The Ngee Ann Kongsi Sponsors 900 Tickets for Teochew Film ‘Dear You’ to Celebrate Cultural Heritage

The Ngee Ann Kongsi has sponsored 900 tickets for Teochew language screenings of the dialect film Dear You, giving its members and fellow Teochew clan associations the opportunity to experience a movie that celebrates Teochew culture, heritage and identity.

As part of the initiative, 100 of the sponsored tickets were set aside for older adults, caregivers and families connected to The Ngee Ann Kongsi Social Impact Hub established by the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). The sponsorship reflects The Ngee Ann Kongsi’s longstanding commitment to preserving and promoting Teochew culture in Singapore while creating meaningful opportunities for different generations to connect through language and shared heritage.

Dear You is a Teochew dialect film that follows a man’s journey to search for his grandfather. Along the way, the story explores themes of family, identity, migration and cultural roots, highlighting the importance of remembering one’s heritage and strengthening intergenerational connections.

The sponsored screening also provides an opportunity for older members of the community to revisit a language and culture that has shaped their lives. Among those attending is Mr Liew, who will accompany his wheelchair bound elderly Teochew mother-in-law and his wife to the screening. Having last visited a cinema four years ago, his mother-in-law is looking forward to enjoying the film with her family.

The event will also be a meaningful experience for Suan and her 93-year-old mother, Mdm Tan Gek Yong. Born in Puning, China, Mdm Tan moved to Singapore with her parents as a young child before building her life here with her late husband, who was from Jieyang. It has been four decades since she last watched a Teochew language film, making the screening a nostalgic occasion that is expected to reconnect her with cherished memories of her heritage and family journey.

Since the 1930s, The Ngee Ann Kongsi has supported a wide range of philanthropic initiatives in Singapore across education, welfare and the arts. The sponsorship of Dear You continues that legacy by encouraging appreciation of the Teochew language and culture while bringing communities together through a shared cinematic experience.