The movie "Letters to Granny" has been a topic of discussion since its release in Singapore last month. Senior officials in Singapore have called for society to continue to uphold the values of "valuing friendships and treating others with kindness," creating a more warm and harmonious social atmosphere.
According to the United Daily News, on July 4th, Singapore's Minister for National Development, Siew Fung Tat, made the above statement after attending the third screening of the film 'Letters to Grandma' in the Chinese media group held at Jiahua Yifeng City.
Xu Fangda said that this was the first time he watched this movie, and he found it to be very well-made and touching. He joked that he didn’t shed many tears, but there were still several scenes in the film that moved him deeply, including a scene where two elderly women meet for the first time. He found the line “One should have compassion and righteousness” particularly impressive, believing that it reflects the usual attitude of Singapore’s elders in dealing with people. “Singapore society has always valued compassion and righteousness. This spirit transcends boundaries of ethnicity, so I hope that society will continue to uphold this value.”
"Such a society can only be more warm and harmonious, from generation to generation, it is a society with feelings and righteousness." Xu Fangda said.
When talking about why movies can resonate in countries like Singapore, Xu Fangda believes that apart from excellent production and moving plots, it is also because the films convey positive messages.
《A Letter to Ah Ma》 is now launching in both Cantonese and Mandarin audio versions, simultaneously. When asked about the experience of watching the Cantonese original soundtrack version, Xu Fangda admitted that her birthplace was Fujian, only understanding a little Hokkien, so many friends from Fujian told her beforehand that the Hokkien used in the film differed slightly from local Hokkien, so she mainly watched subtitles to understand the dialogue.
Nevertheless, he believes that the original version in Chao dialect retains the most authentic local accents and vocabulary. "In some parts, I think it's better to use the Chao dialect, as it gives a different feel," he said. The characters communicating with each other in their native tongue makes them seem more approachable.
《A Letter to Ah Ma》 centers around the concept of "diaspora letters." In Cantonese, "pī" refers to "letters," and the use of "yin-shí hēi fēng" (silver-letter composite envelope), where both household letters and remittance receipts are issued in one envelope, is a commonly used term among overseas Chinese.
This movie has sparked discussions about policies regarding the use of local dialects in Singapore. On June 22, the Digital Development and Information Department of Singapore stated that it is willing to provide facilitation and support for increasing the number of screenings of Teochew language films. At the same time, they said they will “review existing policies in a timely manner and support the appreciation and use of local dialects in Singapore.” Previously, a series of comments published by the Lianhe Zaobao regarding the movie “Letters to My Nanny” also caused controversy.
