Doc Edge New Zealand and Singapore Film Society Present: Doc Edge Singapore

Doc Edge and the Singapore Film Society are proud to announce Doc Edge Singapore, a new initiative that marks the arrival of New Zealand’s premier international documentary festival to Singapore for the very first time.

The festival will take place from 11 to 15 March 2026, but Singapore audiences will first get a taste through two special Prelude events this December:

1 December 2025, Golden Village Vivocity: Screening of A QUIET LOVE (Dir Garry Keane) + Director Garry Keane and Producer Anne Heffernan will be joining virtually for a post-screening Q&A with the audience, facilitated by SADeaf in English and sign language.
2 December 2025 LASALLE College of the Arts: Masterclass: Festivals and Beyond – Navigating the Global and Asian Documentary Ecosystem with Alexander Lee (Founder and Director, Doc Edge New Zealand)

A New Chapter for Documentary Cinema in Singapore

For over 60 years, the Singapore Film Society has championed diverse and meaningful cinema. Yet amid the many festivals and celebrations of film in Singapore, there has never been a festival devoted entirely to the art of the documentary, until now.

“Doc Edge is honoured to be part of Singapore’s vibrant film ecology, where creativity meets possibility. We believe in the power of documentaries to not just tell stories, but to spark change. Singapore is a treasure trove of untold narratives, and we are thrilled to support its incredible talent in creating groundbreaking, compelling films that will inspire, challenge, and resonate across the world.” – Alexander Lee, Doc Edge New Zealand founder and director

With Doc Edge SG, DE and SFS aim to change that. Recognised by the Academy Awards® as a qualifying festival and celebrated internationally for its commitment to truth-based storytelling, Doc Edge has been at the forefront of promoting documentary and factual films from around the world.

Its arrival in Singapore signals an exciting cultural exchange between two island nations that share deep creative roots and social awareness.

“International trade and exchange are at the heart of Singapore’s existence and prosperity. We, together with the region around us, have so many unique and wonderful stories to tell and share with the world. Doc Edge Singapore will not only provide a catalytic platform to propel that to new heights. It will focus a global beacon of light on new talent and fresh perspectives, and bring people closer together in friendship as well as livelihoods.”

As part of this exclusive prelude, we invite attendees to offer a ‘koha‘ – a Māori term meaning a gift to offer recognition to efforts – to support this milestone. This koha will go toward sustaining this landmark collaboration and nurturing a new culture of documentary storytelling in Singapore. Be part of our Doc Edge Whanau (family).

Doc Edge Singapore Prelude: Two Days of Real Stories and Creative Insight

Film Screening: A Quiet Love

With supporting partner The Singapore Association For The Deaf Date: 1 December 2025, 7.00pm

Venue: Golden Village Vivocity

By Invite Only

Director Garry Keane and Producer Anne Heffernan will be joining virtually for a post-screening Q&A with the audience, facilitated by SADeaf, in English and sign language.

Director: Garry Keane

Country: Ireland

Language: Irish sign language with English subtitles

Year: 2025

Duration: 95min

Synopsis:

Three love stories. One shared language.

A Quiet Love was the winner of the “Being Oneself” category at Doc Edge Awards 2025.

In this intimate film, three Deaf couples share their remarkable love stories through Irish Sign Language: a decades-long forbidden romance across a religious divide, an LGBTQI+ couple navigating parenthood with Deaf and hearing children, and a Deaf boxer and his hearing partner facing a life-altering choice.

A cinematic celebration of resilience, connection, and enduring love; featuring an immersive soundscape, it is Ireland’s first feature film in Irish Sign Language, produced by a Deaf and hearing team and directed by award-winning alumnus Garry Keane (GAZA, In the Shadow of Beirut).

Watch the trailer:

Masterclass: Festivals and Beyond – Navigating the Global and Asian Documentary Ecosystem with Alexander Lee (Founder and Director, Doc Edge New Zealand)

Date: 2 December 2025, 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Venue: LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally St, Singapore 187940

Admission: Free with registration at https://sfs-desg-masterclass.peatix.com/

About the masterclass:

For over two decades, Alex Lee, Festival Director and Co-Founder of Doc Edge – New Zealand’s Academy Award®-qualifying documentary festival – has helped shape the global non-fiction landscape. As a veteran programmer, curator of Doc Edge Pitch and Forum, and advisor to filmmakers across Asia-Pacific, Alex brings unparalleled insights into how festivals work, how films are discovered, and what it truly takes to stand out.

In this exclusive Singapore masterclass, Alex opens the curtain on the inner workings of film festivals – offering a rare insider’s guide to how programmers think, what drives programming decisions, and how filmmakers can strategically navigate the international festival circuit from Singapore and the wider region.

