ARTICLE
Student Filmmaker Selected to Direct 1st Feature Film with mm2 Entertainment!
By Flora / 29 Sep 2016 (Thursday)
Photo Credit: Temasek
Indeed, if you believe hard enough, dreams do come true. This is especially true for 25-year-old Leroy Lim, who was handpicked by local film production company mm2 Entertainment to direct his very first full-length feature film.
mm2 Entertainment has produced notable films like ‘Ah Boys to Men’ and ‘1965’. Speaking at the 20/20 Temasek Short Film Project ceremony, Ng Say Yong, Managing Director of mm2 Entertainment said, “We saw an incredible amount of talent come through the course of 20/20: The Temasek Film Project, and Leroy was among the outstanding ones. The film industry is challenging for young filmmakers to negotiate. We look forward to working with Leroy and helping him fulfill his dream of making his first feature film.”
Lim directed the 20/20 hit ‘I Believe’, a short film inspired by real-life events about an unlikely friendship between an autistic young man (played by Ah Boys to Men star Maxi Lim) and a popular role-model student (Joshua Lim).
Produced by Nikko Koh and written by Dhinesh Ravichandran, the 16-minute short film garnered more than 130,000 views across social media platforms Facebook and YouTube: the most-watched among the 20 films. It has also been selected for the AS Film Festival, an international film and visual art festival managed by people with Asperger Syndrome, which will be held in Italy this December.
“I am very excited and blown away by this chance but at the same time, I’m extremely intimidated because that will be so far beyond my knowledge, expertise and skills as well. But you can’t help but be excited for it. I just hope I can do this opportunity justice and I am just really looking forward to it and do my best to tell a great story,” Lim told InCinemas.
“I am looking forward to work with industry professionals. When we did ‘I Believe’, they were professionals on set that we were able to learn so much from them,” said the final-year student at LASALLE College of the Arts. Adding: “I got to learn and borrow from their experiences that I will not have excess to otherwise.”
Photo Credit: Temasek
As for the said feature film, nothing is set in stone at the moment. “It’s not going to be so fast, it may take up to two years. Any film project takes about that amount of time. I envision between 2-3 years, if everything goes well,” said Ng.
(Check out all 20 short films here!)
20/20: The Temasek Short Film Project tasked young filmmakers from across eight schools to inspire Singapore by telling hyperlocal stories from our various communities. Mentored by established local filmmakers and facilitated by mm2 Entertainment, the filmmaker groups have produced 20 short films, with narratives drawn from the work of non-profit philanthropic organisations and community programmes supported by Temasek.
Have you watched all 20 short films? Any particular favourites? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!