PUBLISHED February 3rd, 2026 02:03 am
Five months after The Projector closed, Golden Mile Tower’s fifth floor is ready to welcome audiences back. On 3 Feb, Filmhouse opens in the same space, reuniting key members of The Projector’s original team: Sharon Tan, who managed the cinema during its first five years, and Walter Navarro, who led programming.
The timing is deliberate. Awards season is underway, and Filmhouse wants in on that energy even if it means opening mid-renovation. “Each visit will feel like a fresh one,” says Tan. “We hope people will look forward to making new discoveries each time they return.”
It’s a soft opening in the truest sense. Audiences should expect work-in-progress vibes as the team settles into operations.
A Space Taking Shape
The physical transformation is ongoing. Furniture designer Nathan Yong has reimagined the foyer with new furnishings from his brand Nathan Home, aiming for a more intimate atmosphere that won’t be fully realised until March. Artist Speak Cryptic is reviving his murals of characterful filmgoers, while creative studio Knuckles & Notch will handle retail and merchandising.
The technical upgrades are complete. The Green Room has a 4K xenon lamp projector, while the Redrum and Blue Room have 2K laser projectors. Audio enhancements blend new MAG speakers with vintage equipment, including an Altec-Lansing power amplifier that’s nearly 50 years old.
What’s Screening
Filmhouse launches with recent award winners: Sentimental Value, the Norwegian drama that won the Grand Prix at Cannes 2025; Hamnet, Chloé Zhao’s period drama that took Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 2026 Golden Globes; and Rental Family, featuring Brendan Fraser.
Two curated series frame the opening. Found Families explores kinship by choice through films like Linda Linda Linda, Nomadland, Marona’s Fantastic Tale, and 10s Across the Borders. For Valentine’s Day, Love is a Monster veers from rom-com territory with Park Chan-wook’s Thirst, A Useful Ghost, Romeo + Juliet, and Death Becomes Her.
Early collaborations are confirmed with the Embassy of France, Embassy of Italy, Goethe-Institut Singapore, and the European Union Delegation. Pink Screen, the annual LGBTQIA+ film festival, returns during Pride Month, presented with NBCUniversal International.
Beyond the Screen
Concessions stay simple: classic cinema popcorn, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages, with seasonal flavours in the works. After screenings wrap, the snackbar becomes Trailer Bar, run by Ritz and Rush Ang, formerly of Enclave Bar at Golden Mile Complex.
Trailer Bar will offer house pours, cocktails, craft beers, and natural wines. Monthly community events and live performances are planned, from hardcore to jazz to R&B, including Warrior’s Jam, Tim DeCotta and his team, Singing Social Club, and partnerships with the Singapore Butoh Collective. The Blue Room will occasionally transform for performances. School outreach programmes are also in development.
The Bigger Picture
When The Projector closed, it left a gap in Singapore’s cinema landscape. Navarro acknowledges this while also pointing to other efforts that have emerged: the Singapore Film Society at Cineleisure, collectives and organisations like Poster Room and the Asian Film Archive, spaces like TBC Bookstore. “What’s heartening is seeing others step forward,” he says. “Filmhouse exists to strengthen this ecosystem, amplifying diverse filmmaking and the community keeping film culture alive in Singapore.”
It’s a practical view of what independent cinema in Singapore requires: not just one venue, but a network of spaces and initiatives that collectively create room for films that don’t fit the blockbuster mould.
Filmhouse isn’t making grand promises about reinventing cinema. It’s opening its doors, turning on the projectors, and seeing who shows up. In a city where cultural spaces are constantly negotiating between sustainability and vision, that might be enough.
Filmhouse opens 3 February 2026 at Golden Mile Tower, Level 5, 6001 Beach Road, Singapore 199589. Tickets are available at filmhouse.sg.