NDP 2018 creative director Boo Junfeng: 'Unity' is not just about 'propaganda'
UPDATE: Boo Junfeng has issued this clarification, “I didn’t mean ‘propaganda’ specific to NDP. I meant to address the idea of ‘unity’ – that we shouldn’t only unite just because we’ve been asked to from the top-down. There’s commonality about our human experiences and therefore, unity can come from within, from empathy, from the ground-up. The headline (I want to reshape NDP 2018 narrative to move beyond ‘propaganda’: Boo Junfeng) does not represent what I meant to say.” The headline has been amended accordingly.
Award-winning director Boo Junfeng saw his role as creative director of this year’s National Day Parade as a chance to reshape the NDP narrative in order to focus on the personal stories of Singaporeans.
Speaking to reporters at the National Museum on Wednesday (4 July), Boo noted that there are universal challenges and aspirations that bind Singaporeans together. “When we say unity, it’s not just about propaganda or what we are told. I think a lot of it is about our own experiences as human beings and the challenges that we face every day, the hopes and dreams that we have.”
“I think these are all things that bond us and just as these ordinary Singaporeans have achieved the extraordinary, these were all the little narratives that we wanted to highlight this year,” he noted.
Boo was referring to the parade’s 10-minute show film, which he directed and which tells the real-life story of five Singaporeans who overcame adversity in their lives. The 34-year-old spoke of the “timelessness” of the five stories.
“I hope people take away what they take away from it, whether it’s the message of hopes and dreams being attainable, whether it’s about being strong and resilient in your life or whether it is about being there with your loved ones as they go through their challenges. I think these are all themes that will resonate with Singaporeans,” he said.
He added, “These are narratives that aren’t usually within that NDP narrative, and I hope this opens more doors in the future for what a national celebration can be about.”
The film will be part of the parade’s show segment. As a whole, NDP 2018 will bring together 3,378 participants from institutions such as the Singapore Armed Forces, Institute of Technical Education, Ministry of Education and the People’s Association.
Red Lions, placard challenge, mascots
Among the highlights of this year’s parade at the Marina Bay floating platform: crowd favourites the Red Lions, who will be executing a wingsuit jump from 12,500 feet towards the platform. For the first time, they are joined by combat divers from the Naval Diving Unit, who will jump from 6,000 feet into the waters next to the floating platform.
Parade organisers are looking for greater audience interaction this year with a placard challenge, where attendees will be asked to hold up a double-sided placard with their personalised message for the nation. Six well-known Singapore mascots – Singa the Courtesy Lion, Teamy the Bee, Sharity Elephant, Water Wally, Captain Green and Nila the Lion – will also welcome attendees to the floating platform.
Boo, who won a slew of international awards for his film Apprentice, is the parade’s youngest creative director. He previously served as film and multimedia director at three NDPs.
NDP 2018 executive committee chairman Alfred Fox was previously reported as saying that this year’s NDP budget is comparable to that of last year’s. Previous parades at the floating platform cost between $15.7 million and $17.9 million.
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