The Projector
A Singapore independent cinema known for arthouse films, alternative programming and live events.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Projector was an independent cinema brand in Singapore that operated from 2014 until its closure on 19 August 2025. It was established by Karen Tan, Sharon Tan and Blaise Trigg-Smith through Pocket Projects, with the founders taking over smaller halls within the historic Golden Mile Tower complex. Rather than competing solely on the scale and commercial programming of multiplex chains, The Projector built its identity around arthouse, independent, international and otherwise underrepresented films. It also screened selected mainstream titles and developed its venues as cultural spaces for talks, comedy, music, community gatherings and other live events. The brand’s main base was at Golden Mile Tower, where it operated three halls: Green Room, Redrum and Blue Room. The cinema occupied the smaller halls of a site that had originally opened as Golden Theatre in 1973. Golden Theatre had been a large single-screen venue capable of seating up to 1,500 people before being divided into three halls during the 1990s. The Projector’s opening in April 2014 followed an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that raised US$55,000, helping establish a community-supported model for the new operator. Its first screening was filmmaker Kirsten Tan’s short film Dahdi, a connection that later became symbolically important when her film Pop Aye was associated with the cinema’s tenth-anniversary period. The Projector expanded through temporary and partnership-based locations rather than a large permanent estate. Projector X opened at Riverside Point on 30 April 2021 in a small former nightclub space with 48 seats and operated as a pop-up until late 2022. In August 2022, the brand leased four halls at The Cathay, including the former 590-seat Cathay Grand, and operated them as Projector X: Picturehouse until the end of June 2023. At Cineleisure Orchard, it first ran a pop-up cafe, bar and events operation after Cathay Cineplex ended its cinema activities there. It subsequently partnered with Golden Village to create Golden Village X The Projector, a six-hall cinema combining three Golden Village-branded halls with three Projector-branded halls. That venue opened in December 2023. The company also experimented with digital distribution. In July 2020, during a period of severe disruption to theatrical exhibition, it launched Projector Plus, an online video-on-demand platform. The cinema temporarily paused operations across its theatres from 31 May to 13 June 2021 in response to difficult trading conditions and tightened COVID-19 containment measures in Singapore. The Projector remained a recognizable cultural venue even as its physical footprint changed. It hosted a live screening of Singapore’s 2025 general election on polling day, 3 May 2025. In April 2025, screenings at Golden Mile Tower were suspended while the halls were used for other events, with programming shifted to Cineleisure; the company later planned to return screenings to Golden Mile Tower. It announced its departure from Cineleisure in August 2025, with the final screenings taking place on 3 August. On 19 August 2025, The Projector announced that it was closing and entering voluntary liquidation after accumulating approximately SGD 1.2 million in debt. The closure ended an approximately eleven-year run and prompted strong public expressions of appreciation from audiences and filmmakers. In January 2026, a new independent cinema called Filmhouse was reported as preparing to open in the former Golden Mile Tower space, with some former Projector team members and venue characteristics expected to continue, although Filmhouse is a separate venture.
