Life's simplest question is also the toughest: How does one be happy?
Singapore's first Happiness Film Festival is here to help you figure it out - through films.
The festival will screen 6 feature films from the USA, Japan, Taiwan, and Denmark.
Each film explores an aspect of well-being, and each screening will be followed by a post-screening dialogue with a panel of speakers who are knowledgeable in that domain.
Opening the festival is 'A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story', a documentary about the Lizzie Velásquez who overcame cyber-bullying to become a well-known motivational speaker.
The post-screening dialogue will discuss themes of resilience and kindness. The film will be co-presented by the Singapore Committee for UN Women. The speakers for the post-screening dialogue include representatives from the Singapore Kindness Movement and Twitter.
Sherman Ho, the co-founder of Happiness Initiative, shared, “'A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story' was a film that resonated with me deeply when I first saw it, and I have always wanted to screen it in Singapore. There is so much we can learn about being resilient and kind from her story. Each film in the festival explores different themes that are very relevant in Singapore’s context today, and the dialogue session helps audiences to explore new perspectives on these topics.”
The festival also explores what it means to be happy from the perspective of other countries.
'Finding Hygge' explores the idea of Hygge, a Danish concept which recently exploded in popularity around the world.
The film is co-presented by Airbnb and a representative from the Embassy of Denmark will be present to share more about the concept of Hygge.
Another film worth checking out is 'Survival Family'.
A comedy-drama, 'Survival Family' follows the dysfunctional Suzuki family where everyone is self-centered. One day, they wake up and find out that all the electricity is off. They decide to go to work and school, but the trains and cars are also out of commission. Entire weeks pass, the situation remains unchanged, and their food supplies begin to dwindle. With no option left, they head to Kagoshima on bicycles, but the journey brings trying times they tackle to make it through.
In conjunction with the UN’s International Day of Happiness, the festival will open on 20 March and run till 24 March at The Projector, *SCAPE, and Aliwal Arts Centre.
Check out the festival's website
here.