appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Jean Iau

When Singaporeans tuned in to watch the annual National Day Parade on Sunday, an AI-generated short film depicting a zombie apocalypse version of the event has generated buzz in the city state.
The four-minute-long Bersama Majulah, a spin-off from the human-written, artificial intelligence-generated Spore Fall video series, shows a spore pathogenic outbreak spreading across the fictional city of Lionara, which bears resemblance to Singapore’s skyline complete with the Marina Bay Sands, ArtScience Museum and Merlion.
Joel Boh, creator and showrunner of Spore Fall, Southeast Asia’s first human-written, AI-realised transmedia franchise, noted that despite criticisms of “AI slop”, the viewing retention rate was 85 to 93 per cent for the short film, which is available on YouTube.
“We’ve seen everything from genuine curiosity to passionate critique. And we welcome it all. The fact that people are talking – whether in support or in criticism – tells us the film is landing as intended. We view the debate as a healthy sign of cultural impact,” Boh told This Week in Asia.

He added: “They’re watching till the end – just to leave a negative comment. That suggests something deeper. Audiences are hungry for connection, but they can’t quite get past the fact that the content is AI-generated. They feel strongly enough to finish engaging, only to push back on the medium.”
The “soul of the work”, like the story arcs and character motivations, is written by humans, with AI only used to handle the execution of the environment, visual effects, and production scaling, according to Boh.
In response to criticism of not using local actors to play the roles instead of AI-generated characters, Boh, who is also managing director of the Singapore-based studio behind the project, Edenstone, stressed that the studio had respect for the local creative community and that using AI was not about taking shortcuts.
Aside from Boh, Bersama Majulah is helmed by Singaporean executive producer Chan Gin Kai, who won a Golden Horse Award in 2025 for best animated feature as a producer for Another World in 2025. Its theme song is composed by local musician Dharma Sadasivan.

“The reality is that a project of this scale – with ambitions of building a transmedia universe – requires resources that are out of reach for most independent studios. AI has allowed us to bypass the traditional gatekeepers, enabling us to produce at a quality that can compete globally without a massive Hollywood budget,” said Boh, adding that the model could empower creators across Asia, not just in Singapore.
Spore Fall, is a free-to-view 10-episode vertical series across its own website, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and selected streaming partners. A feature film is slated for theatrical release in 2028, to be followed by a novel, games and Web3 collectibles.
Boh said the concept for Spore Fall began in early 2025 as a novel, although his vision was always broader than a book, and AI had not “entered the picture”.
When AI tools matured to deliver cinematic quality, the studio pivoted to adapt the novel to screen and launched the franchise.

“The technology allowed us to scale production value that would otherwise be budget-prohibitive for an independent studio. It freed us to focus more deeply on narrative depth, emotional truth and worldbuilding,” said Boh.
On whether this model of human-led stories could be the future of film, Boh believes that AI would likely become standard, but the degree of its involvement remains open.
“AI is not a genre – it’s a tool. Its value depends on how it’s used. The potential lies not in replacing human creativity, but in scaling it. AI lets independent creators compete on scope, not just speed – collapsing production costs and enabling ambitious IP on agile budgets. How we navigate that distinction will shape the next era of storytelling.”


Hong Kong’s IOMed poised to play key role in resolving Greater Bay Area disputes

Singapore’s finance firms pledge to train 80,000 local staff in AI skills

China’s sulphur imports dive 65% as prices surge 3.5 times amid Middle East disruption

US regulators back multi-cancer blood test – but Hong Kong doctors remain cautious

Singapore

AI zombie video on Singapore’s National Day sparks talk – is this the future of film?

A scene from Bersama Majulah, a video created with human input and artificial intelligence, was shown on Singapore’s National Day on Sunday. Photo: Edenstone

Bersama Majulah shows a spore pathogenic outbreak spreading across the fictional city of Lionara, which bears resemblance to Singapore’s skyline. Photo: Edenstone

Bersama Majulah is a spin-off from the human-written, artificial intelligence-generated Spore Fall video series. Photo: Edenstone

Bersama Majulah is helmed by Joel Boh, creator and showrunner of Spore Fall, and Singaporean executive producer Chan Gin Kai. Photo: Edenstone

Massive Attack’s Singapore ban tests legal limits of artistic freedom

Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall from Massive Attack stand with a Palestinian flag onstage at the end of their performance in Singapore on Wednesday. Photo: Social media/Reuters

The audience responds to Massive Attack’s performance in Singapore on Wednesday. Photo: Daniel Koh

Comedian Sammy Obeid performs on stage. Photo: NBC Universal/Getty Images

Are Singaporeans losing faith, or just dropping the labels?

Devotees burn incense at a Taoist temple with Buddhist elements on Singapore’s Kusu island in 2023. Photo: AFP

Catholic faithful attend a holy mass being led by Pope Francis at the National Stadium in Singapore in September 2024. Photo: AFP

A Hindu devotee splashes himself with water during a fire-walking ceremony at the Sri Mariamman Temple in Singapore in 2005. Photo: EPA

Religious police are seen in Aceh, Indonesia’s only province to enforce sharia law, before a public caning on July 2. Photo: AFP

People visit a temple in Singapore’s Chinatown district ahead of Chinese New Year in 2023. Photo: AFP

Festive lighting decorates the streets of Geylang Serai in Singapore ahead of the Islamic holiday Eid ul-Fitr, or Hari Raya Puasa, in 2022. Photo: Reuters

 Melanie Tiong returned to Taoism after finding comfort and solace in its beliefs. Photo: Melanie Tiong 

Singapore battles speed of youth radicalisation as concerns mount

Singapore’s Internal Security Department says social media and online platforms have accelerated the time between an individual’s first encounter with extremist elements and their subscription to such ideologies. Photo: Shutterstock

K. Shanmugam, Singapore’s senior minister and coordinating minister for national security. Photo: Reuters

Policemen stand near the crime scene of a school compound after a shooting incident in Tacloban City, Leyte province, on June 22. Photo: AFP

AI competition heats up as US targets Southeast Asia’s public sector

An illustration of the US and Chinese AI ecosystems. Photo: Shutterstock

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio departs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

A Kimi logo seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 18. Photo: AFP

AI-powered firefighting devices seen at Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Centre last year during the launch of the 22nd China-Asean Expo in September last year. Photo: Xinhua

This Week in Asia

Lifestyle & Culture

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

The creator behind the short video, Bersama Majulah, stresses that the ‘soul of the work’ is written by humans


The creator behind the short video, Bersama Majulah, stresses that the ‘soul of the work’ is written by humans.


Artificial intelligence (AI)

Technology

Social media

AI zombie video on Singapore’s National Day sparks talk – is this the future of film?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The creator behind the short video, Bersama Majulah, stresses that the ‘soul of the work’ is written by humans

The creator behind the short video, Bersama Majulah, stresses that the ‘soul of the work’ is written by humans