New indie cinema Filmhouse to open at The Projector’s former space at Golden Mile Tower

SINGAPORE – Five months after the

sudden closure of local indie cinema The Projector in August 2025,

an investor has hired several of its core team members to set up a new operation.

New independent cinema Filmhouse will take over the three-screen space at Golden Mile Tower in Beach Road, formerly occupied by The Projector.

Ms Sharon Tan, 41, former general manager at The Projector, will take the same role at the new venue.

Renovations are under way. One hall, the Green Room, will be upgraded to a 4K projector, while the other two halls – Redrum and the Blue Room – will still feature 2k projectors, she tells The Straits Times.

The names of the halls have been retained as a nod to The Projector.

While the cinema will get a new coat of paint, some murals – a distinctive feature of the former venue – will be retained. This, again, to recognise the link to the past, adds Ms Tan.

Filmhouse is expected to hold a soft opening in late January or early February. The name was chosen because “we wanted to create a home for films and film lovers”, she says.

The Projector was known for its food and beverage options, which included cocktails and other alcoholic drinks. Whether a licensed bar will return is still being worked out, but when Filmhouse opens, there will be a snack bar serving cinema snacks and soft drinks.

Films expected to be screened at the soft launch include the Norwegian-language drama Sentimental Value, winner of the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, and the Chloe Zhao-directed period drama Hamnet, winner of Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 2026 Golden Globes.

The comedy-drama Rental Family, starring Brendan Fraser, will also be in the line-up.

Ms Tan says the team is excited to be back.

“Right now, we are rushing to get things ready to welcome guests. It feels like we are coming home – we’re looking forward to seeing our friends and regular patrons,” she adds.

Ms Tan is part of the team that founded The Projector in 2014, afterwards becoming its first general manager. Mr Walter Navarro, who was for nearly a decade the head of programming at The Projector, will take the same role at Filmhouse. Alumni of The Projector are also filling other roles.

The new cinema will screen a mix of fresh releases and curated foreign, art-house and retrospective films, and will partner embassies holding national film festivals.

Ms Tan revealed more details about the owner of Filmhouse. He is a Singapore permanent resident and Chinese national who lives in Singapore. He is funding the enterprise on his own and does not work in the film, leisure or lifestyle industries.

“He calls Singapore his home, and is a cinephile who was a regular attendee at screenings held at The Projector. He was very sad to see it go and is proud to support the work of a passionate team,” she says.

For now, he wants to keep a low profile so the focus stays on the Filmhouse team.

After 10 years in business, The Projector ended operations suddenly in August 2025, entering voluntary liquidation after accumulating about $1.2 million in debt.

The closure left film fans reeling, as it had been a place not just for them, but also for those drawn to live performances, such as its deejay and comedy nights. These were held at both its original Golden Mile Tower location and later at its offshoot at Cineleisure in Grange Road.

The Projector’s closure left indie film distributors in the lurch, among them Mr Thomas Chia, director of Lighthouse Film Distribution. He had come to depend on The Projector team for its generous terms, unlike mainstream cinemas which tend to be focused on the bottom line.

Mr Chia says that while the name has changed, he is glad the people he has worked with are back.

“They are the heart and soul of the operation. My relationship with them, the goodwill and trust that embassies have built with the team through their national film festivals – that is something money cannot buy.”

He hopes supporters of The Projector will visit Filmhouse in numbers sufficient to keep the new venue afloat, adding: “Sentimental Value, Hamnet and Rental Family are great films to kick off operations. Let’s hope the patrons will return and spend some money.”