First ever screening of Swedish film with English and Mandarin subtitles to hit the

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1 Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore 800 Margaret Drive Singapore NEWS RELEASE RE-IMAGINING DISABILITY MINDS ADVOCATES CREATION OF INCLUSIVE SOCIETY FOR PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY THROUGH FILM FESTIVAL AND APPRECIATION OF PUBLIC CONTRIBUTORS Film Festival to deliberately screen Asian films to better relate and connect with local audiences First ever screening of Swedish film with English and Mandarin subtitles to hit the message home Dedicated acknowledgement of public contributors as part of growing acceptance and greater integration of PWID community into society Singapore, 26 July 2017 MINDS will be organising its annual Film Festival this year to deliberately coincide with its Biennial Volunteer & Donor Appreciation Ceremony on 29 July as part of efforts to advocate the re-imagining of disability, while reaching out to masses to develop an inclusive society for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (PWIDs). The 2-weekend long film festival s opening day will see the Swedish movie The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes (TIOTYOS) screened right after the appreciation ceremony to approximately 600 guests comprising community and corporate partners, volunteers, donors, caregivers, and clients. Page 1 of 5

2 The event will be graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information, & Ministry of Health along with Special Guests, Swedish Ambassador to Singapore, His Excellency Håkan Jevrell and Ms Lena Koppel, the Swedish film Director of TIOTYOS. The opening film, which is about a man whose outlook on life begins to change when he undertake a job as the leader of a local theater group for people with disabilities, highlights the importance of appreciating each individual s varied talents and the need for everyone to be provided the opportunity and support to excel. PWIDs would thrive with the support of social and financial resources as that enable them to fully partake and be able to contribute fairly to society. With various opportunities created by volunteers and donors through employment resources or collaborations to equip the clients with greater training and development skills such as assistive technology or creative development, MINDS has seen increased interest and contribution from their clients. It is further aided by the adoption of various universal designs for learning which also incorporated implementation of creative structures adapted to suit PWID needs. Such collaborations with the public empower them to be further developed into independent individuals who have been able to participate meaningfully in society and make a difference. The Volunteer & Donor Appreciation ceremony thus becomes a pivotal initiative in recognising the efforts of the public in their commitment to create an inclusive society for our clients through acceptance and opportunities, and hence the conjoining of events. Page 2 of 5

3 And having seen success from last year s inaugural film festival, MINDS has again partnered Singapore Film Society (SFS) again to engage the masses on PWIDs and will be featuring 6 films from China, Malaysia, Sweden, UK and USA. The 6 films are: Swedish comedic film The Importance of Tying Your Own Shoes, USA biographical film Temple Grandin, USA documentary Life, Animated, China documentary 舟舟 (Zhou Zhou), Malaysian Film Redha, and British film My Feral Heart. Different this year, MINDS and SFS made conscious efforts to screen Asian selections as part of their film repertoire so as to best relate to the local community. This will also be the first time ever that the Swedish movie will be screened with English and Mandarin subtitles allowing the committee to be strongly engaged with local audiences and hit the message home. With a focused theme on See the person, not the disability, the film festival aims to educate the public and shed light on the challenges faced by PWIDs and their caregivers, while showcasing mainstream individuals whose lives were positively impacted due to involvement with PWIDs. It is hoped that by sharing on such real life issues through films, the public will be more open and forthcoming in collaborating with PWIDs; giving them a chance to self-advocate and contribute back to society. Mr Tony Tan, CEO of MINDS, said, MINDS is determined to continually champion the cause of Persons with Intellectual Disability (PWID) and their caregivers. The film festival is one of the avenues to create awareness, empathy and understanding. We have Page 3 of 5

4 thoughtfully chosen Asian films this round to best connect and relate to the local community. We hope this will draw on different segments of the industries and communities to form part of an expanded social service ecosystem, to support PWIDs and their caregivers. Page 4 of 5

5 About MINDS: Movement for the Intellectually Disabled was founded in May 1962 by a group of philanthropists who saw the need to provide equal opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities to receive education and later, to be integrated as contributing and responsible citizens in Singapore. MINDS is one of Singapore s oldest and largest voluntary welfare organizations, and has 16 facilities 4 Special Education Schools, 3 Employment Development Centres, 7 Training and Development Centres, 1 Multi-purpose Residential Services catering to the needs of persons with moderate to severe intellectual disability in Singapore, and 1 Caregivers Support Services Centre. MINDS has recently taken over the administration of the Appropriate Adult scheme, and runs a befriender programme called Me Too! Club and the Home-Based Care Services. To know more, visit For further information, please contact: Ng Gi Gi Corporate Communications Executive DID: Ext: 274 Mobile: nggigi.hq@minds.org.sg Celia Au Corporate Communications Manager DID: Ext: 240 Mobile: celiaau.hq@minds.org.sg Page 5 of 5