An emotive anthology of seven cinematic “love letters” to Singapore, 7 Letters is an omnibus featuring the nation’s most illustrious directors and their poignant connections with the place they call home.

Commissioned as the overall creative consultant for the film, the title was first developed with long-time collaborator, Royston Tan. The name “7 Letters” was derived from the need to convey a sense where the resultant whole is greater than the sum of its parts – with each of the seven characters in ‘Letters’ representing each director and his or her thematic value.

Legacy (Eric Khoo)
A tribute to the golden era of Singaporean cinema.

Evolution (Boo Junfeng)
The concept of change and the evolution of social norms.

Time (Jack Neo)
Appreciating what we have before they’re gone.

Tradition (Kelvin Tong)
Customs that both divide and unite a family across generations.

Embrace (K. Rajagopal)
The collision of values between two generations.

Roots (Tan Pin Pin)
The search for one’s beginnings and the concept of self-identity.

Song (Royston Tan)
Music as a language that transcends cultural boundaries.

As each of the short film is a personal reflection of unique stories and connections to Singapore, we appropriated the form of an archival box and its cherished content. The visual outcome is singular and purposeful – a miscellany of treasured memorabilia from the depths of a time capsule.

Hand-assembled from a hodgepodge of overprinted envelopes, the cover represents the film’s mix of different genres and styles, mirroring Singapore’s celebrated truism as a melting pot of diverse cultures.

Through careful and faithful reproductions of inspirational objects submitted by the directors – old photographs, personal artefacts, handwritten notes – the directors’ innermost thoughts were meaningfully conveyed to the audience. Enclosed within translucent envelopes appended after each essay, these keepsakes serve to supplement the anthology, allowing the viewers a deeper understanding of the impetus behind the creation of each short film.

Illustrated by renowned Singaporean artist Koh Hong Teng, the film’s ticketing sleeves feature an assortment of visual motifs drawn from the seven shorts. Available in 16 designs and in two colourways, the custom-designed sleeves were packaged together with the donation envelopes as a complete set.

The thematic values derived from the film treatments (Legacy, Evolution, etc.) served as appropriate marketing teasers in the lead-up to the anthology’s release.