The Projector's sudden closure yesterday (August 19) triggered a huge outpouring of dismay and grief. It's been a cornerstone of Singapore's art and culture scene for over a decade – our only local independent cinema and the home of alternative, eclectic events and voices. Since 2014, it's blessed us with a vibrant programme of award-winning indie flicks, film festivals, edgy parties, drag shows, fundraisers...the list goes on. Now, it's $1.2 million dollars in debt with its iconic Golden Mile Tower space already up for rent.
Perhaps The Projector's closure is hitting especially hard because of the slew of hawker, restaurant, and bar shutdowns making headlines in 2025, fuelling the sense that Singapore is losing everything that makes it special, alive, ours. In the months to come, we'll all be picking at many threads of the discussion: Do these indie projects need more governmental support (like this what this petition is fighting for), or does that erode their essence? Is it for us to lament these losses if – as the numbers show – we increasingly prefer to have house parties, stream movies, and shop online? And more importantly, where do we go from here?
For now, though, we want to marinate in our feels for a bit and reminisce all the good times we had at The Projector. And as you'll see, the good times for the Time Out team were many.
Our best memories at The Projector:
I remember the early days of The Projector as a cultural hotspot during my university years – a place to catch indie films, enjoy music, and simply hang out. For as long as I can remember, it has remained a beloved fixture in Singapore’s independent arts and culture scene.
I have fond memories of ringing in the New Year there, and of watching films that never made it to mainstream cinemas, like BlacKkKlansman and The Red Turtle. I can still picture myself balancing on the steep steps to find my seat, and how the audio sometimes had its quirks – but that only added to the charm. Beyond the screenings, there were the spontaneous moments too: snapping photos at the fotoautomat machine, or more recently, cheering with friends at the Singapore Art Book Fair after-party and watching local bands bring the night to a close.
Honestly, there are too many memories to capture in one short snippet. But more than anything, The Projector has always felt like a constant. If someone asked where to go in Singapore to truly feel the pulse of the independent scene, The Projector would be one of the very first places that comes to mind.
Mingli Seet
Former Art & Culture Writer, Time Out Singapore
When I moved back to Singapore in 2017 after years abroad, my first question to friends was simple: “Where can I watch a film that isn’t at GV?” As a lifelong movie buff, cinemas have always been my safe haven – whether it’s alone, with friends, or with fellow film fans. The Projector quickly became my answer. Since then, I’ve lived out my own little rom-coms on dates here, gotten overly competitive at trivia nights, danced at themed parties, and even had a mini red carpet moment at a premiere. And yes, I’ve taken one too many selfies in those poster-plastered loos. The seats may not be the comfiest, but the experience more than makes up for it. I was ecstatic when The Projector returned to its OG home – just gutted I couldn’t make it back in time after another 5 years back in the city
Cam Khalid
Branded Content Editor
It only hit me after the announcement of the closure how much The Projector was part of my life. I had just watched a screening of Perfect Blue two weeks ago and thought “wow this place is so romantic” (because it was raining and all), not knowing that would be my absolute last time there. The 10 years the Projector was around included highlights like throwing spoons at the screen during The Room, having my first booth with my best friend where I wrote depressing shitty poetry and got so stressed, getting drunk on haram teh, Kampong Boogie-ing at various Projector venues, watching Ratu Ilmu Hitam on a big screen with other Suzzanna fans, falling asleep on a shitty date then having someone tap me because I was snoring during a quiet part of Past Lives (sorry x1000), spending birthdays at the carpark area, ringing in the new year, watching gigs, people watching, collecting posters and so much more memories. I will miss it so much! Thank you for being such a safe space for me and other cool people with great taste in film. RIP.
Delfina Utomo
Former Editor, Time Out Singapore
I’ll admit I haven’t been to The Projector much since before the pandemic. Back then, it was the go-to hangout, whether for Thai food at Golden Mile before screenings, events like late-night poetry slams or '90s dance parties where you spent most of the time desperately looking for your friends at Intermission Bar. Maybe I’m just one of those post-pandemic millennials who swapped sweaty dance floors and hard plastic seats for dinners and catch-ups that don’t run past midnight. I don’t hit the cinema as much either and work or working out takes up most of my evenings. But still, watching The Projector go feels like an important little piece of Singapore has died. A sanctuary for counterculture, a hub for the city’s arts scene and a space that made Singapore more colourful, more rebellious, and a lot more fun. As the curtains close, all I can say is thank you for the memories and I’m sorry I didn’t show up more often.
Nicole Marie Ng
Regional Content Director, Asia-Pacific
The Projector holds a special place in my heart – from going on movie dates with boyfriends to head-banging at Ginette Chittick's electric Daydream Nation parties fuelled with indie rock and punk classics. Some birthdays with my best friend were also made memorable at the good ol’ Golden Mile Tower and the now defunct The Cathay. It had become a go-to spot, so much that I had sworn off any other cinema unless I needed to catch a movie in IMAX.
In recent years after a breakup, The Projector turned into a safe space for me. I got myself a membership and spent most of my solo dates catching new film releases with a Thai milk tea and a bag of sweet-and-salty popcorn in hand. There was something so liberating and healing about enjoying a movie alone in a cold cinema while freezing to death with fellow movie buffs. That is why, this sudden closure has come as both a shock and heartbreak for me – it feels like another breakup I have to get over. Thnks fr th mmrs, you will be missed forever.
Farah Adilah
Campaign Manager, Time Out Singapore
It's hard to put into words what The Projector has meant to me! It's been my go-to cinema since 2018 at least, where I first caught Call Me By Your Name and The Florida Project. Since then, I've gone back time and again, alone and with friends, just to soak in those retro Golden Mile vibes and discover some damn good movies that you'd be hard-pressed to find in mainstream cinemas in Singapore. It got me through difficult times in 2023, and I'm not ashamed to say that a few tears were shed alone in that dark, flickering cinema – and I will always be thankful to The Projector for giving me that space.
Bittersweet memories aside, there were also amazingly fun times, something as simple as Turkish Luke Skywalker warning us against using our "beacons of dumbfuggery", heckling at The Room, discovering local animation talent at Animation Nation, boogie-ing to various parties at Golden Mile Tower and The Cathay, and the fabulous drag shows with Becca D'Bus. The cinnamon popcorn was not my favourite (sorry!) but the loaded hotdog was the bomb! Either way, The Projector was such a special spot for creatives, cool kids, and lost people like me, and that's something I'll sorely, sorely miss. Could we have done more? What can we do for what remains? That's something we'll all be thinking hard about.
Cheryl Sekkappan
Editor, Singapore and Asia
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