Why that hand-wringing over The Projector isn't pointless

The casual mourners are telling those hardest hit that, yes, their loss means something.

- Cherie Lok

The funeral is in full swing. Over the last few days, my Instagram feed has been awash in black – specifically, the black of local cinema The Projector's grim announcement that it is shuttering for good.

Lamentation blooms in many forms: crying emojis, caps-locked exclamations of shock, meandering meditations on loss, old photos of happier days at The Projector, even a well-intentioned if slightly puzzling petition calling on the Government to safeguard the indie institution as a cultural infrastructure asset.

It's only a matter of time before the pendulum reverses course and people start lambasting all this wailing as performative, hypocritical even. LinkedIn, where sincerity often goes to die, has already morphed into fertile hunting ground for cynics.

Suddenly, everyone grew up in The Projector's distressed metal seats. Various professionals have seized the opportunity to plug past projects under the veneer of remembrance.

On Reddit, the backlash is brewing: the comment thread of one post on The Projector's closure is flushed with the type of "see lah" sneering that usually trails the funeral cortege of any deceased cultural institution.

Oh, so you finally care about The Projector now that it's closing, do you? Well, maybe you should have watched Arze at Golden Mile Tower instead of Superman at Golden Village last week. Come on, open your wallet. Let's see if you've put your money where your mouth is.