singapore and Bangladesh.

With a light dinner in between the two films, an additional lucky draw was arranged where you could win kopitiam-themed rewards–which are traditional Southeast Asian coffee shops.

Kopitiam Days (2025)

'Kopitiam Days' is the culmination of the work of six different filmmakers to commemorate 60 years of an independent Singapore. The kopitiam's deep connection to Singaporean culture ties the entire anthology together, exploring the lives of people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Starting with the 'Dragon Gate Assembly', the audience is greeted with a light-hearted, hilarious and supernatural-action film that gets them laughing from the get-go. Directed and written by Yeo Siew Hua, the film is full of heart and wit that make every moment enjoyable, even if you have limited context about Singapore's history.

While being heavily stylised, the film is full of zoom-ins and tracking shots that make every action and dialogue have that comedic weight.

'iz-1' and 'The Morning Call' both do a beautiful job of portraying families across generations and what it means to be a family. iz-1 explores a family with an ageing mother and her daughter, but with a twist—they have a robot caretaker. 

M Raihan Halim grounds the story in a deep exploration of their mother-daughter relationship against the backdrop of how technological shifts impact the elderly.

On the other hand, 'The Morning Call' portrays a growing relationship between a grandfather and a granddaughter as their relationship evolves and strengthens, even over their generational gaps. Being the final movie of the anthology, it's a beautiful end to a fantastic anthology.

'Meet Me at the Pavilion ', 'Red Plastic Chairs on Sticky Floors' and 'One Last Song' are more focused on individualistic stories where they focus on the life of a middle-aged woman finding herself again, a young Singaporean filmmaker in the Netherlands and the perseverance of love through horrendous tragedies. 

12 Storeys (1997) by Eric Khoo

'12 Storeys' has been considered one of the most profound Singaporean films, which has dared to dig into the painful lives of three flat members whose hardship has gotten lost in the discourse around Singapore's economic prosperity.

It follows the lives of three families— a disintegrating marriage of newlyweds, the crumbling life of an adopted daughter, and a struggling relationship between siblings.

This film functions as both a family drama as well as a socio-political commentary–making an otherwise intense story entertaining to watch. One thing both native and international audiences could take away from the film was to look at Singapore with more kindness.

Full of washed-up colours, unpunctuated lighting and constant close-ups, you get drowned in their grim lives as they become helplessly stuck. The thing that made the movie stand out was how it captured the debilitating isolation of people who have very little, especially immigrants who were subject to constant scrutiny and discrimination in the underbelly of their economy.

Despite its brutal honesty and often painful moments, the story moves forward through the characters' day-to-day lives, where humour and hardship walk hand in hand.