Asian Film Archive (AFA)

Overview

The Asian Film Archive (AFA) is a Singapore-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the films of Southeast and South Asia. Founded in January 2005, the AFA became a subsidiary of the National Library Board in January 2014 and operates as a registered charity and Institution of Public Character in Singapore. The archive maintains a collection of 3,056 film titles as of March 31, 2024, spanning the filmmaking traditions of Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, and other Asian cinemas.

The AFA operates Oldham Theatre, a screening space located at the National Archives of Singapore, as its primary public venue. The archive employs approximately 11 staff members and had an annual revenue of approximately $740,000 USD. The AFA won the New Non-Profit Initiative Award at the 2007 National Volunteers and Philanthropy Awards in Singapore.

Collection and Preservation

The AFA's collection of 3,056 titles includes theatrical features, documentaries, short films, and newsreels that document the social and cultural history of the region alongside their artistic achievements. In FY2023 alone, the archive acquired 174 new Asian films in varying formats and genres. Many items in the collection are unique survivors: the only remaining copies of films that were never duplicated and would otherwise be permanently lost.

The AFA holds Singapore's first collection of films inscribed into the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Register: the AFA Cathay-Keris Malay Classics. This listing recognizes significant documentary heritage with global cultural value. The collection is available for public reference at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library and library@esplanade in Singapore.

Restoration work is a primary technical activity. The archive cleans, repairs, and digitizes deteriorating film materials, making restored films available through screening programs, educational partnerships, and international film festival retrospectives. The AFA's preservation work addresses a genuine crisis in Asian film heritage: many early and mid-century films from Southeast and South Asian countries have been lost entirely due to nitrate decay, inadequate storage conditions, and the lack of institutional infrastructure for film preservation during the decades when these films were made.

Screenings and Public Programs

The AFA presents regular public screenings at Oldham Theatre, programming both archival materials and contemporary Asian films. The archive runs several recurring program series:

Off the Catalogue is a monthly screening series held every Wednesday at 8 PM at Oldham Theatre, presenting curated selections from the AFA's own repository. April 2026's programme, for example, featured four chamber-play films: Fundamentally Happy (2015), 4:30 (2006) by Royston Tan, Flooding in the Time of Drought (2009) by Sherman Ong, and If This is My Story (2018).

Singapore Shorts is an annual showcase celebrating short films by Singaporean filmmakers. The 2025 edition (Singapore Shorts '25, held August 1 through 22) featured 17 works made between 2024 and 2025, selected from over 100 open call submissions across 3 official programmes, plus a special programme curated by participants of the Film Programmers Lab 2025.

Reciprocal is an annual collaborative programme spotlighting the archival collections of the AFA and a partnering archive. The 2026 edition (June 5 through 28) partnered with the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive (FCPLFA), presenting Japanese independent filmmakers including Gakuryu Ishii, Kaori Oda, and Takashi Ito alongside Asian filmmakers such as Ashish Avikunthak (India), Daniel Hui (Singapore), and Tan Chui Mui (Malaysia).

Reel Singapore (May 8 through 30, 2026) celebrated filmmakers who shaped Singapore's cultural memory, programmed around five themes: History-Memory, Sonic Nation, Rebel Energies, Horrific Fabulations, and Speculative Futures.

Education and International Partnerships

The AFA's educational programs include school partnerships, filmmaker talks, and academic collaborations with Singapore's universities. The Film Programmers Lab, run in partnership with Objectifs, is a six-month mentorship and networking initiative for emerging local film programmers.

The AFA is a member of FIAF (the International Federation of Film Archives), connecting the Asian film preservation community to the broader international film preservation world. The Reciprocal programme with Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive exemplifies this international collaboration, supporting knowledge exchange and access to technical resources across archival institutions.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For filmmakers working in Southeast and South Asia, the AFA provides a regional repository for production records and preservation materials. The ephemeral nature of film materials, which can decay beyond recovery within decades without proper storage, makes active archival deposit a professional responsibility for contemporary filmmakers concerned with their work's long-term survival. Filmmakers can contact the AFA directly to discuss deposit and preservation arrangements.

For scholars, programmers, and researchers seeking access to Asian film heritage, the AFA's collection provides materials unavailable through any other source. The archive's collaboration policies and access procedures provide the framework for legitimate scholarly and programming use of its holdings. The public reference collection at Lee Kong Chian Reference Library and library@esplanade offers on-site access to the archive's catalog.

For filmmakers in Singapore, the AFA's Singapore Shorts showcase and Film Programmers Lab provide platforms for short-form work and professional development in film programming. Submissions for Singapore Shorts are accepted through open call, with selections curated by a panel of professionals from different creative industries.

See Also

For the international federation of film archives that connects AFA to the global preservation community, see FIAF. For Southeast Asian film festivals and organizations, browse the Directory listings. For filmmakers calculating the costs of festival submissions and archival deposits, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator.