Meet the woman who is firing up Singapore’s indie cinema scene

Imagine a fun but chaotic spectacle of rice grains and toilet paper being strewn all over, and water pistols shooting off in the middle of a film screening. These raucous activities are not unusual at The Projector, which certainly embodies the meaning of its tag line: “Not your average cinema”.

According to its co-founder, Karen Tan, 43, the audience dresses up in costumes for the annual Halloween event, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “It’s silly and entertaining, and such moments of freedom are precious because life in Singapore can be quite stressful,” she says.

Now into its 10th year, independent art-house cinema The Projector has come a long way since opening its doors at the former Golden Theatre at Golden Mile Towers in 2014.

The Golden Mile Tower flagship branch was founded by Karen, her sister Sharon, and her former colleague at Citigroup Investment Banking London, Blaise Trigg-Smith, after a friend suggested they check out its potential to be revitalised under Pocket Projects.

Pocket Projects is the trio’s creative development consultancy and management company that conceptualises and manages niche urban development projects.

“We had no background in film nor knowledge in consumer operations, except a perfect blend of youthful energy and naivete that led us to do it anyway,” recalls Karen.

Even with its pop-ups like Projector X: Riverside at Riverside Point in 2021 and Projector X: Picturehouse at The Cathay in 2022, much thought went into how each space can be designed such that things could be moved around to facilitate multiple uses, and how it can be created to inspire and engage people.

“The vision was to create a place that’s beyond what people know it as. It’s important for us to be inclusive and have different interest groups come together and feel at home in the same space,” says Karen.

Overcoming the odds

Right from the start, Karen and her team had wanted to offer alternatives to the mainstream films screened at numerous cinemas in Singapore. The Projector does not just screen indie films, but also independent films, anime, documentaries, foreign language films, cult classics like The Godfather and In The Mood For Love, as well as ballets and operas with London Royal Opera House, for diversity and quality.

And over the years, its customer base has grown bigger and more varied to engage students, creatives, professionals and the curious-minded, both locals and expats.

“The screening of Plan 75, a controversial film about euthanasia, was an unexpected and huge success in 2022. 600 seats were sold out for a post-screening Q&A session with the film director. The audience included students and retirees from all walks of life who were curious about the taboo topic, and the film gave them a forum to engage with those issues,” says Karen.

The business has also broadened to include more diverse types of films, and a wider variety of offerings such as live performances from music gigs to comedy nights, and its venue for hire. Even its food and beverage options have improved to include gourmet food and artisanal beer.

Besides diversifying its income streams this way, building a strong community contributes to the cinema’s success, says Karen. Take procuring films with distributors for instance. It was tough at first as the founders knew little about the cinema industry. But now, an independent film will sometimes do better being screened here than it would at a commercial cinema “because [through our marketing efforts], we’ve ‘built’ the audience whom we know will want to see it”.

She attributes much of The Projector’s success to having a nimble and innovative team that can pivot quickly, and is willing to experiment and take risks. When business took a hard hit during Covid-19, it launched an online streaming platform, offering films that were not easily available online. After the pandemic blew over, online streaming no longer accounted for a material portion of the business as compared to its other revenue streams, so they pivoted away from it.

“In this increasingly digital age where people risk being isolated behind screens, physical spaces facilitating genuine social interaction are more important than before. Essentially, for us, it’s about creating experiences, and giving people a reason to (go out and engage with others socially),” she says.

What weighed more on her mind was securing a second business location as they are constantly facing the risk of Golden Mile Tower going on an en bloc sale. Hence its collaboration with Golden Village to open at Cineleisure late last year marked a key milestone for the business.

“For the first time, the business has the security of a long term lease (or home), which allows us to plan longer term for growth, rather than living under the risk of losing our premises in an en-bloc of Golden Mile Tower,” she says.

“And despite being in a more “commercial” mall setting, it doesn’t feel like a mall or a normal mainstream cinema when you step into the space. With its instagram-worthy features such as the vintage eclectic furniture, old-school bar and box office, it feels quirky, like The Projector.

“The ethos remains the same — a platform for bringing alternative content together in an inclusive, fun and relaxed environment that embraces differences, and where people can express themselves. I think about it as a counterpoint or ‘mental breathing space’ in a highly polished and planned city.”

Giving life her best shot

Besides having to be “partially insane” and “a risk taker”, being a trailblazer in Karen’s opinion boils down to striking a fine balance between being “a pragmatic idealist” and “an idealistic pragmatist”.

“You kind of have to be both because you have to dream but you also have to play in the real world and see the real world as it is,” she explains.

Riding the highs and lows of running an indie cinema in Singapore is like hanging on to a roller coaster ride, she says. Despite that, she is not getting off the hot seat yet because it all comes down to believing what her team does is important and worth fighting for.

Desperation, she quips half in jest, keeps her inspired. And so do thoughts of death, she adds. “Challenges and limitations force you to be at your most creative, especially if you own a small business,” she says.

“I want to look back on my life one day and be able to say I took some risks and made a difference. I gave it my best shot – with no regrets. So that’s what keeps me going, and maybe push the envelope.”

Created in partnership with DBS, “HER WORLD, HER SPARK” is a series highlighting trailblazing women in Singapore with the courage to live fully. These women believe in themselves, push boundaries, advocate for change, and prioritise what truly matters. Through each story, we hope to inspire everyone to trust the spark that resides within each of us.

PHOTOGRAPHY Shawn Paul Tan
ART DIRECTION Adeline Eng & Ray Ticsay
HAIR Angel Gwee, using Davines
MAKEUP Benedict Choo, using Cle De Peau Beaute
COORDINATION Chelsia Tan