Local xinyao-themed documentary The Songs We Sang, which received strong reviews when it premiered at the Singapore International Film Festival last year, will finally get a theatrical release next month.

Directed by Eva Tang, the film looks at the rise of xinyao in the 1980s, the home-grown Chinese folk music movement where singers wrote and sang songs about everyday life in Singapore.

From March 24, it will play at five Golden Village cinemas: GV VivoCity, GV Plaza, GV Yishun, GV Tampines and GV Jurong Point. Ticket sales start on March 17.

The documentary features interviews with key xinyao figures, such as Liang Wern Fook, Eric Moo and Billy Koh, as well as views from contemporary pop superstars JJ Lin and Stefanie Sun, who talk about how xinyao paved the road for their success today.

The Songs We Sang is supported by the National Heritage Board, and co-distributed by The Songs We Sang Pte Ltd and Golden Village Pictures.