Participants will explore:

How festivals work th:e logic behind programming, curatorial trends, and what selection panels look for in submissions.
Positioning your film: how to craft compelling submissions, festival materials, and communications that capture attention.
Developing a festival strategy: identifying which festivals suit your project’s goals, from regional launches (Doc Edge, Busan, Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival) to global exposure (Sundance, Hot Docs, IDFA, Sheffield Docs, Dok Leipzig, Cannes). What are the considerations?
The filmmaker–festival–sales agent relationship: understanding how to navigate partnerships, roles, premieres, and distribution opportunities.
Creating audiences and impact: using festivals as platforms for community engagement, education, and advocacy.
Leveraging social media and digital tools: practical insights on how to amplify your film’s reach and visibility before, during, and after its festival run.
Beyond the festival circuit: how to sustain your film’s life through sales, educational markets, streaming, and impact campaigns.

With a focus on the realities and opportunities of the Asia-Pacific region, this session will empower participants to design a festival and impact journey that is both strategic and culturally grounded.

Whether you are an emerging filmmaker preparing your first short, or a seasoned producer seeking to expand into the global marketplace, this masterclass will equip you with the knowledge, confidence, and network insight to take your film – and your career – beyond the festival circuit. This session is also valuable for filmmakers working in other genres as many of the learnings are applicable across the wide genres available.

About Alexander Lee

Festival Director | Producer | Educator | Advocate for Asian Representation in Documentary

Born in Singapore and raised between Malaysia and New Zealand, Alex Lee bridges cultures, continents, and creative worlds. As Co-Founder and Co-Director of Doc Edge – New Zealand’s national documentary organisation and Academy Award®-qualifying film festival – Alex has spent the last two decades championing non-fiction storytelling and nurturing filmmakers across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

A lawyer by training, Alex began his career in Hong Kong, where he helped establish the Law School at City University and later became the first Asian man to present English-language current affairs on television, co-anchoring The World Today on Asia Television’s World Channel. His groundbreaking coverage of the Tiananmen Square protests, broadcast under typhoon lockdown conditions, remains one of Hong Kong’s most significant television moments.

Returning to New Zealand, Alex transitioned from law to screen, earning a Master’s in Screen and Performing Arts with First-Class Honours from the University of Auckland. He became a lecturer, then Head of the Department of Performing & Screen Arts at Unitec, leading collaborations with top Chinese institutions including the Beijing Film Academy and Shanghai Theatre Academy.

In 2004, Alex co-founded Doc Edge, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025. Under his leadership, it has evolved into one of the world’s most respected documentary festivals and a key Oscar-qualifying event, with its Forum, Pitch, and XR Exhibition recognised as major international industry platforms. Doc Edge has also been selected for New Zealand’s Major Events Arts & Cultural Incubator by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, cementing its role as the Asia-Pacific’s leading documentary hub.

As a festival director and programmer, Alex has curated, mentored, and championed hundreds of projects through Doc Edge Pitch, many of which have achieved international acclaim. He has served as a juror, decision-maker, and speaker at leading global festivals and markets including IDFA (Amsterdam), Dok Leipzig (Germany), Asian Side of the Doc, Docs Barcelona, AIDC (Australia), Guangzhou IDFF, CNEX CCDF (Taiwan), FIFO (Tahiti), and Dhaka DocLab (Bangladesh).

Alex’s producing credits include the award-winning Hip Hop-eration (released theatrically in New Zealand, Germany, and Japan) and, most recently, No Tears on the Field (Lisa Burd). He is also producing I Thought Jesus Was Korean (Elina Osborne) and Memory of Longing (Kim Webby), and co-produced the New Zealand-Singaporean award-winning web series Korban, executive producing its second season released in Singapore in 2025.

Throughout his career, Alex has been a vocal advocate for Asian representation and participation in the screen industry. He founded the Asia Film Festival Aotearoa and Asia NZ Film Foundation, helped inaugurate the Hong Kong Film Festival in New Zealand, and continues to strengthen creative and business ties between Asia and New Zealand.

Deeply proud of his Singaporean and Malaysian roots, Alex embodies the spirit of muhibbah – the harmony and unity born from diversity. His work continues to bridge East and West, law and art, intellect and empathy, inspiring filmmakers to not only tell their stories but to create lasting impact through them.

Doc Edge Singapore will happen from 11 to 15 March 2026, featuring international premieres and filmmaker dialogues. More details will be announced during these two prelude sessions and on the Singapore Film Society Instagram.