SINGAPORE: A new local romance film, "The Leap Years", was screened on Thursday evening to mark Valentine's Day.

But only a selected group of people who paid for a special package – which includes fine dining – got to enjoy the movie at Golden Village VivoCity. A total of 50 packages, priced at S$168 each, was sold out.

The film, produced by MediaCorp Raintree Pictures and Ochre Pictures, will only be released islandwide at the end of this month.

The movie is about a romance between a Singaporean girl, Li-Ann (Wong Li-Lin), and Jeremy (Ananda Everingham).

On February 29, Li-Ann meets Jeremy, who is set to return to his home in Canada that very evening. But he promises her that he will return to Singapore once every four years on February 29 to meet her at the same place, at the same time.

Over the years, Jeremy keeps his Leap Day promise. But fate intervenes and keeps the lovers apart. Just when Li-Ann is about to get married on a Leap Day, fate changes plans once again.

Daniel Yun, Managing Director of MediaCorp Raintree Pictures, said: "We feel that if there is going to be a breakout hit from Singapore, it would probably be an English-language film.

"While a lot of film-makers may not make English-language films because of the way the market demands are, we feel that as a film-making company, it's important that we produce a film that we believe is a genre that can, in the longer term, establish a new demand for this part of the world."


- CNA/so