History
The Projector emerged in 2014 as an independent cinema project founded by Karen Tan, Sharon Tan and Blaise Trigg-Smith under Pocket Projects. Its base was Golden Mile Tower, a historically significant cinema site that had opened in 1973 as Golden Theatre. The original theatre was Singapore and Malaysia’s largest cinema at the time, with a single auditorium seating up to 1,500 people. After the venue was divided into three halls in the 1990s, The Projector took over the smaller halls while the largest hall remained associated with Golden Theatre. The Golden Mile Tower outlet launched in April 2014 after an Indiegogo campaign raised US$55,000. The venue developed a distinctive identity around independent, arthouse and international films, but it was not limited exclusively to those categories. It also showed selected mainstream movies and became a venue for stand-up comedy, talks and other live events. Its principal halls were named Green Room, Redrum and Blue Room, with capacities of approximately 230, 200 and 100 seats respectively. The Blue Room had previously been used as a church before its conversion into a cinema hall. Sharon Tan served as general manager until leaving the cinema in 2019, when Prashant Somosundram assumed the role. The business subsequently pursued a flexible expansion strategy using temporary sites and partnerships. Projector X opened at Riverside Point on 30 April 2021 in a former Chinese nightclub, with 48 seats and an art installation in the former changing rooms by Marc Nair. The pop-up closed toward the end of 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic created severe operating pressure for cinemas. In July 2020, The Projector responded by launching Projector Plus, an online movie-on-demand service. It also paused operations across its theatres from 31 May to 13 June 2021 after new Singapore containment measures made trading conditions more difficult. In August 2022, following the end of Cathay Cineplex’s operation at The Cathay, The Projector leased four halls there as Projector X: Picturehouse. The temporary venue included the former 590-seat Cathay Grand and remained open until the end of June 2023. After Cathay Cineplex ceased operating at Cineleisure Orchard, The Projector ran a pop-up cafe, bar and live-event space at the mall from July through December 2023. It then entered a partnership with Golden Village to operate Golden Village X The Projector. The new six-hall venue, comprising three halls under each brand, opened in December 2023. The brand’s locations continued to change in 2025. Screenings at Golden Mile Tower stopped in April while the halls were used for other events, with screenings transferred to Cineleisure. The Projector later announced that it would leave Cineleisure, with final screenings there on 3 August and a planned return of screenings to Golden Mile Tower. It also hosted a live screening related to Singapore’s 2025 general election on 3 May. On 19 August 2025, The Projector announced its closure and voluntary liquidation. The company had accumulated approximately SGD 1.2 million in debt. The closure ended the brand’s operating history after roughly eleven years and triggered widespread public expressions of affection and regret. Filmmaker Kirsten Tan had a notable connection to the venue: her short film Dahdi was its first screening in 2014, while her Sundance-winning feature Pop Aye was associated with the cinema’s tenth-anniversary period. In January 2026, Filmhouse was reported as preparing to open in the former Golden Mile Tower space, with some former Projector personnel and venue features expected to carry forward under a new brand.
- 2025
The Projector closes
[1]The company announced closure and voluntary liquidation on 19 August after reporting approximately SGD 1.2 million in accumulated debt.
- 2023
Golden Village X The Projector opens
[1]The joint cinema operated by Golden Village and The Projector opened at Cineleisure Orchard in December.
- 2022
Projector X: Picturehouse begins operation
[1]The Projector opened a temporary four-hall cinema at The Cathay on 23 August.
- 2021
Riverside Point pop-up opens
[1]Projector X opened at Riverside Point with a 48-seat auditorium.
- 2020
Projector Plus launches
[1]The brand expanded into online movie-on-demand distribution with Projector Plus.
- 2019
General management changes
[1]Sharon Tan left the cinema and Prashant Somosundram became general manager.
- 2014
The Projector is founded
[1]Karen Tan, Sharon Tan and Blaise Trigg-Smith founded The Projector under Pocket Projects and opened the Golden Mile Tower outlet after a US$55,000 Indiegogo campaign.
- 1973
Golden Theatre opens at Golden Mile Tower
[1]The cinema site that later housed The Projector opened as Golden Theatre, initially operating as a single auditorium with capacity for up to 1,500 people.
Products and positioning
An independent, community-oriented cinema and cultural venue focused on arthouse and alternative film programming while also hosting selected commercial films and live events.
Independent cinema · 2014
Golden Mile Tower cinema
The Projector’s principal venue from 2014 was located in the smaller halls of Golden Mile Tower’s historic cinema complex. It operated three rooms—Green Room, Redrum and Blue Room—with reported capacities of approximately 230, 200 and 100 seats. The venue was designed as a compact alternative to mainstream multiplexes and supported film screenings as well as cultural and live events.
Video-on-demand platform · 2020
Projector Plus
Projector Plus was an online movie-on-demand service launched in July 2020. It extended The Projector’s curatorial model beyond physical theatres at a time when pandemic restrictions and reduced audience access placed pressure on cinema exhibition.
