Dear Friends

Thank you for coming to this event to mark my 10th year of movie making! It has been a humbling 10 years because when I first picked up a movie camera, most people thought I was crazy. The conventional wisdom in 1998 was that local movies cannot be commercially viable. I owe it to many friends who stuck with me to change this 'fact' - unseen heroes such as J Team artistes and staff, script writers, camera crews, producers, and the one who suffered with me the most through all these years - my precious wife, Irene.

In all, my report card says 11 movies and over $30 million in box office (I only take home a small fraction so don't think I am very rich!). To a movie director, each movie is like a baby that is created through much blood and sweat. Taken together, I feel like a proud father. :)

Firstly, my eldest son - Money No Enough (1998) - was and still is the biggest box office hit in Singapore. It grossed a local box office of S$5.8m, a standing record for Singapore-made movies. That's not bad if you consider that it used to cost only S$6.50 to watch a movie in 1998.

Secondly, my children have grown up and traveled overseas! I Not Stupid (2002), Home Run (2003), The Best Bet (2004), I Not Stupid 2 (2006) and Just Follow Law (2007) are some examples of movies that are popular with fans in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. In fact, I Not Stupid grossed HK$6m (about S$1m at the time) in Hong Kong cinemas. Home Run introduced our Singapore-Malaysia culture to the rest of Asia and claimed a Golden Horse award for Best New Performer. The TV rights for these movies have also been sold to regional networks such as StarTV.

All this is possible only because visionaries such as Chang Long Jong and Daniel Yun from MediaCorp and Kenneth Tan, previously from Golden Village, believed and supported my efforts. Also, I am so grateful to media companies MediaCorp and Singapore Press Holdings as well as distributors and cinema chains such as United International Pictures, Golden Village, Shaw, Cathay, and Eng Wah. They gave me the visibility and opportunity to be successful.


THE FUTURE
In planning my future, I am thinking carefully how I can play my part to help to grow the industry. This is important because only when the overall film industry in Singapore expands, then there is more talent, more investments.

To that end, I have decided to go into partnership with Philip Wu to establish Neo Studios Pte Ltd. He was Director for Content in SingTel and launched mioTV. Before that, he was, a private equity fund manager at Temasek Holdings. I think this kind of "big company" people can help me develop processes and strategies for future growth. While J Team focuses on production, Neo Studios will focus on (a) Creative Development (b) Distribution - developing the skills to scale our IPR and formats into different media and beyond Singapore and (c) Media Financing - developing financial mechanisms for investors and partners who want to be part of this exciting industry. These are key departments that will be needed to drive the development of content and partnerships to address a regional and perhaps, international market. So if you wish to join my team or to sponsor, invest, distribute, buy or make a movie, come to www.neostudios.com.sg to let me know!


CHINA
I must thank Dr Christopher Chia, Chief Executive Officer and Mr Seto Lok Yin, Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Industry), of the Media Development Authority. I shared with them my heart's desire to nurture new talent in Singapore and they supported a "Jack Neo's Movie Director and Script Writer Search 2008".

Very importantly, they also recognize my effort to open the China market to Singapore movies. Prior to that, for 2 to 3 years, I fought a lonely and often times, desperate battle to find a right partner in China who believed in my movies. Finally, in Oct 2007, during the Singapore Season in Beijing organized by MDA, "I Not Stupid 2" was screened and top Chinese officials watched it - and that changed the fate of the movie!

MDA then helped me to establish a Raffles China Movie Fund. Since this fund was set up around Sep/Oct 2007, Neo Studios has secured the rights to screen "I Not Stupid 2" in cinemas all over China from 1 June 2008. "I Not Stupid 1" was also telecast on CCTV 6 during the second day of the Chinese New Year and since ratings were good, it will be replayed again as a build up to INS2 cinematic released. This is a beachhead for Singapore movies and as I get more visibility in China, I will be able to assist more Singapore film makers debut there. In addition to distribution, we are likely to embark on joint movie production projects with partners to produce various browns including I Not Stupid (China Version). Please wish me luck, or better still, join me to develop the China film market!


MALAYSIA
Malaysia is our nearest neighbor. We are so near, but sometimes, so far. I am grateful to report that my most recent movie, Ah Long Pte Ltd, scored 2 firsts for Singapore. Firstly, it is the first movie co-production after many years between a Singapore and Malaysia company (Double Vision). Secondly, it has gained a box office result that exceeded my expectations - reaching MYR $4.3m mark at the time of writing.

Very few people know that this movie is a very big creative risk for me. I took one year to carefully study the entertainment style that Malaysians are used to. I was so relieved when audiences in both Singapore (S$3m box office) and Malaysia liked the movie.

We were in KL 2 weeks ago I thanked not only the Chinese but also the Malay and Indian friends when I had the privilege of speaking to 3 million Malaysians over the radio. Did you know that between 1953 and 1973, some 100 movies were produced right here in Singapore for Malaysia? I hope my movies can contribute to revive the movie ties between our 2 countries.

On that note, thank you for supporting me for the last 10 years. I hope you have enjoyed my movies and that we will continue to make Singapore an exciting home for great movies!

Yours sincerely
Jack Neo