Singaporean filmmaker Eileen Chong tells the stories of the unsung heroes in our midst through her socially-driven documentaries
There are so many ways to make a positive impact when you have the force of a community behind you. Take the record $102 million received by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre on its online donation platform Giving.sg from April last year to March this year. That is more than double the amount raised in the previous financial year.
“People are a lot kinder than you think,” shares Singaporean filmmaker Eileen Chong. “And when you pull the right heartstrings and talk about issues that deeply resonate with them, they will do their best to help.”
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Chong first came to realise this in 2014, after the release of her first socially-driven documentary Knocking on Doors featuring Fion Phua, the founder of Singapore-based volunteer network, Keeping Hope Alive. “Fion is known to go door to door to the places in Singapore where poverty runs deep to find out what the residents need—and I filmed her doing just that. After the release of the video online, someone anonymously donated $10,000 to pay for all the unpaid bills that were highlighted in the documentary. Singapore residents also donated bags of rice and second-hand clothing. Everyone wanted to help—and that was when I told myself that I shouldn’t underestimate the power of the media and the social impact of my films.”
Chong’s filmmaking journey was inspired by her late aunt who passed away from cancer in 2012. “She was the glue that held the entire family together and made sure that everyone was looked after. Before she passed, I vividly remember her insisting on making a salad for the family one last time during our reunion dinner even though she was frail and sick in a wheelchair,” she says. To Chong, her aunt did the best she could in her own way. And as the family grieved during her funeral, Chong reflected on her life and decided to dedicate her filmmaking journey to her. When she started, she had a singular vision: to share the stories of unsung heroes in our midst and their extraordinary acts of kindness that ripple through society—all in hopes of aiding others.
