Singapore indie cinema The Projector ceases operations from Aug 19 after over a decade

SINGAPORE – Local indie cinema The Projector announced on Aug 19 at noon that it will cease operations immediately after over a decade of operations, with all screenings and events scheduled after the date cancelled.

In an Instagram post, it said it “will enter voluntary liquidation after a decade of championing alternative films, local creativity and community-led programming”.

It cited rising operational costs, shifting audience habits and the global decline in cinema attendance as reasons for its closure.

These factors have made sustaining an independent cinema in Singapore an increasingly difficult endeavour, it said.

Alongside these pressures are the broader realities of operating in the arts and culture sector in Singapore, “where independent ventures navigate limited resources while contributing to the country’s evolving cultural landscape”, it added.

When The Straits Times checked its website on Aug 19, there were screenings for several films such as horror flick Together, listed to open on Aug 21, and Magnolia, a 1999 cult classic by director Paul Thomas Anderson, which was scheduled to screen on Aug 30 and Sept 10.

But tickets were no longer available for these screenings and its statement did not address refunds for those who had purchased tickets in advance.

However, an automated e-mail response said the company will not be able to issue refunds directly as it will be placed into liquidation. Any refund claims related to tickets, memberships, vouchers and e-gift cards will need to be submitted through an appointed liquidator.

More details will soon be updated on its FAQ page, under “Important Cinema Announcements”, The Projector added.

There will be a meeting for the creditors on Aug 29, according to a notice published in the Government Gazette on Aug 19.

Fighting to keep it alive

The Projector first opened its doors in 2014 at Golden Mile Tower. It was started by three co-founders: Ms Karen Tan, Ms Blaise Trigg-Smith and Ms Sharon Tan.

In the past decade, it has hosted many film festivals such as the Singapore International Film Festival and European Film Festival, and screened countless indie films from across the globe. Various poetry slams, vintage markets and charity fund-raisers have also been held at the venue.

In July, The Projector had announced it would

resume regular movie screenings at its original space in Golden Mile Tower

from Aug 6, after saying in April that daily screenings there would no longer be held from May. Operations at its second outlet in Orchard Cineleisure, which opened in late 2023 as part of a partnership with local cinema chain Golden Village, ceased on Aug 3.

“It breaks our hearts to make this decision (to close shop),” said Ms Karen Tan on Instagram.

“We’ve fought to keep The Projector alive through every challenge – from breathing new life into a disused cinema at Golden Mile Tower, to weathering the pandemic, to expanding to new spaces.”

She added that she is immensely grateful to everyone who has been part of The Projector’s journey, including its team, collaborators, partners and loyal audiences.

“The Projector may be closing, but we hope its spirit will live on in the conversations, ideas and communities we’ve nurtured,” she said.

Local cinemagoers and artists expressed sadness at the iconic cinema’s closure.

Mr Christian Yeo, 26, a writer and poet, said: “As a young artist growing up in Singapore, I have been going to The Projector since I was in secondary school.

“Apart from being a lodestone of art-house cinema, it was and remains perhaps the only space in Singapore in which I felt able to fully be myself.”

He added that attending Singaporean novelist Amanda Lee Koe’s book launch in 2019, held at The Projector’s Golden Mile Tower venue, was the first time he knew he wanted to be a writer.

He also attended a poetry reading at its Riverside outpost in 2020 with other young poets and Hong Kong-born poet Mary Jean Chan.

To 28-year-old copywriter Max Sin, The Projector was markedly different from its commercial counterparts.

The cinema, he said, offered a space for alternative yet critical voices and for like-minded individuals to forge a community.

Ms Rhea Chalak, 23, an undergraduate and vice-president of the Nanyang Technological University’s Film Society, said the indie cinema was a safe space that she and her fellow cinephiles will miss dearly.

She described it as having “something so inherently Singaporean, homely and true about it”, which has allowed for a different film-watching experience.

“The death of The Projector is the death of yet another third space that brings our community together, inspires and drives change, is a mascot for culture and the arts, and ultimately an appreciation of the world beyond us through cinema.”

Last day of operations

Upon learning about the closure, 26-year-old Saksham Mehrotra immediately headed to its outlet on the fifth floor of Golden Mile Tower.

The cinephile, who works as a philanthropy officer, said that when he visited on Aug 19 at 1.55pm, he saw staff packing up. They could be seen carefully wrapping up movie posters, chairs and the bar area.

“They had a rather sincere demeanour to them, focusing on the job at hand while making space for cinema enthusiasts to come and say goodbye,” he said.

Staff members also encouraged patrons who dropped by to pick up a rolled-up movie poster from buckets placed at the lift lobby to remember the good times The Projector gave them.

The Straits Times has contacted The Projector for more information.