Not Safe for TV Launches First Singaporean Web Series Set in Girls’ School2 min read

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Online video channel Not Safe For TV (NSFTV) has launched their new independent web series Girls Girls Girls – a narrative drama unveiling the lives of four convent schoolgirls as they stumble through the suffocating challenges of being 16.

Set against the backdrop of a convent girls’ school, each episode sees a main character navigate through key social issues that manifest in society, as well as on a smaller and more poignant level with teenagers.

With increasing conversations today surrounding same-sex attraction, disparity in social backgrounds, and even religious expectations, the web series came from the realisation that these points of tension begin at a young age. Through the painting of everyday interactions steeped in real life, the vulnerable stories of each girl serves as a microcosm of what we
face in modern society.

“I’ve always felt there was something special about being in a girls’ school, having come from one myself. There are peculiar day-to-day incidents that only happen comfortably within those grounds. We wanted to show that these seemingly trivial issues of our youth are never truly solved in away, but put aside for the time being. Everything is somewhat okay, but only for now,” said director Alexis Terese Tan.

Besides Tan’s directorial role, the rest of the series’ principal crew – the series producer, cinematographer, and executive producer – are all comprised of women as well. The resulting team dynamic inspired a voyeuristic, documentary-like approach to the web series, serving as a pushback on the male gaze where elements of femininity are no longer sexualised, but destigmatized.

“One of NSFTV’s core tenets is to highlight issues that mainstream media dismisses, so this series was a natural progression – no one really takes sixteen-year-old girls seriously. But you’ll realise that these contentious social topics, especially along the lines of gender, manifest in those vulnerable years and it’s time we paid attention to that. We’re here to ask why this is the norm, what the new normal can be, and hopefully show how we can get there”, said Tan Hui Er, the co-founder of Not Safe For TV.

The pilot episode for Girls Girls Girls was released on 14th November on Not Safe For TV’s IGTV and YouTube platforms. It continues to be released weekly across a 5-episode run, culminating in a series finale on 12th December.