Local film The Violinist has made history by becoming the first Singapore-produced animated feature to win a top award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
As reported by CNA Lifestyle, the film marks not just the first locally-produced animated feature to be selected for the awards’ main competition, but it also scored a historic double win, claiming not just the Cristal for a Feature Film, but also the SACEM Award for Best Original Soundtrack in a Feature Film.
Set in colonial Singapore and parts of Malaya during the Japanese occupation and post-war periods, The Violinist centres on a musically gifted girl who becomes a concert violinist while searching for her childhood friend who went missing during the war. The film was co-directed by Singaporean filmmaker Ervin Han (The Girl And The Cat), and former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator Raul Garcia (The Lion King). The film is produced by Singapore’s Robot Playground Media in collaboration with Spain’s TV ON Producciones and Italy’s Altri Occhi.
Its vocal cast includes Tan Kheng Hua (Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd) and Fang Rong (Parental Guidance) as the older and younger versions of its main protagonist Fei, respectively, Ayden Sng (Loving You) as Fei’s childhood friend Kai, and Adrian Pang (Maggi & Me) as historical resistance fighter Lim Bo Seng. Its original score was composed by Singaporean Golden Horse Award winner Ricky Ho in collaboration with Spanish composer Isabel Latorre, with Singaporean violinist Joy Yong performing the film’s violin parts.
The Annecy jury stated that it chose to honour a film which “reveals the devastating impact of war, creating a profoundly moving experience that combines the emotional power of music, deeply felt performances and the sweeping historic scale of its story”.
“This honour belongs to the extraordinary artists, animators, musicians and filmmakers across Singapore, Spain, Italy and many other countries who gave so much of themselves to this film,” said Han in a statement to CNA. “We hope this recognition not only celebrates The Violinist, but also encourages more stories from Singapore and Southeast Asia to find audiences around the world.”
The Violinist will premiere in Singapore in September, which will be followed by an international theatrical release.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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