Singapore On Film: What Life Was Like During The 1900s In The Former British Colony | Timeline

Singapore on Film explores the earliest footage of Singapore, dating back to 1900. The films include ‘Coolie Boys’ and ‘Ananas’, filmed more than 100 years ago by the Pathe Brothers. Much of this remarkable archive has never been seen before, and has been specially restored and digitised by the British Film Institute.

This fascinating archive shows that Singapore was a multi-cultural melting-pot, but life was grindingly hard for the majority. We see coolie dockers, rickshaw pullers, Sikh policemen and child labourers. Rare films of a grand Peranakan funeral and Hindu fire-walking show scenes both familiar and unfamiliar. Newly-discovered home movies shine an intimate light into the lives of the elite.

Through interviews with historians, writers and filmmakers, we reveal stories both epic and intimate. The programmes are narrated by renowned British actress Jenny Agutter, with the archive brought vividly to life through cutting-edge graphics and an evocative, specially-composed score.

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