Having found a new planet to move to, Singaporeans are being “packed” for the long journey across space. However, their conscious continue to “live” in a virtual world along side Artificial Intelligence. When a new virus called the Swordfish attacks, service A.I. N4D1M (Nadim) comes to the rescue, but at what price? This story is inspired by the tale of how Bukit Merah and Tanjong Pagar got its name.

A Viddsee Original Production

Director Statement: As a filmmaker, I’ve always had a keen interest in genre-storytelling, how narrative elements and visual aesthetics can help categorise films. Since young, I’ve always been interested in folklores and fables, myths and legends. And also, cartoons, anime and animation is an integral part of my childhood, even until now. So what happens when I combine all 3? You get Fantastic Fables of the Southern Seas. To retell the founding of Singapura by Sang Nila Utama as a space opera is an idea that has been brewing in me for years already, ever since I saw the short animation Magnetic Rose directed by Koji Morimoto and written by one of my favourite director, Satoshi Kon. Magnetic Rose is part of Memories, a 1995 Japanese animated science fiction anthology. When Love Death + Robots came out on Netflix in 2019, I was overwhelmed. The idea to expand my idea into an anthology series started to grow in me. Hence, I started researching into other tales native to Singapore and this region, and how they can be reimagined into starkly contrasting different genres. That is the genesis of Fantastic Fables of the Southern Seas, which currently comprises of 4 stories, 3 inspired by local folklore and 1 original story inspired by our national mascot, the Merlion, that does take on a rather fantasy, folklorish image. I am very thankful for the amazing team that have come together to make this project possible. We all hope this humble series will mark the beginning of something bigger, more ambitious, more fantastical, in time to come.