An Inclusive Journey to Happiness -- And Understanding -- Through Film

In 2019, we organised the world’s first Happiness Film Festival (which MAPP Magazine covered here). It was completely sold out, with close to 1,500 participants over a three-day period. As we were gearing up for the next edition of the film festival, we had a long thought about what themes we should focus on for the next festival.

Happiness Initiative is a social enterprise that focuses on promoting the science of happiness and well-being in Singapore. We have always believed that the work we do has to be accessible and inclusive. We cannot talk about building a happier society, but yet restrict access to an exclusive group of people that can afford the resources for it.

In Singapore’s State of Happiness study, an annual landscape study of the predictors of well-being in Singapore, two of the biggest predictors of well-being are household income and sexual orientation. People who come from low-income families and those who identify as LGBT are more likely to report a lower well-being as compared to others.

That was why we eventually decided to make the theme of our 2021 film festival “An Inclusive Journey to Happiness.” We wanted to shift the focus of our festival, and the conversations, toward the most vulnerable in our society that are the most in need of what we have to share.

The theme was so much more relevant as the mental well-being of our most vulnerable communities in Singapore took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our elderly are increasingly isolated due to safe distancing measures. Singaporese migrant workers have been locked in their dormitories for over a year due to strict protocols (more than 80% of the reported COVID-19 infections came from migrant worker dormitories). Those from underprivileged families have their livelihoods threatened, as COVID-19 continuously shuts businesses.

In the festival, each film features one of six vulnerable or marginalised groups: youths, the elderly, people with intellectual disabilities, migrant workers, ex-offenders, and low-income families. Each feature film is preceded by a local short film related to the topic, and is followed by a panel discussion by community leaders working with these groups or the individuals themselves representing these groups.

Over the six screenings, viewers experienced a myriad of emotions through the films. Anger at the way the main character was treated in John Denver Trending. Sadness at the injustice we saw in Sorry We Missed You. Hope for the future in A Man Called Ove. Love from Still Human. Optimism in building a more empathetic society in The Specials. And empowered to make a difference from Skid Row Marathon.

We also felt it was extremely important to pair each international film with local short films. They are powerful, thought-provoking and more relatable to audiences as they were made by local filmmakers, with a local cast.

We curated the local short stories based on the themes presented in the films. This was an important component of the festival, as topics of diversity, equity and inclusion are often unique to each country. The shorts provided a local context for audiences to understand the issues and challenges faced by these communities in Singapore.

For example, the short White Carnations shares a story of a mother trying to find a mainstream school for her special-needs child, only to feel increasingly humiliated and resentful as she faces rejection, and she takes it out on the child. Parents often struggle with shame and embarrassment when they have a child with special needs. And in an Asian context, it is often exacerbated by cultures that encourage you to suppress your emotions and to not talk about it, which makes the issues harder to tackle.

The panel discussions with audience members following each screening added to the understanding and appreciation of relevant themes. After the screening of The Specials, Wesley Loh, an autism advocate who himself is autistic, shared his own thoughts about how we can be more gracious as a society. “Don’t be too quick to judge a person by just his actions,” Loh cautioned. “Account for his intentions as well. The seemingly rude waiter or sour man in the train may very well be autistic. Offer him the same dignity as you would want for yourself.”

Juline Lew, an audience member, shared her experience during the festival. “Didn’t expect so many tear-jerking moments in this movie,” observed Lew. “Loved how the movie gave a voice and perspective to the often overlooked people in society.”

Through our years of work, we’ve come to learn that happiness is not equally accessible in our societies. That is why it was all the more important that the focus of the films shift to understand how we, as a community, can do better to support those who have it much harder in life. But beyond that, there’s also so much that the rest of us can learn from inspiring individuals from these communities, who manage to overcome their obstacles, and thrive in their lives.

Happiness comes hand in hand with pain and suffering. Every one of us carries our own pain from our past experiences. It could come from our families, our friends, our colleagues or from society at large. But there is so much we can learn about happiness in the face of these adversities.

In the words of psychiatrist and author Victor Frankl: “So, fate is part of our lives and so is suffering. Therefore, if life has meaning, suffering also has meaning. Consequently, suffering, as long as it is necessary and unavoidable, also holds the possibility of being meaningful. It is actually universally recognised and appreciated as such.”

It is important to acknowledge that all of us have our issues, our own deeply seated beliefs. But we must also believe that we CAN build better versions of ourselves, and we CAN contribute to a cause that is bigger than ourselves.

We chose this theme for the festival because we believe that all of us can learn so much from those that have it much tougher in life. We can do better in contributing meaningfully to society, and to invest ourselves in a purpose that is beyond self.

And happiness often comes as a by-product of that.

References:

Chan, O. (Director). (2018). Still Human [Film]. No Ceiling Film.

Condez, A. R. (Director). (2019). John Denver Trending [Film]. Quantum Films.

Frankl, V. E. (2020). Yes to life in spite of everything. Random House.

Hayes, M. (Director). (2017). Skid Row Marathon [Film]. Gabriele Hayes & Doug Blush.

Happiness Initiative (2021). State of happiness 2021 report: Understanding what makes Singapore happy and how we can be happier. Retrieved from https://www.happinessinitiative.sg/image/catalog/HappinessInitiative_Project/Programme/Programmes/Community/State-of-Happiness-Study-2021-Report-Final.pdf

Holm, H. (Director). (2015). A Man Called Ove [Film]. Tre Vänner.

Loach, K. (Director). (2019). Sorry We Missed You [Film]. BBC Films & Sixteen Films.

Nakache, O., & Toledano, E. (Directors). (2019). The Specials [Film]. A Quad, Ten Cinema, Gaumont, TF1 Films Production, Belga Productions, & 120 Films Production.

About the Authors: Simon Leow and Sherman Ho are co-founders of Happiness Initiative, a social enterprise dedicated to promoting happiness and wellbeing in Singapore and the surrounding region. They both deeply believe that much can be done to help people live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. Simon and Sherman can be reached at: info@happinessinitiative.sg.

Learn more about the Happiness Initiative and the Happiness Film Festival at http://happinessinitiative.sg / http://happinessfilmfest.asia / facebook.com/ happinessinitiative.sg/ instagram.com/happinessinitiative.sg/