Sign-up is Over!

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for signing up for the Non-Fiction Film Club!

This was something that had been brewing in my mind for quite a while. I always thought it would be wonderful to be part of something like this, a space where people watch documentaries and talk about them together, but I wasn’t so sure about being the person who actually runs it. 

To be honest, I also wondered if there would even be enough interest in Singapore. Some people suggested that I should open it internationally because the documentary community here might be too niche.

Well… I guess that isn’t true.

After posting about it, over 30 people signed up in 3 days. And overall, I've received close to 70 sign ups! (Edit: A total of 73 sign ups now!)

I honestly didn’t expect that at all. And some of you also sent really kind messages supporting the idea, which truly warmed the cockles of my heart. 

So thank you, for taking the time in your busy life to fill out the form, it’s really encouraging to see that there are people here who care about documentaries and want to talk about them together. 

For this club, I’m particularly interested in creative documentary films — works that push the form, experiment with storytelling, and reflect the filmmaker’s voice. So the focus will be more on documentary films rather than television-style documentaries.

That said, this club definitely doesn’t mean you have to be a documentary filmmaker to join. Creatives from all backgrounds are very welcome. Art forms are fluid — and I myself actually came from the world of fiction before moving into documentary. Whether you’re a filmmaker, artist, storyteller, or simply someone who enjoys watching documentaries, you’re most welcome here.

Now, sharing some logistics.

 First Session 

30 March 2026 (Monday) 8:00–10:00 PM (Singapore Time) Online (If you have signed up, Zoom link will be sent closer to the date)

 Films for our first session

We’ll be watching three documentaries before we meet.

I know, I know — life gets busy. But I also realised there are so many documentaries I’d love to share (and so many great recommendations from your form responses too). Watching just one film a month didn’t feel like quite enough.

My thought process is simple: In a month, you could watch one film each weekend, and still have one weekend off. 

As the Oscars recently happened, I thought it would be fun to start with films that have all been nominated for an Academy Award. These 3 films are very different types of docs, from different regions, and also represent very different styles of documentary filmmaking.

Film 1: The Perfect Neighbour (2025, Geeta Gandbhir) (Streaming on Netflix)

Film 2: Black Box Diaries (2024, Shiori Ito) (Streaming on Amazon Prime / Apple TV)

Film 3: Honeyland (2019, Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov) (Streaming on Apple TV / Amazon Prime / YouTube) 

Since this is a free interest group, unfortunately I don’t have the resources to provide screening links. I’ll leave it to you to find the films on your own. I’m sure you internet-savvy people will figure it out. 

And if you didn’t manage to finish all three films… well... How could you?! Unfortunately this is not a film school and I’m not your teacher.

Please don’t feel shy about joining the session even if you haven’t watched everything. That said, the discussion will definitely be more meaningful if you have!

What to expect

Our sessions will be very informal and discussion-based. We’ll start with some quick introductions so everyone can get to know each other a little (no pressure — everyone is new here too).

Then we’ll talk about things like:

• storytelling and structure

• directing choices

• ethics in documentary

• cinematography and editing

• what works (and what doesn’t)

If you’d like a few things to think about while watching the films, here are some prompts:

• How does the filmmaker structure the story?

• What kind of relationship does the filmmaker have with the subject?

• Are there any ethical questions that arise?

• What moments or scenes stayed with you the most?

• What filmmaking choices made the documentary powerful (or less effective)?

  
  

Everyone is welcome to share their thoughts! 

 Thank you

I believe that exchanging ideas and perspectives is one of the best ways to deepen our appreciation of documentary films, so I’m very grateful that you’re part of this first group. It is my hope that through these monthly sessions, we can build an intimate and collaborative documentary community in Singapore.

I also understand that some of you signed up because you’re interested in the club but might not be able to make the 30 March session. If that’s the case, no worries at all — you can absolutely stay on the mailing list for future sessions. Just reply and let me know that you can't make it this time round! 

The Zoom link will be sent closer to the date.

As for future sessions, I’d like to see how the first one goes before fixing a date for the next. For now, I’d like to keep things a little flexible, but the idea is to run the club around the last week of each month.

Looking forward to meeting everyone. Enjoy the films!

P.S. Also helping a friend publicise for a micro-doc film grant

FreedomFilmFest 2026: Micro-Doc Film Grant Call for Applications

So many stories never make it to the screen. Lost in Transmission aims to change that by backing community storytellers & emerging creators with stories that often stay quiet, unnoticed, or unspoken.

For details and application please visit https://bit.ly/LIT_SG. 

Deadline: EXTENDED to 13 Apr 2026