Risking the gallows, one brave woman hid her Chinese neighbours when the Japanese forces came knocking in early 20th-century Singapore.
Someone that Mr Justin Deimen, 40, executive producer of the Singaporean animated film “The Violinist”, is very familiar with: his great-grandmother.
“You hear stories about Indian families taking care of Chinese families during the war”, he said. “We were one of those families.”
The hand-drawn feature, directed by Singaporean Ervin Han and Spanish animator Raul Garcia, has been selected for the official competition at the Annecy Animation Film Festival 2026, one of the animation industry’s most prestigious events, and marks the first time a Singapore-produced animated feature has entered the main competition in the festival’s 65-year history.
The story, based on the 2015 short film The Violin, begins before the war and follows childhood friends and aspiring violinists Fei and Kai.
Kai joins the resistance following the 1941 Japanese invasion of Singapore, but vanishes after the war. Fei continues to hone her musical craft for decades, performing around the region while searching for her missing friend, and a blend of sorrow and enduring optimism defines her journeys.
“When we put this together, it was years ago, there wasn’t a war, but it just so happened when it was released, we are in strong times of conflict. So it didn’t just become about the resiliency of art itself but the resiliency of Singapore as a small country,” said Mr Justin.
Mr Justin wasn’t always a virtuoso film producer. He began as a journalist for a magazine at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and later worked at publications such as Village Voice in New York City.
He dived into the film industry with screenwriting for four years before striking a fresh chord as a producer with his debut production, a Cambodian-Singapore co-production called 3.50, a crime-thriller about anti-sex trafficking.
Now, 15 years later, he looks for stories that have real impact.
He particularly likes to work on book-to-screen productions, a passion for literature that stems from his early days as a latchkey kid, holed up with his books.
Currently, as a producer, he provides financial advice, resources, and a vast network which he has built over the years to help creatives and different talents break through.
For The Violinist, he had to coordinate production across more than 10 countries and work with various stakeholders, including governments and the marketplace. “Pulling all these strings together is quite a new experience,” he said.
This film, an official co-production among Singapore, Spain, and Italy, was led by Singapore’s Robot Playground Media and is quite rare, according to Mr Justin, since lower production budgets make it very difficult for Asia to take the lead in large-scale productions.
“The fact that we did it means it’s doable for a lot of filmmakers in Singapore to look at how you use what Singapore has given you and bridge it towards international audiences,” Mr Justin said.
From the script to the animatics, the key creatives came from the team in Singapore, which is something Mr Justin is “super proud of”.
Even the music featured an original score by award-winning Singaporean composer Ricky Ho, and lead violin performances by Singaporean violinist Joy Yong.
“I really want to see grandparents and grandkids watching the movie together. Because this is one of those movies that has something for both of them”, Mr Justin noted.
The movie is expected to be released in the third quarter of 2026.
