PUBLISHED ONApril 14, 2025 10:11 AMByYeo Shu HuiFor Singaporeans, regardless of race, language and religion, the ubiquitous kopitiam has a place in our hearts going beyond just a place for food.
In celebration of Singapore's 60th birthday this year, local filmmaker-producer Eric Khoo and six local directors — Don Aravind, Ong Kuo Sin, Raihan Halim, Shoki Lin, Tan Siyou and Yeo Siew Hua — will be presenting six short stories in an anthology film titled Kopitiam Days to tell the tales of Singaporeans.
Speaking to reporters recently at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Eric, who also turns 60 this year, shared: "Every Singaporean connects to the kopitiam, and it's also a special sacred space that I think if you show others overseas, they'll have their own equivalent... I see the kopitiam as a soul, almost like Singapore and that's what we love."
He also shared the inspiration for Kopitiam Days came one day last year while he was sitting in a Killiney kopitiam — his favourite spot — having a local breakfast of soft-boiled eggs and kopi-o kosong (black coffee without sugar).
Along with those thoughts came his desire to work with the six directors, whom he approached later, telling them to "tell a story from [their] hearts and feature the kopitiam".
"I think if we go somewhere with a heart, it will travel and that's what I want, because I'm very proud of Singapore filmmakers," he said.
The anthology will feature Singapore in the past, present and future. While each story is independent, Eric hinted that some characters may have a crossover between the tales.
The six stories are:
During the event, AsiaOne asked the film's producer and directors what kopitiam means to them.
Kuo Sin, who is also the director of Golden Horse Awards-winning film and its sequel Number 2 (2025), shared that the place is a "safe haven".
"It's a place for people to sit down to exchange views and more importantly, to relax. I think it's where people let their guards down and it feels like a home outside of an actual home," the 51-year-old shared.
Raihan appreciates kopitiam as a place of "colourful culture".
The 43-year-old, whose comedy La Luna (2023) was selected as Singapore's entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards 2025, shared: "It's literally the one place where our Chinese friend can eat mee pok, our Indian friend can eat mee siam, I can eat prata and we can all share the Indian rojak. It is a place where it's multi-cultural and literally Singapore in one location."
He also noted how kopitiams have evolved in recent years to include cuisines from other cultures including Filipinos, African and Western.
Don, who enjoys his breakfast daily in a Marine Parade coffeeshop, particularly takes note of the unique sounds he heard while there.
The 42-year-old director of TV series Tanglin said: "There are particular sounds that you hear in the neighbourhood, which is uniquely Singaporean;, it's almost like when you go to another country, you will miss that.
"Our ambient sound is always there from the morning, such as the school bell ringing and then in the distance, students in the school will start singing (the national anthem) Majulah Singapura and saying the pledge. It's just this that I enjoy sitting down and listen rather than to stay at home."
He added that his time in a kopitiam also provides him with "me time", where he reflects, observes people and get inspiration for storytelling.
Shoki finds connection to his roots in a kopitiam.
The 30-year-old filmmaker, whose short film Chasing Paper (2018) was nominated at the Asian Short Film Competition in the 23rd Busan International Film Festival, said: "At one point in time, I really fell in love with soft-boiled eggs and kaya toast, so much so that I made a documentary about it, about its past.
"It's also connecting me with my roots, because my family would always talk about how my great-grandparents used to work as chefs and that was when I realised I am also part of this culture."
The documentary about the breakfast set is named Set A and was produced around 2016 while he was studying at Nanyang Technological University.
Kopitiam Days' producer Lim Teck told us the accessibility of kopitiams to locals is a representation of how they want their movie to be.
"We want the movie to be accessible to all Singaporeans, just like how kopitiam is to Singaporeans," the 50-year-old said.
He added that the movie would skip the cinemas to reach Singaporeans faster through screenings in schools, community centres and regional hubs. It will also be released on streaming platforms later.
Kopitiam Days starts filming on April 20 and will be released through community screenings in July. It will also be released on streaming platforms in October.
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