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the production quality of local programmes and to increase the number of current affairs
and documentary programmes across our four official languages. In the last year alone,
over 2,000 hours of PSB programmes have been produced. They include programmes like Mata
Mata, which is a historical drama on Channel 5, and Veethi Varai, a social drama on Vasantham.
We have also seen a strong suite of current affairs and documentaries being produced.
For example, IT Figures is a current affairs series which explains the interesting numbers
and statistics behind everyday issues like transport, housing and education; and on Suria,
we have #FORUMsg which discusses national issues from the perspective of the Malay community,
and which also has interactive elements such as viewer participation through social media,
email and phone calls. I am happy to hear Ms Irene Ng's positive
comments on the documentary Days of Rage. This is a documentary series which combines
dramatic reconstructions, eyewitness interviews, rare archival documents and state-of-the art
computer graphics to take viewers on a journey through our turbulent history. All this means
higher production costs and so is made possible only through PSB funding.
And with PSB funding, we hope to produce even more quality content and documentaries like these.
I agree with Ms Ng that the production promotion of such compelling Singapore content
can help profile our local TV and film talents
both locally and overseas. The PSB Contestable Funds Scheme for instance, has been revamped
to allow for media companies to pitch their ideas for funding to develop programmes with
Singapore content which could also be marketed overseas.
As Ms Ng highlighted, we want to take an integrated approach in helping individuals
and companies along the content value chain. MDA's suite of grant schemes helps local media
companies to develop compelling content showcasing Singapore stories and capabilities to the
international audience, and we do so at key content markets in Hong Kong and France, for example,
as well as major industry forums like MIPCOM in Cannes, which is an industry event
where international industry professionals in TV and film networks come together and they trade content rights,
and profile their work to distributors. MDA also serves as a referral centre for both
local and overseas content creators, by providing information on the local industry, as well
as connecting interested parties, including those that would like to film in Singapore,
with the relevant government agencies and entities.