PUBLISHED : 11 Apr 2025 at 05:38
Singapore and Thailand are celebrating the 60th anniversary of their bilateral relationship through the first Singaporean-Thai co-produced film, Baby Hero.
The Singaporean Embassy on Wednesday held the gala premiere of the movie to commemorate the milestone at Siam Paragon’s Siam Pavalai Royal Grand Theatre.
Baby Hero is reportedly the first co-production between movie and entertainment agencies from the two countries, namely Hollywood Thailand and Hong Pictures, with Humble Distributions also involved. The action-comedy features actors of both nationalities and was filmed in locations in both geographies.
It will be screened from April 17 throughout Thailand.
Catherine Wong Siow Ping, Singaporean ambassador to Thailand, said during her opening remarks on Wednesday that 2025 is a year of “double celebrations” as it also marks the 60th anniversary of Singapore’s independence.
She said Singapore and Thailand share a close and multifaceted friendship. Since establishing diplomatic ties on Sept 20, 1965, they have continued to find new ways to grow the relationship from strength to strength, she noted.
Economic ties are now robust. Last year, Thailand ranked as Singapore’s ninth-largest trading partner, while Singapore was Thailand’s 10th-largest.
Singapore has also consistently been among Thailand’s top five sources of foreign direct investment. Over a million tourists from Singapore visited Thailand last year.
To push the relationship further, Ms Wong said both countries have been working to export some of the benefits enjoyed by their respective populations. This aligns with the theme commemorating their longstanding ties this year — “Singapore-Thailand: Realising Opportunities for New Growth” or STRONG@60.
“We also continue to work together to break boundaries and bring benefits to our people. The Gala Premiere is one of the many commemorative events lined up for this significant milestone, and the [film] collaboration between Singapore’s Hong Picture and Thailand’s Hollywood Thailand is a wonderful example of the strong cultural and people-to-people ties between two countries,” she said.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt noted the filming locations, both in Bangkok and in other provinces like Phetchabun and Sukhothai, would help introduce more Thai culture and potential tourist spots to the world.
Such collaboration is welcome at a time of geopolitical turbulence, he said. “Singapore and Thailand have many talents, and I think if we collaborate…it will bring mutual benefit.”