Acclaimed Singapore film-maker Boo Junfeng's latest work can be seen in the gala show that is part of the inaugural Home Team Show and Festival taking place at the Singapore Sports Hub.
He has a personal reason for directing the short films in the show that focuses on the Home Team agencies overseeing Singapore's safety and security.
"My father was in the Home Team for a very long time," Boo, 33, tells The Straits Times. "He was a civilian officer with the SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force). Since I was young, whenever the SCDF has open-house events, I'm always there. So, it's nice to be a part of this Home Team event."
His films follow four characters from SCDF, the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Prison Service and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore, who, together with officers from other Home Team departments, deal with a terrorist attack.
Boo's film last year, The Apprentice, was a psychological prison drama that has won multiple awards, including the Netpac award at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei. It also premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
The Home Team Show and Festival marks the 50th anniversary of national service and 20th anniversary of the Home Team.
Part of the event, which started on Wednesday, comprises a parade and multimedia show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium that takes place every evening until tomorrow.
It is open only to invited national servicemen, Home Team officers, volunteers and partners. Members of the public can tune in to a live telecast on Mediacorp's Channel 5 tomorrow at 7pm.
Cultural Medallion recipient Dick Lee, 60, the creative director for the event, has roped in other names in show business, such as singers Taufik Batisah, Tay Kewei, Shabir and Tabitha Nauser for the song-and-dance segments of the show.
Taufik, who served his national service in the Home Team as a police officer, sings the theme song, Everyday Heroes, penned by Lee.
The performance segments, which feature artists such as veteran singer Rahimah Rahim and singer-actor Benjamin Kheng, as well as animated projections, lighting effects and pyrotechnics, are interspersed among Boo's films.
"Through the show and festival, we hope to educate people about the Home Team," says Lee, who has also helmed past National Day parades. "We also want to motivate the public and Home Team members to play their part, should anything happen."
He adds that he sees the event as a "branding exercise" to help the public recognise the agencies that make up the Home Team, which also includes the Central Narcotics Bureau, Internal Security Department and Home Team Academy.
Apart from the nightly parade and show, there is also a free festival that runs till Sunday.
It features four interactive exhibition zones around the Sports Hub, where members of the public can learn more about about the Home Team and take part in activities such as trying out basic life-saving skills and firing weapons in a shooting range.
For the first time, visitors can also ride on Police Coast Guard and SCDF marine vessels at Marina Reservoir and Marina Barrage.
