Large cinema chains here may have incurred huge losses with barely filled halls during the lockdowns, but smaller players have suffered in their own ways too. Indie theatres have, for years, served a niche but passionate segment of the film community, says Nikki Draper, assistant chair of student life and alumni at Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.
“The Projector and the Asian Film Archive, which runs the Oldham Theatre, have done a great job of setting themselves apart from the larger theatre chains. They both offer unique viewing experiences, as well as ancillary activities that are meaningful and fun to their target audience,” says the faculty coordinator for the annual Perspectives Film Festival.
