More than 100 Singapore films and television series, including the acclaimed family drama Ilo Ilo (2013) and coming-of-age tale Sandcastle (2010), will be progressively added to the Netflix library from Saturday, ahead of National Day.
This is made possible following several partnerships between the streaming service giant and local studios such as Clover Films, mm2 Entertainment and Mediacorp, says Netflix in a press release.
Mr Raphael Pang, Netflix’s content acquisition manager for South-east Asia, says: “By making these titles easily accessible through Netflix, we hope it will reignite the joy they’ve brought to many Singaporeans over the decades, but more importantly, introduce these great works of art by some of the best local film-makers to the younger generations.”
The directors and producers of the films and series celebrate the move, noting that their output will be accessible to many more viewers.
Ilo Ilo director Anthony Chen is “always heartened” by opportunities to introduce his work to new audiences.
“It’s been seven years after the first release of Ilo Ilo and I hope the film will continue to touch the hearts of audiences in Singapore and across the region, especially if they are seeing it for the first time,” he says of his Golden Horse Award-winning film, which is centred on a Singapore family and its domestic helper.
Director Jack Neo, whose films – including Homerun (2003), I Not Stupid (2002) and Ah Boys To Men 2 (2013) – will be added to the library, is happy that even more of his films and some of his “proudest works” will be on Netflix.
His hit film Ah Boys To Men (2012), about a group of army recruits, is already on the platform and has made it to Singapore’s Top 10 most-watched list.
Other works viewers can look out for on Netflix include Kelvin Tong’s period film It’s A Great, Great World (2011), Michelle Chong’s comedy Already Famous (2011) and Eric Khoo’s acclaimed drama Mee Pok Man (1995).
Iconic television series such as sitcoms Under One Roof (1995 to 2003) and Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd (1997 to 2007), and family drama Growing Up (1996 to 2001) will also be on the platform.
Besides the expanded library, Netflix will update its user interface by localising category names, starting on Saturday for a limited period.
For example, horror titles will come under “Could Have Happened In Yishun”, while shows about luxury homes and fashion will be grouped as “That Atas Life”.
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