Pop-up cinema · 2021
Projector X
Projector X was the name used for temporary or alternative-format venues. The Riverside Point version opened in April 2021 with 48 seats in a converted former nightclub and operated until late 2022. The format allowed the brand to test smaller, location-specific cinema concepts outside its Golden Mile Tower base.
Pop-up cinema · 2022
Projector X: Picturehouse
Projector X: Picturehouse operated four former Cathay Cineplex halls at The Cathay from 23 August 2022 through the end of June 2023. Its spaces included the former 590-seat Cathay Grand, giving the independent operator a substantially larger temporary footprint while retaining its alternative programming identity.
Cinema partnership · 2023
Golden Village X The Projector
Golden Village X The Projector was a jointly operated six-hall cinema at Cineleisure Orchard. Three halls carried Golden Village branding and three carried The Projector branding. The venue opened in December 2023 after The Projector had operated a temporary cafe, bar and live-event space at the mall.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Indiegogo launch campaign
Singapore
The Projector used crowdfunding to support the launch of its Golden Mile Tower cinema, raising US$55,000 on Indiegogo.
Outcome. The campaign supported the opening of the cinema in April 2014.
Brand decisions
2025
Closure and voluntary liquidationOtherBackground
The company faced accumulated debt and continuing operational pressure.
Action taken
The Projector announced that it would cease operations and enter voluntary liquidation on 19 August.
Aftermath
The brand’s cinema operations ended. The reported accumulated debt was approximately SGD 1.2 million.
Accumulated debt. SGD 1.2 million (At closure in August 2025)
2023
Partnership with Golden Village at CineleisureM&ABackground
Cathay Cineplex ended its cinema operation at Cineleisure Orchard.
Action taken
The Projector and Golden Village agreed to operate a six-hall joint cinema under both brands.
Aftermath
Golden Village X The Projector opened in December 2023. The available material describes a collaboration, not an acquisition or change of ownership.
2022
Temporary expansion into The CathayStrategyBackground
Cathay Cineplex stopped operating its cinema at The Cathay.
Action taken
The Projector leased four halls and operated them as Projector X: Picturehouse.
Aftermath
The pop-up remained open until the end of June 2023.
2020
Launch of Projector PlusProduct launchBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted cinema attendance and theatrical operations.
Action taken
The Projector introduced an online movie-on-demand service.
Aftermath
The launch extended the brand into digital film distribution, although the available reference material does not provide operating or financial results.
Recent events
- 2025
The Projector hosts live screening of Singapore general election[1]
Other
The cinema hosted a live screening connected with the 2025 Singapore general election on polling day, 3 May.
- 2025
The Projector announces closure and voluntary liquidation[1]
Bankruptcy
The company announced on 19 August that it would close and enter voluntary liquidation after accumulating approximately SGD 1.2 million in debt.
- 2023
The Projector and Golden Village announce Cineleisure partnership[1]
M&A · Product launch
The two cinema operators announced Golden Village X The Projector, a six-hall cinema combining both brands at Cineleisure Orchard.
- 2023
Golden Village X The Projector opens at Cineleisure Orchard[1]
Product launch
The jointly operated cinema began operations in December after The Projector’s temporary cafe, bar and events presence at the mall.
- 2022
Projector X: Picturehouse opens at The Cathay[1]
Product launch
The Projector took over four former Cathay Cineplex halls, including the large Cathay Grand, for a temporary cinema operation.
- 2021
The Projector temporarily pauses theatre operations amid COVID-19 restrictions[1]
Regulation · Other
Operations across its theatres were suspended from 31 May to 13 June because of difficult business conditions and new containment measures in Singapore.
- 2021
Projector X opens at Riverside Point[1]
Product launch
The brand opened a 48-seat pop-up cinema at Riverside Point, using a converted former nightclub space.
- 2020
The Projector launches Projector Plus streaming service[1]
Product launch
The cinema introduced an online movie-on-demand platform during the period when theatrical exhibition was being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sources1 sources
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