Singapore talents are set to shine on the global stage soon, as local indie film We Can Save The World!!!makes its premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 17.

The debut feature film by director Cheng Chai Hong, known for his web series Average Guys and Neighbourhood Watch Task Force, is one of 10 selected for the Southeast Asian Frontiers section.

We Can Save The World!!! is the only fully independent Singaporean feature film in the lineup, and Chai Hong the only Singaporean director presenting a film at NYAFF this year.

The sci-fi comedy stars Noah Yap as Ryan, a disillusioned government worker who meets Peng (Teoh Jun Vinh), a homeless man claiming to be an alien stranded on Earth who needs Ryan's help to find a lost doomsday device.

They set off across Singapore, evading a doomsday cult and government agents, and find unlikely allies along the way.

We Can Save The World!!! also stars Fauzi Azzhar, Xuan Ong, Leslie Sim and Daisy Irani.

"I grew up watching foreign movies take me on adventures through the rest of the world, so I'm excited to now do the same for an audience abroad, taking them on an adventure through Singapore," Chai Hong said in a recent press release.

"And make no mistake, our movie's journey might be starting with New York, but its heart lies firmly back in Singapore."

After its New York outing, We Can Save The World!!! will have its gala premiere in Singapore on July 25 and will run at The Projector starting Aug 1.

Back in 2023, the movie started crowdfunding on Indiegogo to raise $80,000 to cover its production costs.

Chai Hong, 35, told AsiaOne in an interview then that the story about aliens was actually about the human condition.

"When you talk about aliens, it's about, 'What's the meaning of life? Is there life out there?' In a very metaphorical way, I think sci-fi alien stories are us all talking about ourselves, it's about searching for meaning."

In a "strange, roundabout way", he said that the movie is about young millennials and Gen Zs who "don't know our place in the universe".

"We have really no freaking idea, we get told that we're supposed to study hard, pick a career and do well in it, and you'll find meaning in it. But the world doesn't work that way," he added.

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drimac@asiaone.com