Singapore’s MDA Announces International Partnerships

SINGAPORE, November 29: In its bid to expand the reach of
Singaporean produced content around the world, the Media Development Authority
today announced alliances with Canada’s National Film Board (NFB), Italy’s
Finanziaria Laziale de Sviluppo (FILAS) and Thailand’s Software Promotion
Industry Agency (SIPA).

The agreement with the NFB calls for the two organizations
to exchange information on animation, documentaries, interactive media and new
technologies, as well as film distribution; and facilitate co-productions. The
deal builds upon the MDA’s 1998 alliance with Telefilm Canada, the Audio Visual
Co-production Agreement, which led to the production of Samurai: Behind the
Blade by Bang Production Singapore and
Alliance Atlantis, and Quiet Mind: Meditation TV by Omni Film Productions and Peach Blossom Media.

The MDA will work with Italy’s FILAS on digital
technologies, multimedia film production, animation, photography, music and
publishing. The agreement with Thailand’s SIPA, meanwhile, will look to bring
Thai and Singaporean companies together, encourage participation in media
festivals in these markets, and exchange information on market research, as
well as boost the presence of Singaporean content in Thailand, and vice versa.
A Singapore/Thai co-production is already on the cards, with Imagimax and Peach
Blossom collaborating on the animated feature The Swordsman.