SINGAPORE - Here is your chance to see the budding works of Singapore’s Next Big Thing in film - and you don’t even have to buy a S$10 ticket.

The 6th Singapore Short Film Awards (SSFA) will be screening all their nominated films tonight and tomorrow (March 5 and 6) at independent cinema The Projector - and it’s entry by donation.

Of the 145 film submissions receive, 27 of them have been nominated for 11 categories, with Stranger By Night by Clare Chong leading the pack with four nominations. The black-and-white film, which stars real-life security guard Lim Poh Huat, is about a security guard’s strange encounters while on the job. It has been nominated for Best Fiction Film, Best Director, Best Script and Best Performance. This year’s submissions has been the highest ever for SSFA, an annual event presented by The Substation Moving Images which promotes and recognises excellence in short films in Singapore by acknowledging not just the film-maker, but also the efforts of key film crew. Every film submitted, along with award nominees, gets a one-time screening.

Vincent Quek, the programme manager for Moving Images, said: “Since its incarnation six years ago, the Singapore Short Film Awards has been an important barometer for the quality of local filmmaking talent. We are delighted to witness our largest submission rates yet - a testament to the rising spirit of amateur filmmaking in recent years. It is a pleasure to honour the very best of these films.”

Of the nominees chosen, the pre-selection committee - which comprised film-maker Kristin Tan and vice-chairman of the Singapore Film Society, David Lee - had this to say: “Many of the films displayed an inventiveness and willingness to take risks in their storytelling and style. There was an especially strong showing in the documentary and experimental category. The documentaries we saw were informative and heartfelt, while the experimental nominees found new ways of transcending narrative and structure.”

This year, the SSFA Honorary Award will be presented to Yuni Hadi, in recognition of her contribution to Singapore short films. The Ilo Ilo producer’s many achievements include co-founding Objectifs Centre for Photography & Film, where she is a director; and helming the Singapore International Film Festival in 2009 and 2014, as its executive director. The winners of the SSFA will be announced on Sunday 8 March 2015 at an awards ceremony at The Substation Theatre.

Screenings of the nominated films start from 7pm onwards at The Projector, 6001 Beach Road, #05-00 Golden Mile Tower. Entry by donation. For more information, visit http://www.substation.org/event/6ssfa/