Singapore, 12 January 2012 –The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) unveiled the winning works of "The Originals Get Reel Contest" that involved many creative youths in Singapore. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mr K. Shanmugam, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law.
2 "The Originals Get Reel Contest" was organised by the Honour Intellectual Property (HIP) Alliance, a collaborative initiative amongst the people, private and public sectors spearheaded by IPOS. Aimed to inculcate greater Intellectual Property (IP) awareness and respect amongst youths through the hands-on creation of their own original works, participants aged 17 to 26 unleashed their creativity in creating trailers depicting the theme of supporting originality. The winning works will be screened at cinemas islandwide, garnering more than 19 million views a year.
3 The Contest received encouraging response from more than 180 youths, a two-fold increase from the inaugural Contest held in 2009. In addition, there was an overall improvement in the quality of entries as well as a better grasp of IP concepts by the participants. The winning works were selected by a judging panel comprising: Mr Edward Neubronner, Vice President and Regional Operations Officer (Asia Pacific) of Motion Pictures Association (MPA), Mr Viktor Cheng, Deputy Chief Executive of IPOS, Mr Mark Kwan, President of the Screenwriters' Association Singapore, and Mr Kelvin Sng, a local film director.
4 The winning trailer entitled "The Mortal Enemy" was created by Erwin Nah, 26, while the first runner-up entitled "What Are You Really Feeding?" was a team effort by Xiao Long Hui, 22, and Jason Ong, 18. Besides having his winning trailer featured in cinemas islandwide, Mr Erwin Nah, will also be receiving $1,500 worth of shopping vouchers, Norton software products and an Adobe creative suite to further his film-making passion. In addition, he was offered by MPA an overseas learning trip to Beijing to attend a film workshop featuring presentations by international film practitioners, showcase of cutting edge 3D production, and visits to major film studios.
5 The winning works were launched this evening, in conjunction with the movie premiere of "The Debt" at Golden Village Marina. At the same time, the event also included an inaugural appreciation awards ceremony to recognize key HIP Partners who have contributed substantively to IP promotion and education.
6 Mr Tan Yih San, Chief Executive of IPOS, said: “The Originals Get Reel Contest provides youths a valuable opportunity to create their own Intellectual Property (IP) and showcase it in the big screen across Singapore. It is indeed heartening to see the positive response from many creative youths in support of originality. IPOS is committed to continuing such efforts to shore up awareness and respect for IP. This will go a long way towards supporting a knowledge-based economy where creativity and innovation is encouraged, protected and rewarded, and IP is embraced as our way of life."
7 Members of the public can find out more about the HIP Alliance and its initiatives at www.facebook.com/HIPalliance and www.ipos.gov.sg.
Media Contact:
Ms Stephanie Leong
DID: 63316574
Email: stephanie_leong@ipos.gov.sg
Mobile: 98186824
Ms Belinda Wong
DID: 63316581
Email: belinda_wong@ipos.gov.sg
Mobile: 82683220
About IPOS
The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), a statutory board under the Ministry of Law since April 2001, is the lead government agency that advises on and administers intellectual property (IP) laws, promotes IP awareness and provides the infrastructure to facilitate the development of IP in Singapore. With IP fast becoming a critical resource in today’s new economy, IPOS’s vision is to foster a creative Singapore where ideas and intellectual efforts are valued, developed and exploited. More information on IPOS can be found on www.ipos.gov.sg.
About HIP Alliance
The HIP (Honour IP) Alliance is IPOS’ flagship public outreach initiative based on a collaborative effort between among the people, private and public sectors. The HIP Alliance aims to promote innovation and a healthy attitude towards IP rights with the support of our like minded HIP Partners. As part of our the movement to encourage Singaporeans to adopt a pro-IP lifestyle, HIP runs a calendar of educational and exciting programmes and activities for members of the public, schools and HIP Friends.