Themed ‘New Dawn, New Beginnings’ , the seventh edition of National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) returns to explore the evolving film industry and prepare youths for post-Covid-19 recovery.
Organised by *SCAPE, NYFA will host its annual Conference as a hybrid event in April 2021.
The Conference will also showcase NYFA’s latest extension programme, the Film Facilitation Fund.
Conceptualised by NYFA 2020 Youth Inspiration Award winner, Huang Junxiang, the Film Facilitation Fund paired five internationally renowned filmmakers with selected NYFA alumni mentees to produce a genre short film each.
Mentees of the Film Facilitation Fund seem to have adjusted as best as they can to the new norm.
For animation filmmaker Ang Qing Sheng, the Film Facilitation Fund solved his biggest challenge – funding, and enabled him to complete his vision. Limitations on physical contact made filming harder, but Qing Sheng’s animated filmmaking was less affected as most of the work are created on the computer.
On the other hand, for writer-director Grace Song it became important that she found new ways to connect and build friendships on set while keeping a distance. Despite limitations brought on by Covid-19 protocols, she believed it would open more opportunity for greater, unorthodox approaches to filmmaking.
Grace also praised the Film Facilitation Fund for the “freedom [filmmakers] are given without the intrusion to [their] story and approach.” She says: “It has given me a lot more confidence as a filmmaker to tell stories and understand myself.”
For this year’s NYFA Conference, NYFA alumni and industry veterans will join the lineup for specially curated programmes that center on latest trends in filmmaking, as well as skills that filmmakers will require for these changing times.
The lineup even features NYFA 2020’s Best Live Action – Open Youth category winner, Tan Si En, whose workshop will share how youth filmmakers can leverage on NYFA to market their own films internationally.
For more info on NYFA Conference 2021 – Pivots and Platforms: Short Films in the New Normal, visit www.scape.sg/media/nyfa-conference-2021/.
National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) 2021 is now open for submissions
NYFA 2021 will accept submissions under Student and Open Youth categories. Participants must be between 15 to 35-years-old to submit their Animation, Live Action and Documentary films.
Up to 60 films will be shortlisted and each of these films will qualify for award titles such as Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Original Music, and more.
This year’s winners can expect cash and attractive prizes worth an estimated total of $70,000 including:
- $1,000 cash each
- Post-production packages with Mocha Chai Laboratories
- SONY Alpha 7S III and Alpha 6600M camera
- Cathay Photo accessories vouchers
- Deity Microphones
- Red Giant Complete one year subscription
- The Actors’ Society one year membership
- And many more
To find out more about the submission details or to submit a film, visit scape.sg/nyfa.
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