Get ready to be serenaded by the beautiful story of The Violinist!
Spanning 80 years across the 20th Century, the film uses Singapore and Malaya as its backdrop to tell a tale of hope, courage, and resilience. The story introduces us to Fei, a Peranakan girl who is talented at playing the violin, and Kai, an orphaned violin prodigy. As war reaches the shores of Singapore, Kai joins the resistance efforts, disappearing with a promise to return. Left with her talent amidst the Japanese occupation, Fei devotes herself to become a soloist, touring Southeast Asia to find clues that will lead to Kai. What starts off as a touching story about two musicians evolves to show the geopolitical realities of the region, exploring themes of displacement and resilience.
The animated film was directed by Singaporean filmmaker Ervin Han, the co-founder of Singapore-based animation and creative studio Robot Playground Media, with animation direction by Spanish animator Raul Garcia, who has previously worked on titles like Aladdin and The Lion King. Alongside them were fellow Robot Playground Media co-founder and executive producer Bernard, composers Ricky Ho and Isabel Latorre, and violinist Joy Yong, who played the violin pieces in the film. Singaporean actresses Tan Kheng Hua and Fang Rong voiced the older and younger versions of Fei respectively, with Ayden Sng voicing Kai and Adrian Pang lending his voice to historical figure Lim Bo Seng.
The animated film made its international debut at Cannes Film Festival, followed by a run in major film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to name a few. At the latter, the film won the Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film, granting it the highest honor in the festival lineup. It is also Singapore’s entry for the Academy Awards under the Best International Feature category.
After a successful festival circuit, The Violinist is finally getting a local screening this September 17 at the Golden Village. More showtimes and locations will be announced later on as the release date comes closer, so stay tuned for updates!
Are you excited for The Violinist to screen in Singapore? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!