26 May – As Singapore turns 50 this year, the local film industry will celebrate by restoring and screening five movies from the '50s to the '70s that best showcase the country's history and culture. According to The Straits Times, the five movies planned for restoration are 1952 P. Ramlee drama "Patah Hati", 1958 Hokkien opera "Taming of the Princess", 1960 black-and-white Chinese film "Lion City", 1963 Malay period action drama "Chu Chu Datok Merah" and 1979 Tamil romantic comedy "Ninaithale Inikkum". All five movies are part of a project called "Spotlight On Singapore Cinema", where the Media Development Authority, the National Library Board, National Archives of Singapore and Asian Film Archive, National Heritage Board and the National Museum Cinematheque work together to restore and screen the iconic films.
"Lion City", which tells the romantic story of a female factory worker, is the first Chinese film from Cathay-Keris after the war, during the time when the industry was mostly dominated by Malay titles. It captures the essence of the time, back when Singapore was still developing. It is a valuable historical document that shows the country's social identity at the time. Even though many films were made in the 1950s to 1970s, this film is among the few that remains. As the screenings are part of the SG50 celebrations, they will be shown to the public for free. Details on how to get the tickets will be revealed on a later date.